Hands on with the new iPhone 5C
by Brian Klug on September 10, 2013 3:21 PM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Apple
- Mobile
- iPhone
- iPhone 5C
We just spent some time going hands on with the two new iPhones that Apple announced in their town hall event which just wrapped up. The iPhone 5C comes in as an entirely new device and inherits the slot the iPhone 5 would've occupied had it been kept around. It's probably the most interesting to go hands-on with since it's Apple's first all plastic phone since the 3G and 3GS.
I'm impressed with how the 5C ends up feeling in the hand. The hard coated surface manages to not feel slippery but still have a certain heft and solidness to it. What's interesting about the 5C is really the way its rounded corners all seem to have the same radius, which gives it a very unified feeling in the hand. The front, edge, and sides all share that same rounded profile. It still retains the same overall profile as the iPhone 5 as well. Buttons on the 5C are clicky and responsive, and also have that same hard coated feeling without feeling cheap. That's really the important thing about the 5C, it had to be solid while still being made out of polymer, something OEMs in the Android space still haven't quite nailed down.
The internal metal structure also helped the 5C feel rigid, the back side doesn't deform or press in like I've felt on a number of other all polymer phones. It's clear that Apple had its mechanicals nailed down for the 5C design to make sure it was rigid even if it was still polymer.
iOS 7 looks right at home on the 5C as well, with matching wallpaper colors and styling out of the box. Obviously Apple thought about its color palette and designed the 5C around some of the vibrant tones in iOS 7, and it really matches and looks great on the device. The 5C comes in white, pink, yellow, blue, and green colors.
With the 5C Apple also has some complimentary colored cases which look great on the 5C and contrast nicely with the colors.
The rounded cutout portions of the cases look great and still show off the color underneath. Inside is a suede material that won't scratch the phone if dirt gets trapped in-between. The cases are also a polymer material.
The 5C might not be the flagship for Apple, but it's arguably the more interesting of the two devices since it's Apple's next attempt at a polymer device.
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Impulses - Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - link
I actually like the Moto X a lot largely due to it's compact nature compared to the One etc. But this is a highly subjective thing...Dman23 - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Definitely liking what I see here. Very Colorful options here with more then decent hardware and a few hardware specific upgrades from last years iPhone 5. I have a feeling it will do pretty well.Daniel Egger - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Wow, they're putting lots of efforts into producing those if you look at the videos. But the 5C is far too expensive for the offering. The 5S is a lot classier and offers much more beef for "just" a 100 bucks more. For a phone it's still far too expensive.Hubb1e - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Whoa those new colors are either really ugly, or my monitor needs to be calibrated. The holey cases are especially terrible. All that's needed is a spilled paint pattern and Apple's brought the 90's back.ThomasS31 - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Why there isn't a black one?The Von Matrices - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
That's exactly what I was thinking. It seems like an odd omission.xdrol - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Want something that doesn't look like a toy? Buy the 5S..zmatt - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Anyone else find it odd that anandtech has criticized other phones in the past for being plastic but praise the 5c? Seems awfully biased to me. I will say that having a design like the iPhone where it cannot be opened makes it feel more solid than one with a removable back but that is a necessary compromise. I don't see mention of said compromise in this article. You get a more solid feeling device but you still have to wait at an Apple Store and pay $50 for a battery. Not to mention no sd slot.jasonelmore - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
no wonder it's sturdy, look how thick that thing is. There's gotta be 10mm of unnecessary plastic.PC Perv - Tuesday, September 10, 2013 - link
Don't worry. Everyone finds it hilarious.The almighty Intel wants this site to sing choir of Apple so that Apple don't abandon Intel in the future. These folks are just puppets.