Normally, the introduction of a new iPhone means that the old model will be getting a price cut that would validate it as a mid-range smartphone – a strategy we’ve been seeing Apple using the last couple of years with its iPhones. This time around, however, they’re doing something different by announcing not one, but two NEW iPhone models. We all know about the flagship one, you know, the iPhone 5s and its lovely new goodies, but there’s also the alternative option in the iPhone 5c.
Who knows what the “c” really stands for. Regardless of that, the entire handset is a departure from the usual norm we’re accustomed to seeing from Apple. Essentially, the iPhone 5c replaces the iPhone 5 on Apple’s lineup as the new mid-range model. And even though it’s sporting pretty much the same hardware as the previous generation flagship model, the casing is actually quite different – so much so that some people view the “c” to stand for cheap. Yes, it’s sporting a cheaper price point at $99.99 on-contract. And yes, it’s sporting a colorful polycarbonate casing as opposed to the aluminum one used by the iPhone 5. However, does it seemingly translate to a “cheap” smartphone? We’re not quick to place judgment, but it’ll be interesting to see how the iPhone 5c can shake up the mid-range segment.
The package contains:
Lightning cable
Wall charger
Apple sticker decals
SIM Removal Tool
Get Started Guide
Design
Don’t be fooled for a moment folks by the iPhone 5c’s decision to flaunt a plastic body, as opposed to something more premium. Call it a robotic response, but most people would agree that plastic is a cheaper material than something like metal or glass – so the assertions of it being cheap are somewhat ingrained into the minds of people from the very beginning. However, that’s far from the case here with the iPhone 5c, seeing that Apple does a fabulous job of making plastic look cool!
First and foremost, it’s actually a glossy polycarbonate material, which is the sturdy variety that makes other flagship smartphones using plastic bodies look cheap in comparison. Sure, it has a slick feel, and depending on the angle, smudges and fingerprints become somewhat apparent, but despite that, they’re masked pretty well by the palette of colors that the smartphone is available in. In fact, the color variety with the iPhone 5c is what makes it so darn alluring – it’s actually a refreshing sight, since we’ve been yearning for more color options with the iPhone in general.
Secondly, the plastic body still retains the iPhone’s solid construction – so there are no worries about its build quality. Visually, the iconic design of the iPhone is intact, so it’s distinctively something from Apple’s stable. Better yet, the in-the-hand feel of the handset is considerably more pleasing too, seeing that its rounded edges offer a more comfortable grip than the iPhone 5’s chamfred beveled edges. Plastic has always gotten this connotation of being cheap, but frankly, Apple’s take it pretty unique. We wouldn’t say it’s more appealing that Nokia’s line of plastic constructed Lumia smartphones, but it’s nevertheless an alluring thing that catches our attention with its compact feel and color variety.
In part of its iconic design, the recessed home button is positioned in its customary location below its display. Something we come to expect, it’s obviously springy with its response. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, we spot its earpiece, light & proximity sensors, and an updated 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera.
Sticking firmly to the design aesthetics of iPhones before it, all of the ports and buttons are found in their usual locations. Around the sides, we have the dedicated power button, nanoSIM slot, silent switch, separated volume controls, 3.5mm headset jack, microphone, Lightning docking port, and speaker grill. Interestingly enough, the power button and volume controls sport the same colors as the casing – giving it a very uniform look. However, the front panel is doused in that usual piano black color, to give the handset a pleasant contrasting look.
Flipping it to the rear, it’s packing along the same camera that’s packaged into the iPhone 5 – an 8-megapixel iSight camera that features an LED flash, backside illuminated sensor, f2.4 aperture lens, and 1080p video recording. Considering it’s a closed design and all, there’s no storage expandability with it – something we’ve come to expect, so it’s not something we’re shocked to realize.
There’s no compromise with the screen on the iPhone 5c, since it’s the same one that’s featured on the iPhone 5 and 5s. Specifically, it’s a 4-inch Retina Display with a resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels – giving it a respectable pixel density of 326 ppi. It’s not the most detailed screen out there, but it’s still effective enough to display miniscule sized text in the web browser from a zoomed out view.
Other notable elements that stand out include its very accurate color reproduction, wide viewing angles, and outstanding outdoor visibility. Comparing it to the screens of the iPhone 5 and 5s, there’s barely anything different between them, which bodes well for this mid-range smartphone. Overall, it’s far from being an imposing thing, but nevertheless a pleasant display that highlights the smartphone’s new design.
Apple iPhone 5c 360-Degrees View:
Drag the picture or use the keyboard arrows to rotate the phone. Double click or press keyboard
Space to zoom in/out.
Drag the picture in the desired orientation to rotate the phone.
