Holiday shopping season is quickly approaching, and that means new iPhones from Apple. Apple has followed its annual tradition of releasing a new iPhone since the first one was released in 2007, but this year they had a little surprise: two new iPhones. The new models will be the plastic coated iPhone 5C and the flagship iPhone 5S, both coming with the previously introduced iOS 7. The iPhone 5C will be aimed at increasing Apple’s presence in the mid-ranged smartphone market, while the 5S will look to continue their success at the premium market.
The iPhone 5C will be available in multiple colours: green, blue, yellow, blue, white and red. The plastic shell made with hard-coated polycarbonate with a steel frame backbone. As this is the first plastic coated iPhone released by Apple, it will be interesting to see its quality and durability. The rest of the phone is very similar to last year’s iPhone 5: same 4 inch 1136×640 display, A6 processor, 1GB of RAM and an 8MP iSight Camera. It will be available on September 20 in Canada and 8 other countries for $129 CDN on a two year contract, with many more countries to come later.
The premium iPhone 5S has been update with a new A7 chip, which Apple claims to be twice as fast as the A6 chip, both in processing and graphics. The A7 is a 64-bit chip, which means it will support new instruction sets(similar to desktop processors). There is also a M7 chip built in, that works alongside the A7 to continuously measure motion data from the phone’s sensors. This will open up new possibilities in health and fitness apps, such as Nike+ Move.
Along with the interior upgrades, the iPhone 5S also gains a improved camera, with a wider f/2.2 aperture and a new TrueTone flash to improve photography in low-light conditions. A really interesting new feature exclusive to the 5S is the Touch ID sensor, which is a digital fingerprint scanner built into the home button. It allows you to unlock your phone, make online purchases simply by placing your thumb on the sensor. There will also be a slew of new opportunities with fingerprint scanner, especially in the area of mobile commerce. Apple has also added a new colour for the 5S, gold in addition to the previously available white and black (now called “space grey”). The iPhone 5S will be at similar price points as previous years: $229 CDN on a two year contract.
Will you be picking up one of the new iPhones? Or will you be sticking with the Samsung Galaxy S4 or HTC One? Let us know!
Information Sources:
http://www.apple.com/ca/iphone/
http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/12/4614200/apple-iphone-5s-rumors-what-to-expect
http://mobilesyrup.com/2013/09/10/apple-announces-iphone-5c-and-iphone-5s/