This year, Apple shocked everyone with the announcement of the iPhone 5c. We all knew the phone was coming; there had been a multitude of leaked parts before the announcement. The shock came from the 5c’s price. Apple’s ‘budget’ handset wasn’t much cheaper than the flagship 5s. So the big question is: is the iPhone 5c worth the money? Agent Hall takes a look at the handset to find out.
There have been rumours flying around about a budget iPhone for years but nothing ever materialised. Apple tended to just reduce the price of the old model when they launched a new phone and used this as the budget option. This year though, the iPhone 5 has been discontinued and replaced with the iPhone 5c.
The specification of the 5c is actually a little higher than that of the iPhone 5, but it is made from plastic rather than aluminium and glass and is available in a range of iOS 7-inspired colours. However, the price may be a stumbling block for a lot of potential customers. Let’s take a look at the details.
iPHONE 5c – SUMMARY
RRP: £469 - £549
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- iOS 7
- Slightly higher spec than the iPhone 5.
Cons
- Not cheap enough when compared to the iPhone 5s
- Polycarbonate body may scratch easily.
Also consider: iPhone 5s, iPhone 4s, HTC One Mini.
DESIGN AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The 5c is immediately recognisable as an iPhone. It has the same screen and button layout as every other Apple handset. As with all iPhones, the front is a single piece of scratch-resistant glass with the familiar home button underneath. The only thing to set it apart from other iPhones is the polycarbonate body shell that comes in a range of colours: green, yellow, blue, pink and white.
Any thoughts of this being a budget handset disappear as soon as you pick up the phone. Although it is made primarily from plastic, it still feels like a premium product. Each handset goes through multiple finishing processes to make it super smooth and glossy. It is also reinforced with steel inside, which makes the phone solid as a rock. This steel reinforcement also acts as the phone’s antenna, which is a great example of the innovative thought Apple puts into its designs.
The phone feels so nice to hold that I found myself just picking it up and rolling it round in my hands while I was writing this review. In my opinion, it is a nicer device to actually hold in your hand than the 5s.
HARDWARE
| Wi-Fi: Yes a/b/g/n 4G: Yes GPS: Yes NFC: No. |
Processor and Memory
When compared to its rivals, the specification of the 5c seems a little low. A 1.3 GHz chip with 1 GB of RAM seems outdated when you look at some of the latest Android handsets. However, these comparisons are completely meaningless. The chip is actually the same one used in last year’s iPhone 5 and this is still one of the quickest phones available.
iOS, the operating system on the iPhone, is so much more efficient than the bloated Android OS that it runs silky smooth on the 5c and I never had any moments where it felt like there was a lack of power. Applications also run without any issues too. As there are a limited number of iPhone models, app developers can easily optimise their applications to run as quickly as possible. This means that you rarely, if ever, experience any slowdown and the graphics rival any handheld gaming system.
When it comes to internal storage, this is an area where you may have some issues but it all depends on how you intend to use the phone. With the iPhone, you don’t have the option of upgrading the memory with an SD card so you need to make sure you buy the right model in the first place. iOS takes up about 3 GB of space on the phone so make sure you factor this in.
If you do start to run out of space then there are a few ways of freeing up some data. For example, if you want to have a lot of music on your phone then you could look into signing up for iTunes Match. This costs £22 a year but it allows you to stream all your music from iCloud instead of storing it on the iPhone itself. I currently have access to 80GB+ of music on my 16 GB iPhone.
Screen
Resolution: 640 x 1136
Size: 4 inches
Display type: Retina LED backlit IPS LCD 326ppi.
As far as I can tell, the screen on the 5c is the same as the 5 and the 5s. Apple call the screen the Retina Display as the resolution is high enough that you cannot distinguish the individual pixels from a normal viewing distance. Some of the rival Android handsets are now coming with full HD 1080p screens; so, again, the iPhone looks to be lagging behind. In truth though, on a screen of this size there is no visible difference.
The size of the screen remains 4” which will be too small for some people. Apple insists that this is the ideal screen size as it allows you to use the phone with one hand and I tend to agree with them on this. I recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 with a screen approaching 6” and, while the extra size was great for watching videos and browsing the web, it was impossible for me to send a text with one hand. But ultimately, the screen size is all down to personal preference.
