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iPhone 5s and 5c review: Hands on with Apple's latest launch

The iPhone 5C - the so-called 'budget iPhone - for me represented the true innovation in last night's keynote address

Jonathan Weinberg, our technology writer in Berlin, gives his first impression on Apple's latest highly-anticipated releases:

Apple launched two new iPhones last night - as if you didn't already know.

But did you know this pair of smartphones - the iPhone 5S and 5C - are actually a duo of decent handsets.

I know it, because I'm one of the few who has actually put my own hands on them, unlike many of those sniping from the sidelines.


[Apple iPhone 5C launched in California
]



The cacophony of noise complaining about the US tech giant's keynote speech at its San Francisco HQ has overshadowed the impending launch of these models on September 20.

"The 5C should have been cheaper!"

"The 5S doesn't have many new features!"

"Why on earth did Elvis Costello perform at the end of Tim Cook's speech!"

These are just some of the naysaying cries this morning and while I can agree on the last, I must disagree with the first two.



OK, it's certainly true that last night's keynote event was muted. I've covered every iPhone launch to date and this felt by far the least exciting as Tim Cook stepped onto stage and by the time he stepped off of it, few cheers had been raised by the assembled audiences in the US and at Apple's Euro event in Berlin, where I was sitting.

There was none of the same excitement or sharp intakes of breath seen at the WWDC event a few months back when Tim Cook proudly showed off the innovative new Mac Pro.

There wasn't even the same excitement and bemusement as when Apple broke with convention and launched the 3GS. That might have been disappointing but it was still exciting as it took us by surprise.

And perhaps that was the problem. There were no surprises this time. No hints, no tasters, no "one more thing" moment so closely identified with Cook's far more personable presenting predecessor Steve Jobs.

Everything the internet rumour mill had promised was delivered last night at Cupertino by Apple - and that was the main reason for the lack of whooping and shock.



[New iPhone uses fingerprint reader
]



New model called the iPhone 5C - check.

Coloured iPhones made of plastic - check.

A cheaper price for the 'budget' model - check.

iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner in the Home button - check.

New gold colour for the iPhone 5S - check.

It was like that moment at Christmas when you've already raided your parents' cupboards to find your presents only to fake interest and excitement when you take off the wrapping.

But that doesn't mean what you knew you were getting wasn't still a great toy once it was opened and out of the box.


And the same is true for these two new iPhone models.

Let's start with the flagship 5S. Every time a midway S model comes along, it never reinvents the wheel.

It make a few significant upgrades to an already capable handset and bridges the gap until Apple moves up to a fully new reinvented model, which it will surely do next year with the iPhone 6.

That has happened here once again. The camera has been improved with the addition of a really cool burst mode, which takes a succession of images simply by holding your finger on the shutter button. There's also new slow motion recording mode for video. I tried both and while not game-changing, they work brilliantly and are both fun.

It has a different style flash with two LEDs - one cool white and one warm amber - to ensure pictures don't have the colours washed out or over-enhanced by different artificial lighting conditions.

And it has a faster 64-bit processor making it as speedy as many desktop computers just a few years ago and twice as fast as the iPhone 5 with twice the graphics performance too.

Then there's the fingerprint scanner. Fears over security were a natural response, but Apple went to great lengths to say no fingerprint data is ever sent to any internet server. Laptops have had fingerprint scanners for years and no-one ever batted an eyelid about that.

It may not be an innovation worthy of upgrading in itself, but it is a nifty addition to what was always going to be an interim model in the iPhone life cycle. We weren't able to try it for ourselves but I saw it demonstrated by an Apple employee who unlocked the phone in a blink of the eye simply by touching the Home button. It worked fast and it worked well.

You can still use a passcode but this biometric security could be useful for parents because it allows them to authorise iTunes purchases and that would stop their children making costly in-app buys while using the adult's handset.

The iPhone 5S certainly felt faster when I had a quick try out, multi-tasking between apps and features was speedier. And while the new gold colour won't be to everyone's taste, the whole package is a no-brainer purchase for anyone still using an iPhone 4 or 4S and due an upgrade from their mobile network.

It's a decent smartphone at a decent on-contract price and it will continue to sell well to Apple's loyal fanbase, although it's hard to see - considering the screen size has stayed the same - how it will tempt people over from Android and the likes of the HTC One and the latest in the Samsung Galaxy range.



But the iPhone 5C just might. This so-called 'budget' iPhone for me represented the true innovation in last night's keynote address. Sure there's little innovation in its technology and specifications. It's a replacement for the now retired iPhone 5 and keeps the key features that have made that a more than capable smartphone in itself.

It has the same processor, the same size screen, the same eight megapixel camera without the extra bits now on the 5S and crucially it has - it appears - 4G support for the UK mobile phone networks, something the iPhone 5 didn't.

That in itself may be enough to tempt some to upgrade from the 4 or 4S but if that doesn't quite entice them to make the jump, the innovation to lower the on-contract price will. Touted at $99 in the US, we are yet to hear what that will be in Pounds but even at say £129 or £149 for the 16GB model, that would represent a great value buy.

It's sure to attract new smartphone customers against the cheaper and more tacky Android models because although it is made of plastic, the build quality is stunning.

Hold it in your hand and it feels sturdy not fragile and although its price is now cheaper, the last thing it feels is cheap.

Apple design guru Jonny Ive made no apology for it being plastic and the one-piece casing - with reinforced steel frame underneath - blends seamlessly with the edge-to-edge touchscreen. The little plastic buttons on the side though do worry me a little if the handset was to drop onto its side.

The bright colours are eye-catching too, although I'm not so sold on the case. The holes in it may let you show off the body colour underneath but the whole point of a case should be protection over style.



Many experts moaned that this wasn't the cheap iPhone Apple had promised. But actually, Apple had promised nothing. The internet had promised it. And we all know not to believe the rumour mill.

Sure, it cost a pricey £469 off of contract but on contract it's cheaper and a great buy. And that's where this is squarely aimed. If you want to buy off contract you may as well shell out an extra £80 and purchase the iPhone 5S.

The iPhone 5C will sell by the bucketload in the UK, US and in China to video and data hungry teens and 20-somethings either buying their first smartphone or trading up from a cheaper Android model or old hand-me-down iPhone.

With iOS 7 now on board too, both handsets take on a new distinct and unique appearance and it feels totally different visually and intuitively.

Apple never innovate for innovation's sake. Some may view the fingerprint scanner as a gimmick but for the majority of users it will save them time throughout the day and keep their phones far more secure.

This wasn't a standout night in Apple's history and it's likely to be overshadowed by new iPad announcements as soon as next month. It wasn't even the same assured performance on stage by Tim Cook and colleague Phil Schiller as we've seen in the past and the shorter length of the keynote speech spoke volumes that there wasn't a standout announcement.

But on the morning after the night before, we're left with two new interesting iPhone models that will sell in their millions and do what they do very well indeed.

This was just the now bi-annual halfway point on the iPhone journey and in a year's time when the iPhone 6 is launched, we're sure to see the game-changing features, innovation and excitement you'd expect from an Apple flagship launch.