Interface and Functionality
Refreshing to say the least, the iPhone 5c benefits from Apple’s long awaited update to its aging iOS mobile platform. With iOS 7 in tow, we’re enamored most by the platform’s modern looking user interface, which employs a variety of visual aesthetics and animations that does justice to the new smartphone. Naturally, iOS 7 is available and open to a wide range of iPhones at the moment, with nothing particularly special with the experience here with the iPhone 5c, but regardless of that, we’re still content by the fact that it finally breaks the stale look and feel of iOS past.
Visually it’s different, but it continues to maintain Apple’s core foundation of simplicity. For those out there that have grown fondly of using iOS, there isn’t anything entirely new to learn here with iOS 7, seeing that all of the features and functions of the experience are intact – albeit, the execution might vary with some things (multi-tasking view). And there’s a lot of attention to detail found throughout the new interface, like the translucent look of panels that are layered on top of one another, that show off the visual evolution of the platform. Can we also talk about the fonts? The addition of it helps to complement the overall minimalist look and feel of the experience.
Other things worth mentioning are iOS 7’s new Control Center and Notification Center. With the former, it’s wonderful we have access to common connectivity features of the iPhone, which beats having to go into the Settings just to enable thing like Airplane mode or Wi-Fi. On top of that, we have the ability to adjust the screen brightness, have access to the music player, and access to the flashlight function. And then there’s the new Notification Center, which aggregates all of our notifications. Although it’s broken down to different categories, it doesn’t seem as intertwined with some of the handsets apps – similar to how Android’s notification panel enables us to quickly archive emails. And then there’s Siri, who now talks in a more human-like voice, whereas before, Siri sounded too robotic.
Aside from all that, Apple has incorporated some cool effects like animated wallpapers (as in Android), which look pretty cool and can be interacted with using the accelerometer. Static wallpapers also move around as you tilt your device in various directions, creating a pleasing sense of depth.
Processor and Memory
All of the attention might be on the iPhone 5s’ unique 64-bit based Apple A7 processor, but in all fairness, the dual-core 1.3GHz Apple A6 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM in the iPhone 5c exhibits the same buttery smooth performance of its beefier sibling. Seriously, you’d think there would be a huge disparity, but considering that we’re dealing with an iPhone here, its performance is systematically smooth – just like all iPhones in general. Heck, its performance doesn’t sway from what we’ve seen already with the iPhone 5 before it, so we’re pleased with its offering.
Interestingly enough, the iPhone 5c is available in two storage options – 16GB and 32GB. It’s rather strange to find that a 64GB option isn’t available, so you’ll really need to be more vigilant about what you put into it.
Messaging
It’s not the most spacious thing, but the iPhone 5c’s on-screen keyboard still proves itself as one of the best out there. Visually, the keyboard boasts white colored buttons that are surrounded by a grayish background color, but the layout is the same as before – so there’s nothing new to learn here. As always, the responsiveness and killer auto-correct feature of the keyboard aids us to type at a fanatical rate without worry. Better yet, we can also speak what we want to write down by tapping the microphone button on the keyboard. For the most part, it does a fantastic job transcribing what we speak.
Organizer
Like what we mentioned about the overall platform experience, we can say the same thing about its various organizer functions. All of the visuals have been updated with all the corresponding apps, but their functionalities have remained unchanged for the most part. So whether you’re using the Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Weather, Clock, Calculator, or Notes apps, there’s nothing really new to learn with them.
Using the default email client on the iPhone 5c, the visual presentation has changed, naturally, but we’re able to navigate through things relatively easily. There’s nothing to learn honestly, as all the functions from before are here.
Internet and Connectivity
The beloved Safari browser has made some good progress, as it now has a full-screen option in portrait mode, a unified search bar and a new tab view, which tends to be more convenient than the old one. You can still share webpages (now with AirDrop as well), bookmark, or add them to your reading list. Most certainly a capable device, the web browsing experience on the iPhone 5c matches its siblings in the iPhone 5 and 5s. In fact, there’s nothing different about it whatsoever, as it features speedy page loads due to its 4G LTE connection, instant page rendering, and tight navigational controls – all of the elements required to make the experience exquisite!
Here in the US, the iPhone 5c is available for purchase through all four major carriers – meaning, it’s offered in CDMA and GSM flavors. Additionally, its other connectivity features consist of 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, and sharing functionality via AirDrop.
Camera
The stock Camera app has gotten a decent upgrade as well – it allows you to choose from a set of 8 photo filters, and it also sports a new 'square' photo mode, for those of you who would enjoy snapping square photos. The panorama picture option is once again here, of course, and so is HDR. If you've been hoping for some more advanced options, such as ISO, sharpness and so on, you're in for a disappointment, because the camera app is just as simple as before. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, because it's incredibly fast and easy to use. If you'd like a more "manual" experience, well, you'll surely find an app for that. Although it’s not something entirely new, the iPhone 5c now offers the useful mode of burst shooting, which is accessed by merely pressing and holding onto the shutter key. However, its rate of capture isn’t as speedy when compared to the iPhone 5s.