Camera
Rear iSight Camera – 8 MP, LED Flash, 1080p HD video at 30 fps with 3x zoom
Front FaceTime Camera – 1.2 MP, 720p HD video
Again, the camera on the iPhone 5c remains the same as that on the 5. The front-facing camera has been upgraded slightly to improve low-light performance for video calls but the main rear camera is unchanged.
The iSight camera on the iPhone 5 and 5c is generally regarded as one of the best smartphone cameras available. It lacks the fancy features and new capabilities of some of its rivals, but picture quality has always been very good in good lighting conditions.
The camera app itself on the phone is easy to use and once you have taken a photo there is a range of built-in editing options allowing you to crop, change colour and contrast, etc.
Battery Life
The battery in the iPhone 5c is actually slightly larger than the iPhone 5. You probably won’t notice much difference in terms of battery life as it’s only a small increase in size, but you should easily get a full day of moderate use with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth switched on. All in all, pretty standard for a smartphone these days.
Official Cases
For the first time since the official iPhone 4 Bumper case, Apple has released its own range of silicone rubber cases for the iPhone 5c. They are available in a range of complimentary colours and have holes in so the original colour shows through. The cases have a soft microfibre lining so they should keep that shiny new iPhone looking pristine.
SOFTWARE
As with all new iPhones, the 5c comes with iOS 7, Apple’s latest and greatest mobile OS. The biggest difference between this and the previous iOS 6 is the complete visual redesign. Every icon and application has been changed to make the whole system much more cohesive.
When it was first released, a lot of people were surprised/appalled by the bright colours that designer Johny Ive had chosen for the icons. Personally, I’ve always liked iOS 7 but when you see it on an iPhone 5c it really starts to make sense. The colours Apple have chosen for the 5c perfectly complement the colours used in iOS 7 and it really feels like the hardware and the software have been designed in tandem.
As well as the visual overhaul, iOS 7 also includes a load of new features including Control Centre, which gives quick access to commonly used settings and apps; AirDrop, which allows you to send files and weblinks wirelessly between iPhones; and FaceTime Audio, which allows you to make free calls to other iPhones over Wi-Fi.
For more information on making the most of iOS 7, you can take a look at our Tips and Tricks page.
iPHONE 5C – THE VERDICT
Overall, the iPhone 5c is a fantastic handset. Whether you like the range of slightly bright and bold colours is all a question of personal taste, but the build quality is second to none. iOS 7 is, in my opinion, by far the best mobile operating system and it is perfectly designed to complement the iPhone 5c.
The only sticking point for some people is the price. Before it was released, everyone assumed that a plastic iPhone would be cheap enough to compete at the budget end of the smartphone market with the dizzying array of Samsung handsets. With prices starting at £469 though, the 5c is very firmly in the upper-midrange price bracket.
To be fair to Apple, they never intended the iPhone 5c to be a cheap handset. It was all insider industry gossip before the handset was announced that led to the idea of a super-cheap device. Also, the iPhone 4s is still available for the more reasonable price of £349.
This has left the 5c in a bit of a smartphone no man’s land. If Apple had based it on the iPhone 4S instead of the 5, then it could have been really aggressive with the price and dominated the mid-range handset market. As it is, the phone is not cheap enough to draw potential buyers away from the 5c and this has been reflected in the sales so far.
Having said all that, if you find the design of the 5s a bit boring and fancy a bit of extra colour in your life, the iPhone 5c is still a brilliant choice.
ALTERNATIVES TO THE iPHONE 5c
If you’re not convinced by the 5C, here are a few alternative handsets:
iPhone 5s– The new flagship iPhone featuring a built-in fingerprint scanner for security and a 64-bit processor for super-smooth performance.
iPhone 4s – Lower specification that the 5c but with a lower price to match. You also get the more premium steel and glass construction.
HTC One Mini– Just one of a whole range of decent Android alternatives in the mid-range market.
So what do you think of the iPhone 5c? Is it a viable alternative to the 5s or has Apple priced it out of the market? You can let us know your thoughts below in the comments section.