Apple Launches Expensive iPhone 5s; Cheaper 5c, Too

Apple’s latest iPhones, the 5s and 5c, were launched today with the former’s 64GB version breaking the $1000 price tag. The iPhone 5s has an A7 chip, making it the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit desktop-class architecture, says Apple. It also has an 8 megapixel iSight camera with True Tone flash and Touch ID, a way to unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger. iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7 that has been…

 

By Mike Wheeler

Apple’s latest iPhones, the 5s and 5c, were launched today with the former’s 64GB version breaking the $1000 price tag.

The iPhone 5s has an A7 chip, making it the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit, desktop-class architecture, says Apple. It also has an 8-megapixel iSight camera with True Tone flash and Touch ID, a way to unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger. iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7 that has been engineered for 64-bit technology

The all-new A7 chip is said to give the handset up to twice the CPU and graphics performance with almost everything being faster – from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games – all while delivering great battery life.

Every iPhone 5s includes the new M7 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. Developers can also access new CoreMotion APIs that utilise M7, so they can create fitness and activity apps. The M7 motion coprocessor continuously measures your motion data, even when the device is asleep, and saves battery life for pedometer or other fitness apps that use the accelerometer all day.

The Touch ID allows users to unlock their iPhone with a touch of a finger. Built into the home button, Touch ID uses a laser cut sapphire crystal, together with the capacitive touch sensor, to take a high-resolution image of your fingerprint and intelligently analyse it to provide accurate readings from any angle. Setting up Touch ID to recognise your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognises the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life. All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Enclave inside the A7 chip on the iPhone 5s; it’s never stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store, App Store or iBooks Store.

Its 8 megapixel iSight camera features a larg f/2.2 aperture and a new, larger sensor with 1.5μ pixels for better sensitivity and low-light performance. It is said to have up to two-times faster auto-focus, faster photo capture, automatic image and video stabilisation, and better dynamic range than the previous iteration of the iPhone. There is also True Tone flash—the world’s first for any camera—that variably adjusts color and intensity for over 1,000 combinations, so photos taken with a flash appear more natural. iPhone 5s also includes a new Burst Mode, Slo-Mo video with 120 fps, a new FaceTime HD camera for better low-light performance and audio-only FaceTime calls with iOS 7.

iPhone 5s features a thin and light design including an anodised aluminium body with diamond cut chamfered edges, a four-inch Retina display and glass inlays. iPhone 5s is available in three metallic finishes including gold, silver and space gray.

iPhone 5s makes it even easier to connect to high-speed networks with support for up to 13 LTE¹ wireless bands. It has download speeds up to 100 Mbps, and has dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi support for up to 150 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0. iPhone 5s delivers10 hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wifi and LTE networks and up to 8 hours on 3G networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback.

Its iOS 7 operating system has a new user interface, redesigned with a colour palette and has hundreds of new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari and Siri.

RRP
16GB $869
32GB $999
64GB $1,129

Then there is the cheaper iPhone 5c, featuring an all-new design, coming in five colours—blue, green, pink, yellow and white. It has an A6 chip, and the same 8 megapixel iSight camera as the iPhone 5s. iPhone 5c comes with more LTE bands than any other smartphone in the world, a new FaceTime® HD camera, and iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone.

iPhone 5c features an all-new design crafted from a single, hard-coated polycarbonate body with a steel reinforced frame for a solid, sturdy feel. The steel frame holds the internal components and also doubles as the iPhone 5c’s multiband antenna. The enclosure is one continuous and seamless structure that is finished with a hard coat for a durable and glossy surface. To complement the all-new iPhone 5c design, Apple created soft, matte, microfibre-lined cases in a very intentional contrast to the glossy, hard coat finish.

The iPhone 5c also includes a new FaceTime HD camera for even better FaceTime calls and self-portraits, and with iOS 7, you can make audio-only FaceTime calls for the first time.

iPhone 5c makes it even easier to connect to high-speed networks with support for up to 13 LTE wireless bands. Again, like the iPhone 5s it has download speeds up to 100 Mbps. It includes dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi support for up to 150 Mbps² and Bluetooth 4.0. iPhone 5c is claimed to deliver up to10 hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and LTE networks and up to 8 hours on 3G networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback. iPhone 5c also comes with iOS 7.

RRP
16GB $739
32GB $869