Update: We’ve created a quiz to help you choose which of these iphones to get. Check it out here:
Quiz: Should I Get the iPhone 5S or 5C?
It’s easy to let the new iPhone 5C fool you into thinking it’s a “new” phone. While technically the iPhone 5C is a recent phone, it’s specs are not new in any sense when compared to the older iPhone 5.
The iPhone 5S for example is twice as fast as the iPhone 5, has a better camera, a better flash, and even a fingerprint scanner. The iPhone 5C on the other hand has no improvements over the iPhone 5, except its battery which lasts an extra two hours.
To decide if you should get the iPhone 5C or the iPhone 5S, you should really compare them both to the iPhone 5. You want a phone that is better than the iPhone 5, not a phone that is the same thing as it.
iPhone 5C vs iPhone 5
Photo from techbeasts.com
Remember how you want your new phone to be better than the iPhone 5 that came out more than a year ago? The iPhone 5C is barely better than the iPhone 5. The 5C has the same exact camera quality, flash quality, CPU, and GPU power. The iPhone 5C is also 15% heavier than the iPhone 5. That’s a huge difference!
Apple is known for making all of their phones thinner and with a higher quality build each year. The iPhone 5C is not only 15% heavier, but also made out of plastic and .05 inches thicker. I don’t know about you, but that practically makes the 5C worse than the iPhone 5 that came out a year prior to it.
Sure… The battery of the iPhone 5C lasts an extra two hours. But when you factor in all of the new disadvantages it comes with, it’s easy to see that the one year old iPhone 5 is actually better than the 5C in terms of specs.
iPhone 5C vs iPhone 5C
Camera
The iPhone 5S crushes the iPhone 5C in every way imaginable. The iPhone’s megapixel count has stayed the same, however it’s photo quality has significantly improved to new lens technology. Video shooting has improved too. Whereas the iPhone 5C shoots video at 30 frames per second (fps), the iPhone 5S shoots video at 120 frames per second – although the apple.com website states that the iPhone 5S records videos at 30 frames per second, it is actually capable of shooting at 120 frames per second when you use it to shoot slo-mo videos.
Another thing worth mentioning is that the iPhone 5S’ flash is much more advanced and accurate in color representation.
Another benefit of the iPhone 5S camera is that when you take one photo, the camera actually snaps 10 HD photos and then picks the most stable image from it. You can also take photos in burst mode, so that you don’t miss action shots every again.
Processors
The iPhone 5S is also the fastest phone in the world according to Basemark. Basemark also rates it the first phone for gaming due to its powerful graphic processing unit.
If you look at Geekbench benchmarks for the iPhone 5S, and the top Android phones on the market, you see even more impressing statistics. Statistics that suggest just how much better the iPhone 5S is than the iPhone 5C.
Fingerprint Scanner
The iPhone 5S has a fingerprint scanner that allows you to access your phone by merely pressing on the home button. It also lets you confirm app purchases with just your fingerprint, instead of typing in a long password. The iPhone 5C does not have a fingerprint scanner.
Battery
Both the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S last 10 hours while talking. This is the only specification they have in common.
Looks
Images speak a thousand words:
Motion Sensing
The iPhone 5S has a special motion co-processor which handles motion detecting. The iPhone 5C just uses the gyroscope, which is not a dedicated motion sensor, and takes way more battery power to run.
Microphones
The iPhone 5C has two microphones, just like the iPhone 5. The iPhone 5S has three microphones. One on the front, back and on the bottom of the case. This means that noise cancellation and Siri will work better than ever before. Another benefit of the iPhone 5S is that it employs wideband audio technology, which makes your voice sound more realistic than with other phones.
Speakers
The iPhone 5S ear-piece speaker is a noise cancelling speaker which cancels out noise around you and makes it easier to hear what’s being said.
The Price Showdown
While the iPhone 5C costs $100 with a new 2 year contract, the iPhone 5S costs $200. If you choose to purchase an iPhone without a 2 year contract, than the iPhone 5C will set you back $549 and the iPhone 5S will set you back $649.
Summary
If you don’t think all of these new features and benefits are worth paying an extra $100, then you’re probably going to go with an iPhone 5C. However, I personally recommend against doing that. If you’re not happy with the iPhone 5S at the present, then you might as well wait 11 months for the iPhone 6 to come out.
When you buy the iPhone 5C, you’re buying a phone that has 1 year old specs. That means that it will easily be outdated within the next two years. When you buy the iPhone 5S, you’re buying a phone with cutting-edge technology that will last at least three more years.
Do you want to buy an outdated phone or one that will last you through future iOS versions and improved apps? The iPhone 5S is the only phone in the world that has a 64 bit processor. It is as powerful as a desktop or laptop, which means that the upcoming apps developers are creating will have even more quality than the ones possible on the iPhone 5C.
In the end, it comes down to $100. If you can’t afford the iPhone 5S at the moment then you could wait a month or two and save up, or you should wait 11 months and get the iPhone 6 instead. There just isn’t any reason to purchase the iPhone 5.
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