Welcome to September 2013, where Apple has just proven that ‘plastic’ doesn’t have to mean ‘cheap.’ The iPhone 5c is the vibrant, colourful alternative to the serious 5s, aimed squarely at the younger UK market. It features a seamless, hard-coated polycarbonate unibody with a reinforced steel frame that also acts as the antenna. In the hand, it feels remarkably solid and warm compared to the cold aluminium of the 5s, weighing in at a substantial 132g. Available in bright green, blue, yellow, pink, or white, it is an unapologetically fun bit of industrial design that looks incredible when paired with the neon-infused aesthetics of iOS 7.
Technically, the 5c is the ‘heart and soul’ of the iPhone 5 wrapped in a new skin. It features the same A6 chip and 1GB of RAM, ensuring that the user experience is fluid, snappy, and perfectly tuned for the App Store. The screen remains the 4.0-inch Retina Display (1136 x 640) with 326 PPI, it is still one of the most colour-accurate and sharp panels in the business. On the imaging front, it packs an 8-megapixel ‘iSight’ camera that records 1080p HD video. One subtle technical upgrade over the original iPhone 5 is the front-facing FaceTime HD camera, which features larger pixels and improved back-side illumination for better selfies in the dim lighting of a British pub.
Connectivity is top-tier for 2013, featuring more 4G LTE bands than almost any other smartphone, ensuring it works on every major UK network. It also includes dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. The battery has received a slight technical bump to 1,510 mAh, which, combined with the efficiency of the A6 chip, provides a very reliable day of usage. While it lacks the ‘Touch ID’ and 64-bit architecture of its more expensive sibling, the iPhone 5c is a technical success because it brings the premium iPhone experience to a more accessible price point without sacrificing build quality or performance. It is the definitive ‘fashion’ smartphone of its era.