Apple iPhone 5C: Is it worth it?

You have probably heard, unless you have been hiding under a rock, that Apple has announced two additions to its iPhone line-up, the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C.

What you may not know is the iPhone 5C will be replacing the iPhone 5 and, if you are desperate to get your hands on one of the colourful, plastic numbers, they are available to pre-order from today.

The 16GB will set you back £469 SIM-free, while the 32GB model will cost you £549. There are of course contracts available too where you can get the phone for free with some networks, if you sign for 24 months.

But how is the iPhone 5C different, and is it worth upgrading to the "budget" model?

How is the iPhone 5C different from the iPhone 5?

Well, it's not really except for the polycarbonate shell, five-strong colour availability, wider 4G LTE support and slightly improved standby battery life.

The iPhone 5C comes with a faintly bigger build than the iPhone 5, and it is plastic compared to glass and aluminium. However, we are only talking a couple of millimeters and grams. The iPhone 5C measures 124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97mm and weighs 136g, whereas the iPhone 5 measured 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm and sat on the scales at 112g.

The colour choice is a big difference, as the iPhone 5C comes in yellow, pink, blue, green and white, compared to the white and black offering of the iPhone 5. If you are into black phones though, you are out of luck here.

You'll get support for all 4G LTE frequencies on the iPhone 5C, compared to just EE's network on the iPhone 5, as well as 25 hours more standby battery life. However, the audio playback, video playback and 3G browsing time battery life all come in at the same 40 hours, 10 hours and 8 hours as the iPhone 5.

What is the same as the iPhone 5?

The iPhone 5C will give you the same 4-inch display as the iPhone 5, which comes packing an 1136 x 640 resolution and pixel density of 326ppi.

The camera will be the same, an 8-megapixel rear camera with a five-element lens and f/2.4 aperture, along with an LED flash. It also has the same 1.2-megapixel front camera.

Overall the experience should be the same as the iPhone 5 seeing as the iPhone 5C also comes with the same processor.

Is it worth upgrading?

If you are upgrading from an iPhone 4S then you would notice a difference. If you are moving from an iPhone 5, then unless it's the colours and the plastic you are after, it's probably worth waiting for the iPhone 5S when it becomes available on 20 September.

You'll get a faster processor along with a thinner and lighter device if you move from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5C. You'll also get LTE support so if you want to move to a 4G contract for faster browsing speeds, you can with the iPhone 5C whereas the iPhone 4S doesn't support 4G.

The screen will be bigger by 0.5-inches and the resolution will be sharper than what you have on the iPhone 4S.

The camera will come with a sapphire crystal lens cover and you’ll be able to take still photos while recording videos, as well as 3x zoom.

Those with an iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S is probably a better route if you want an upgraded experience, looks aside. You'll get a faster processor, better camera including a True Tone flash and a Burst mode feature, plus the fingerprint reader.

The iPhone 5C is not a cheap device, but in its defense you are getting the same internals as the iPhone 5, which until this week was Apple's flagship.

The addition of colours and plastic casing might not be to everyone's taste, and therefore the iPhone 5S might be a better option for those who can't bare to be without the latest and best Apple offers.

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