iPhone 5C
Concrete
A few years ago it was inconceivable that Apple would adulterate the iPhone brand by releasing more than one version at a time. However the growth of the mid-range market and the success of the overly fragmented Samsung Galaxy range, led by the mighty Samsung Galaxy S4, have caused Apple to rethink its strategy. There have been a few jibes since rumors started circulating that Apple was planning to launch a budget plastic iPhone 5C next to the iPhone 5S. But the iPhone 5C is not quite a ‘cheap’ iPhone.
So really, that C does not stand for color, cheap, or even cynically repackaged. It stands for “communication.” With the iPhone 5C, Apple’s giving itself another opportunity to talk to you.
Blueprint
The uni-body shell is made of hard- coated, shiny polycarbonate, but it are almost like enamel to touch and keep the body of the phone slim. It feels far more premium and durable than the sweaty plastic equivalent found on the Samsung Galaxy range of smart phones. The iPhone 5C is the first one since the 3GS to be clad in plastic. The plastic Apple uses on phones has never felt anything other than premium and they have made no mistake with the 5C.
Screen Buttons
All the buttons and connectors are where you’d expect them to be. The screen button is on the top, the volume rocker on the left hand side and the Lightning port at the bottom, together with the 3.5mm headphone jack.
It is very different to hold than the likes of the glass on the iPhone 4/4S or the aluminum of the iPhone 5S and 5. The plastic gives it a softer, more comfortable grip. It is almost as if Apple has purposefully gone for a more child-friendly material.
iPhone 5C Screen
The iPhone 5C’s screen is as bright and vivid as its plastic enclosure. It is the same 4-inch screen as on the iPhone 5, a 1136 x 640 pixel Retina display with 326PPI (pixels per inch). Pictures are vibrant and video looks great. It does not quite have the deep blacks of Samsung’s excellent Super-AMOLED technology but the color tones are a little more accurate.
Colors
And then there are the colors. The iPhone 5C comes in a candy crushing mixture of bright shades, from strawberry pink to pea green and a few in between. A total of 5 colors will be available from launch.
Specifications
The iPhone 5C uses exactly the same A6 SoC dual-core processor running at 1.3GHz and a triple core PowerVR SGX 543MP3 powering the graphics that the iPhone 5 does. It may not sound like much when you compare it to the quad and octa-cores of the top Android phones, but Apple does things differently and the dual-core processor ran iOS 7 without a hitch while we were testing it. Apps opened quickly and games run smoothly.
Connectivity
The iPhone 5C comes with most of the standard connectivity option such as Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE, AirPlay, Wi-Fi etc. but no NFC. Apple has still not embraced the technology that allows devices to easily pair with each other or read ‘tags’.