Honestly, there’s nothing to complain about the image quality produced by the iPhone 5c’s 8-megapixel iSight camera, which is the same one used by the iPhone 5. Indeed, its quality rivals many of the flagship smartphones out there, including the iPhone 5s too – so you know it’s a keeper for those moments you want to remember. Its worth is most profound with photos snapped when lighting is more than adequate, such as outdoor settings with the sun present. In this scenario, details are exquisitely captured and colors maintain a pleasant balanced looked. Under lower lighting situations, it’s still an effective thing to use – albeit, there’s more noise in the shots, which causes details to appear softer in tone. Strangely, the LED flash of the iPhone 5c causes photos to look a bit devoid of color saturation, giving it a washed out look. Despite that, the overall performance of the camera is pretty darn good any way we dissect it, especially for a mid-ranger.
Furthermore, its 1080p high-definition video recording quality is also one of its strong points, as it delivers the goods with its sharp visuals, smooth recording, moderate exposure adjustment, and mostly clear audio recording. Sure, there are some minor distracting elements that come up every now and then, like some faint artifacting when panning, but they’re nothing too pervasive in dampening its quality.
Multimedia
It might not sport fancy looking 3D visual effects, but the Photos app of iOS 7 also gets its long deserved update. Running the app, we have quick access to looking through photos stored locally on the iPhone 5s, and others stored in the cloud via Photo Stream. Everything is once again presented in the customary 2D scrollable view, but the organization of content has been improved considerable – as we can view them according to date, album, or location. Not only do we have quick sharing via the usual portals (Messages, Mail, iCloud, Twitter, Facebook, & Flickr), we can also share then through iOS 7’s new AirDrop feature.
Say it ain’t so?? The music player is no longer carrying the app’s usual flare in its cover-flow mode! Yes, you heard that right folks, cover-flow mode is no longer seen with the music player, as it’s been replaced by this resizable album cover grid layout when tilting the phone sideways to landscape. Seriously, it’s not as flashy! Despite the omission of cover-flow, the functions of the music player are intact. As for the presentation, it boasts the same lovable visual improvement we see throughout the platform, but for the most part, it’s still rather conventional looking – it doesn’t try to be flashy.
However, we do appreciate the addition of iTunes Radio, which is Apple’s new streaming music service that’s similar to Pandora. You’d think that its audio quality would rival the iPhone 5 at least, but strangely enough, that’s not the case here, as its volume output is just a smidgen lower than its sibling.
Copying videos to the iPhone 5c continues to be a process of its own, mainly due to the requirement of having us to convert them to properly load. Regardless of that, the smartphone is a decent offering when it comes to watching videos. Why only decent? Well, we’ll point out that high definition videos play flawlessly and without any hitches, but considering that larger screens prove to be more suitable for the experience, the 4-inch Retina Display seems rather quaint when compared to its rivals. Still, it suffices for the occasion.
Call Quality
Our complaint with the iPhone 5c’s call quality is minimal, as it’s mostly directly to the subtle cracking tone of voices when using the speakerphone. Aside from that, its performance is fantastic on many levels, as the earpiece pumps out natural toned voices that are very audible – thanks in part to the earpiece’s strong volume output.
Battery
After a year of having the iPhone 5 around, you’d think that the folks over at Apple would drastically improve battery life with its replacement in the iPhone 5s. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, since we don’t find its performance any different. In fact, a fully charged battery permits us a single day of normal usage – or roughly 12 hours with heavier operation. All told, it’s nothing more than average at the end of the day.
Conclusion
You could spend $200 to pick up that powerhouse in the Apple iPhone 5s (on contract), but if you’re content about using a GOOD performing smartphone that rivals some of the other flagship devices out there, while paying half as much out of your pocket, the iPhone 5c is undoubtedly an option that should be firmly be in contention in your mind. Sporting a $100 on-contract price point, the price difference between it and the iPhone 5s is justified by its well-rounded offering. Sure, it’s sporting the same hardware as the iPhone 5 from last year, but it’s most profound for its unusual design choice – a plastic one at that!
Quite simply, the iPhone 5c makes plastic phones look cool, since it’s compact, has a solid construction, and it’s available in a palette of colors. With the latter, we’ve seen other companies experiment with color choices, and with the iPhone 5c, it once again goes to show us that it greatly increases the allure of the smartphone. On the surface, the software experience on the iPhone 5c is nearly identical to the iPhone 5s, which is good taking into consideration that it’s uniform throughout Apple’s lineup.
Even though the high-end segment seems to get all of the attention, the mid-range landscape is quickly seeing the same level of competition. In that sense, the iPhone 5c proves itself as one those trailblazers in the space that’ll keep the heat turned up against the competition.
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