Our iPhone 5C review model was kindly provided by Three and is available for £49 on a £37-per-month contract.
Before its launch, rumours of the iPhone 5C suggested that this was going to be a long-awaited budget handset that would let Apple take on cheaper Android phones. It wasn't to be, however, with Apple deciding to stick to its premium guns.
This year, the big difference is what Apple has decided to do with its previous line up. Typically, when a new iPhone is launched, the old model sees a price cut to make way for the new model. Given that Apple uses the same case for two generations, it has meant that there are two iPhones on sale that look the same, but have different specs and prices.
APPLE IPHONE 5C BUILD QUALITY
This time around, Apple has decided to distinguish between its handsets, by releasing the iPhone 5C as a direct replacement for the iPhone 5, which will go off sale. It's important to note at this point that the iPhone 5C is essentially, specs wise, an iPhone 5 in new clothing, rather than something completely new.
In this case the new clothing means a plastic chassis. Before the phone launched and we got our hands on it, there were some questions as to whether plastic was the right choice. This being Apple, it's fair to say that it has managed to make plastic feel premium.
A single moulded piece of polycarbonate attached to a reinforced cage means the iPhone 5C feels extremely tough and well made
For starters Apple has used a single piece of moulded polycarbonate. This means that the iPhone 5C looks incredibly well made with no gaps or joins in the case. Plastic can often feel a bit creaky, but Apple has attached the case to a steel frame inside, which means it feels exceptionally tough and durable. Finally, the company lacquered the outside, which will reduce scratching, although a case is still a good idea.
Moving to this design means that the iPhone 5C is slightly heavier than the iPhone 5, at 132g compared to 112g. It's fair to say that this minor weight difference isn't going to make any difference to anyone.
Of course, moving to plastic, means that Apple can now work with a wider range of colours, with the iPhone 5C available in white, red, yellow, blue and green. No matter what your preference, there's a colour out there that will suit you.
There's a wide-enough range of colours that you'll definitely find an iPhone 5C that you like the look of
Apple also sells a range of cases in the same colours, with holes cut out so you can see through to the iPhone's original colour. This lets you mix and match your colours to get the effect you want, although we're not massive fans of the new case and prefer a shell or something that protects the screen.
We like the way that Apple pre-sets each iPhone 5C, so that its screen backdrop in iOS 7 matches the colour of the case. Admittedly we've seen the same from Nokia and Windows Phone, but it's still a nice touch.
Aside from these cosmetic changes, the iPhone 5C uses the same components as the iPhone 5. Whether or not you should buy the iPhone 5C really comes down to whether or not year-old Apple hardware can still cut it.
iPHONE 5C SCREEN
The screen is still one of the highlights of the iPhone 5C, as it uses the same 4in screen as used on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S. With a resolution of 1,136x640 and a high pixel density of 326ppi, this Retina screen still looks fantastic and very sharp.
It's the same screen as on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, but that's no bad thing
Yes, you can get larger Android handsets with more resolution, but the smaller screen here doesn't really feel like a detriment to us. There's still plenty of resolution for apps and web browsing, while the screen size means that the iPhone 5C slips easily into any pocket; the same can't be said for some of the large-screen Android monsters we've seen.
Arguably more importantly, the iPhone 5C has a high-quality screen. Viewing angles are brilliant, contrast is excellent and colours look vibrant and rich thanks to the IPS panel. All-round, this was one of the best screens when it was first launched a year ago and remains on the best now.
iPHONE 5C PERFORMANCE
As with the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5C is powered by a 1.3GHz ARM-based Apple A6 processor and 1GB of RAM. This dual-core chip is still incredibly fast, particularly when running the efficient iOS 7 operating system. Running the SunSpider JavaScript benchmark suite, the iPhone 5C completed the test in 714ms, the same as on the iPhone 5.
This is still incredibly quick for any phone, with the Samsung Galaxy S4 only completing the test in 933ms. Even the very-fast Sony Xperia Z1 only managed to complete the test in 767ms. The only phone that's truly a long way ahead in this test is the iPhone 5S, which completed SunSpider in a record 416ms.
We also ran the 3D Mark Ice Storm benchmark, and the iPhone 5C scored a respectable 6017. We've seen faster phones (the iPhone 5S maxes out this one and won't give a score), but it's safe to say that for any of the games in the App Store, the iPhone 5C is fast enough to run them.
iPHONE 5S IOS 7
As with all of Apple's new phones, the iPhone 5C comes pre-installed with iOS 7. This smartphone is just as good at running the OS as the iPhone 5, as you'd expect. It delivered silky smooth animations and responds quickly to your touch.
