iPhone 5C:
The iPhone 5C no doubt has established itself as the best gadget in Apple’s mobile series, as the Cupertino-based firm finally has broken up the rank from premium design and price by offering up a slightly more affordable device. But if you are thinking about it being a cheap iPhone, be warned that the iPhone 5C is no mid-range Android rival. When it was first released, back in September last year, prices started at £469 ($549, AU$739) for the 16GB SIM-free handset. The launch of iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus has quickly led down a price fall and a limitation of its storage which is highly unexpected. If the users wish to get a new, SIM-free iPhone 5C now, then they’ll have to pay £319 ($450, AU$529) for the 8GB model. There is hardly any quick option left for them to get it with 16GB or 32GB.
If the users wish to double their phone’s storage capacity to 32GB, they must note that the 5C is an Apple device so there’s no microSD slot build up in the device. However, the user can add another £80 ($100, AU$130) to that base price. The iPhone 5C is not a cheap or a budget device – it’s a slightly cheaper offering compared to the premium, metal clad iPhone 5S which launched alongside this polycarbonate-clad phone. One way Apple has managed to keep the cost of the 5C down slightly is ditching the glass and aluminium body seen on every handset since the iPhone 4, and welcoming back the brazen use of polycarbonate last seen on the iPhone 3 GS. Now the plastic versus metal debate is one which has been raging for a few years, with Apple fans blasting the top Samsung products such as the Galaxy S4 for looking and feeling cheap.
Pick up the iPhone 5C and there’s no mistaking that this handset isn’t clad in the premium materials which have adorned the more recent models, but that’s not necessarily bad thing. The polycarbonate exterior comes in a range of colorful options – green, yellow, pink, blue and white – and anyone who has owned an iPod will be well versed in these hues. This is the first time the audience will experience the varied palette make it to the iPhone range however, prompting some mocking from Nokia who drew comparisons between the 5C and its fluorescent Lumia range – and to be fair there is a small similarity between it and the Lumia 625 front on.
The bright colors also make the iPhone 5C look a bit childish. The steel frame also doubles as the 5C’s antenna, meaning there’s no risk of signal dropping if you fancy holding this iPhone in your left hand. While the likes of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 are clad front and back in glass causing users to be wary at all times about the state of their Smartphone, the iPhone 5C feels like it can be chucked into a bag without having to worry about its condition when it comes to pulling it back out.
