iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c: Which one is for you?

Once upon a time in the days of the original iPhone, there was a simple choice to be made when buying a new smartphone, would you buy an iPhone or would you buy a model made by the competition, say an HTC or a Samsung device? Now however, the choice is much more complicated – not only are there more manufacturers competing for your money, but each manufacturer is offering multiple models each with their own unique features and capabilities. This makes finding the ideal smartphone for your unique needs a potentially confusing endeavor.

Such is the case with Apple and their range of iPhones. The latest version of iPhone available is the iPhone 5s or the iPhone 5c, each with vastly different specifications and capabilities, so which is the right one for you?

The answer – as with most things in life – is that your choice depends on your requirements. Let’s have a look at each model’s strengths so you have a better idea of what they are capable of before you decide.   The iPhone 5 was a great smartphone and the iPhone 5c continues that excellence, but at a slightly lower price. The phone’s components, once you look passed the impressive colour case are basically the same as the iPhone 5. There are however a few key differences between the iPhone 5 and iPhone  5c, most notable among these are the iPhone 5c’s offers longer battery life and a new FaceTime camera.

The iPhone 5c’s case features a steel frame – which doubles up as an antenna – and a polycarbonate shell, which has enabled Apple to provide a range of five vibrant colours for the iPhone 5c. Overall, the iPhone 5c is slightly thicker than the iPhone 5, but it stills feels very comfortable to hold thanks to Apple’s impressive build quality and the phones weight distribution.   Both the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5S come with options of either 16GB or 32GB storage capacity, but with the iPhone 5s you can also opt for 64GB storage.

The iPhone 5s is the top of the range model, and it feels that way. The quality of the case is indisputable and at the same size as the iPhone 5, it feels very comfortable in the hand. It also offers the much discussed fingerprint scanning security feature, doing away with the hassle of remembering and entering passwords.

Where the iPhone 5s scores its’ points – and where much of your extra money goes – is in the ‘future proofing’ that Apple have built in to the device. While both the iPhone 5c and 5s feature the new iOS 7 operating system, the iPhone 5s includes the A7 64-bit processor and the M7 motion co-processor, which provide great improvements  over the previous models. The A7 64-bit processor is the first 64-bit processor to be used in a commercial smartphone – a true leap into the future.

On the other hand, the 5c retains the A6 processor which is currently found in the iPhone 5.   Another consideration is the upgraded camera lens and camera sensor that have been built in to the 5s. When these new features are coupled with the improved processor, the 5s gives you the ability to shoot slow motion videos and burst-mode still photography. The improvements to the iPhone 5s camera also include significantly faster shutter speeds and faster, sharper auto-focus.

So what’s the bottom line?

If you’re looking for a budget priced, capable smartphone, with a good camera and are not too concerned with exotic features, the iPhone 5c is the way to go. If, on the other hand, you like to be ahead of the game, have a keen interest in photography or gaming, then there’s no doubt you’ll love the iPhone 5s.