The iPhone 5c is that “other” iPhone that launched on September 20, alongside the flagship iPhone 5s. While the higher end 5s might’ve garnered more attention among the press, the iPhone 5c may end up being the higher volume seller. Why? It’s $99 on contract vs. $199 for the 5s in 16 gig capacity. It’s basically an iPhone 5 inside, and let’s face it; the iPhone 5 is more than good enough for many iOS fans. Lastly, the 5 cheerful colors combined with the lower price point means this may be the go-to smartphone for tweens and teens.
Unabashedly Plastic, but Still Nice
Let’s talk about what’s different from the iPhone 5: the polycarbonate casing. I personally think it looks and feels really cool, and it’s refreshing to see a new design after 4 iterations of what’s basically the same (albeit lovely) Leica inspired metal iPhone 4/4s/5/5s casing. The iPhone 5c is ahair bigger and heavier than the iPhone 5s due to the thickness of the polycarbonate plastic back. It’s a negligible difference in terms of dimensions: stretchy, rubbery iPhone 5 cases might fit it, but not rigid cases. The phone does weigh nearly an ounce more than the uber-light iPhone 5, but it’s still by no means heavy at 4.65 ounces. While I wouldn’t say the casing could fool you into thinking it’s enamel, it does have a high quality look and feel. The design is appealing and the phone is very rigid thanks to the stiff plastic and inner metal frame. Much like higher end Nokia Lumia polycarbonate phones and the old iPhone 3GS, it doesn’t look or feel budget. Honestly for $99 on contract and $549 full retail, this is not a budget product. Apple simply doesn’t do the budget segment, no matter how much Wall Street might wish they would.
Since the casing has a gloss finish, though not super-shiny-signal flare glossy like Samsung Galaxy products, it is a bit slippery. The sides are straight enough to provide good grip, but you still might want a case to avoid dropping the phone. Apple worked some magic and fingerprints don’t show much, so the phone doesn’t get icky looking quickly like the LG G2 and Samsung Galaxy S4 in black or gray. Buttons and ports are in the same location as the iPhone 5 and 5s, but the volume buttons are thin elongated ovals rather than finely crafted metal discs. The speaker and mic are housed under a simple set of holes rather than the grilles on the metal iPhones.
The iPhone 5c is available on all major US carriers and an unlocked version will be forthcoming for use on any GSM carrier. The AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile are the same model, but are locked to their respective carriers with the exception of Verizon (Verizon had to agree to sell their phones unlocked due to an agreement with the US government in order to gain 700MHz spectrum). Sprint uses a different version from the other three carriers.
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