Apple iPhone 5s vs iPhone 5c vs iPhone 5 specs comparison: spot the differences

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Apple iPhone 5s vs iPhone 5c vs iPhone 5 specs comparison: spot the differences
Today's Apple announcement of the annual iPhone 5s edition would be business as usual if it wasn't for the executive decision not to leave the midrange market mostly in Samsung Android hands, but rather assault it with a more affordable iPhone 5c for the first time.

Apple's cheaper iPhone edition uses most of the components that last year's iPhone 5 utilized, meaning it is quite further down the specs ladder compared to the iPhone 5s. What are the subtle and not so subtle differences between the three, though? Check them out in the table below for the dry numbers, but here are the main takes what Apple did to keep its venerable profit margins intact with the iPhone 5c.

First off, both the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5c share last year's A6 chipset - while no slouch it can't be a match for the brand new scorching 64-bit A7 that is in the iPhone 5s for the first time ever in a smartphone. All three handsets share the same 4" 640x1136 pixels screen panel with true sRGB color representation, high brightness and wide viewing angles.

Here we commence with the subtle differences, though - while all handsets have an 8 MP camera with LED flash tech, the iPhone sports a sensor with larger, 1.5 micron pixels, which means more light intake, and it also features a True Tone flash - basically a dual unit that fires up in many different color combos to make skin tones look natural, for instance. The frontal FaceTime HD cam is also upgraded in the 5s and 5c alike, with even larger, 1.9 micron pixels, plus backside illumination.

All three exteriors are different as well - the iPhone 5c wraps iPhone 5 specs in a one-piece polycarbonate chassis in multiple colors, while the 5s shares a similar premium metal/glass housing as last year's flagship, but with a brand new sapphire crystal home key with built-in fingerprint reader. Play a bit of spot the differences in the specs table below.


DESIGN


Device typeiPhone 5siPhone 5ciPhone 5
OSiOS (7)iOS (7)iOS (6.1, 6)
Dimensions4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm)4.90 x 2.33 x 0.35 inches (124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97 mm)4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inches (123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm)
Weight3.95 oz (112 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
4.66 oz (132 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
3.95 oz (112 g)
the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
Body materialAluminiumPolycarbonateAluminium
Design featuresFingerprint sensor  
Side KeysLeft: Volume control, OtherLeft: Volume control, Lock/Unlock keyLeft: Volume control, Other
ColorsGold, Gray, SilverYellow, Green, Blue, Red, WhiteBlack, White
DISPLAY


Physical size4.0 inches4.0 inches4.0 inches
Resolution640 x 1136 pixels640 x 1136 pixels640 x 1136 pixels
Pixel density
326 ppi326 ppi326 ppi
Technology
IPS LCDIPS LCDIPS LCD
Peak brightness500 cd/m2 (nit)500 cd/m2 (nit) 500 cd/m2 (nit)
BATTERY


Stand-by time  9.4 days (225 hours)
the average is 18 days (444 h)
Talk time (3G)10.00 hours
the average is 10 h (582 min)
10.00 hours
the average is 10 h (582 min)
8.00 hours
the average is 10 h (582 min)
Stand-by time (3G)10.4 days (250 hours)
the average is 24 days (564 h)
10.4 days (250 hours)
the average is 24 days (564 h)
 
Music playback40.00 hours40.00 hours40.00 hours
Video playback10.00 hours10.00 hours10.00 hours
Capacity  1440 mAh
HARDWARE


System chip
Apple A7 with 64-bit architectureApple A6Apple A6
Processor
  Dual core, 1300 MHz, Apple Swift
Graphics processorYesYesPowerVR SGX543MP3
System memory

 1016 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 1066 MHz) / LPDDR2
Built-in storage 16 GB16 GB16 GB
CAMERA


Camera8 megapixels8 megapixels8 megapixels
FlashDual LEDLEDLED
Aperture sizeF2.2F2.4F2.4
Camera sensor size  1/3.2"
Camcorder1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)
Front-facing camera1.2 megapixels1.2 megapixels1.2 megapixels
Video capture1280x720 (720p HD)1280x720 (720p HD)1280x720 (720p HD) (30 fps)

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