After getting used to it, we really like iOS 7. Its new interface is a lot better than that of iOS 6 and we like the way that settings are easier to reach from the pull-up Control Centre menu. This means that you don't have to delve through the Settings app to make simple changes, such as turning off Wi-Fi. The new Today screen in the Notification Centre, which you pull down from the top of the screen, is brilliant, too, giving you a quick look at what you've got on for a day.
iOS 7 is a big improvement over iOS 6 once you get used to the new interface
We've covered iOS 7 in a lot more detail in our iOS 7 review, so we won't go into too much detail here again. It's safe to say that iOS 7 is a worthy upgrade and the iPhone 5C runs it well.
iPHONE 5C BATTERY
Battery life was one of the strong points of the iPhone 5, and it remains so here. In our video playback test, we managed an impressive 11h 39m, which is practically identical to the result from our iPhone 5. Apple's managed to squeeze an extra couple of hours' battery life into the 5S, but the 5C still lasts an impressive amount of time.
iPHONE 5C 4G
One area that has been upgraded is the iPhone 5C's 4G chip. With the iPhone 5, it was limited to the number of networks it could work on, but the 5C supports a lot more bands. Its LTE band support of 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8 and 20 means that this model will work on 4G on any network in the UK, including the 2,600MHz band. However, the supported bands also mean that the UK model is compatible with the majority of European networks and a good number in Asia, which will be useful when 4G roaming deals come into play. However, it's still not compatible with the vast majority of North American networks, with the 850MHz U.S. Cellular network the notable exception.
iPHONE 5C CAMERA
The same 8-megapixel iSight camera from the iPhone 5. It's not a bad camera, taking detailed shots in bright lighting conditions, although we think that the exposure on the 5S is better and it's shots have a little bit more detail in them.
Compared side-by-side, the shots from the iPhone 5S (top) and iPhone 5C (bottom) are very similar, but the iPhone 5S has more detail and better exposure
When you get closer, you can clearly see that the iPhone 5S (top) has shots with more detail than produced by the iPhone 5C (bottom)
In low-light, performance starts to suffer a bit, with noise creeping into the picture. Our test shots showed that detail started to be lost; the iPhone 5S with its larger sensor fares much better in low light. Panorama mode is still deeply impressive, as the iPhone 5C will stitch together multiple photos as you pan the camera.
Video is still pretty impressive on the iPhone 5C, with the ability to shoot Full HD video. Again, video in bright lighting conditions looks the best, with plenty of detail in each shot. In darker conditions, detail starts to get lost and noise creeps in.
iPHONE 5C CONCLUSION
There's no doubting that the iPhone 5C is a great smartphone. It's well-built, feels tough, has a great screen and a fast processor. With iOS 7 and the Apple App Store, you've also got access to the biggest and, arguably, best range of apps, too.
However, there's no getting around the fact that the iPhone 5C is comparatively expensive, even when compared to the Apple iPhone 5S. SIM-free, the iPhone 5C costs £469 for the 16GB model and £549 for the 32GB model (there's no 128GB version), while the iPhone 5S costs £549 for the 16GB model, £629 for the 32GB model and £709 for the 64GB model. That's a difference of just £80 between the two handsets. On contract, the difference in cost between handsets can be as little as just £50.
Given how close in price the two phones are, it has to be said that the iPhone 5S is much better value, plus you get a metal case, a faster processor and the new M7 motion coprocessor. This is the phone that we'd rather buy.
For those people that are finding the iPhone 5S a little too expensive, the cheaper 5C is a good choice, but it's worth looking out for a second-hand iPhone 5 instead, as you'll get the same hardware (bar the extended 4G support) and will get it a lot cheaper.
| Part Code | iPhone 5C |
|---|---|
| Review Date | 24 Oct 2013 |
| Price | £469 |
| Rating | |
| Operating system | Apple iOS 7 |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Office compatibility | N/A |
| FM Radio |  |
| Accessories | USB Charger, headphones |
| Talk time | 10 hours |
| Standby time | 10 days |
| SIM-free price | £469 |
|---|---|
| Price on contract | 49 |
| SIM-free supplier | www.apple.com/uk/ |
| Contract/prepay supplier | www.three.co.uk |
| Details | www.apple.com/uk |
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