There was a time when all that mattered in a mobile phone was the green ‘answer’ button, the red ‘send’ button and the alphanumeric keypad where you had to press ‘7’ four times to get the letter ‘s’. Typing the word ‘Mississippi’ was an act of extreme skill and dexterity. It feels like it was eons ago, though and the world as we know it has undergone a revolution since smartphones have become accessible. Phones are not about phone calls anymore. You want to access your bank account, follow your favorite celebrity, create memories, share the said memories, access a world of information—all you need is a smartphone.
With a range of smartphones flooding the market, one brand that has always stood out is Apple. One of the best-known brands, Apple has always held a fair share of the market probably because they are the only brand of smartphones that design the hardware and software together synchronously. With the company releasing new products approximately once a year, it is important to know the distinctions that make every new release stand out. If you are wondering why Apple released the iPhones 5C and 5S in the same year, you will find the answer in this article. What makes them stand apart? The success or failure of a model rests on these details. As they say, the devil is in the details. Why did the 5S perform better in the market than 5C?
Here’s why.
Material and Design
The structure of both the iPhones 5C and 5S follows Apple’s standard regulations where the case is sealed. You cannot open the phone and access its battery. The SIM card is inserted, in case of an open phone, through a slot available in the side.
However, the biggest difference between the two variants—5C and the 5S is in the material used to make the body of the phone. iPhone 5C is made primarily of toughened plastic while the 5S is made out of aluminum. This has allowed Apple to experiment with a funkier look and rounded edges in the 5C while the 5S is fairly formal in its appearance.
Except for the distinction in the edges, the size and design of the two phones are fairly similar. There is, however, a noticeable difference in the thickness of the two phones. The iPhone 5C is 9 mm thick while the 5S is 7.6 mm thick. While it doesn’t affect the functioning of the phone in any way, there are pros and cons to both ultra-thin models or their sturdier counterparts. While you may enjoy the ease of slipping an ultra-thin phone into your pocket, it also has a higher rate of slipping off your hands. This design decision also has an impact on the weight of the phones. The 5S is weighed at a 112 g while the 5C stands at 132 g.
Colors Difference
Talking about colors might seem a little out of place amidst all the technical specifications. But for most people, the color of the phone plays a significant role while making a choice. The visual appeal of the phone matters because that is what you would look at every day.
Both iPhones 5C and 5S are quite adventurous in this regard and add new colors to the Apple range. The iPhone 5S came out with space gray and gold in addition to the usual silver. While the gold was not the most popular of choices, Apple made a smart, calculated move in switching the traditional black or dark gray into its lighter variant which they called “space gray”. This was done to accommodate the aluminum body. The scratches are less visible in this shade of gray.
The 5C, interestingly, lived by its tagline “For the colorful”. The ‘C’ in 5C stands for color. You have the choice of buying an iPhone 5C in five different shades: White, Yellow, Pink, Blue, and Green. After the iPod, the iPhone 5C was the next Apple product to give these many choices in color to its customers.
Camera Comparison: 5C vs 5S
The fundamental specifications of the camera in both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C are similar. Both the cameras can go up to 8 megapixels. The flash in both phones is LED-based. However, Apple has enhanced the quality of flash in the iPhone 5S by installing a new feature called TrueTone. This feature essentially uses two LED flashes instead of one, one white and the other amber, to automatically set right the surrounding light in the room to produce more natural colors in your picture. It uses four-channel sensors to modify white balance and brightness.
Another noticeable difference in the cameras of these two phones is the size of the sensor. Theoretically, the general rule of thumb is that the larger the sensor, the better your photo. The sensor in an iPhone 5C is 1/3.2” while the sensor in the 5S variant is 1/3”. A larger sensor allows the camera to take in more light and you can click better pictures even when the surrounding light is not all that great.
The iPhone 5S camera also has two new features which are not there in 5C. One is the slo-mo mode. This mode can shoot high-definition videos at a frame rate of 120 frames per second while usually videos are shot at 30 fps. You can create a slow-motion video up to one-fourth of its actual speed. The second is the Burst mode. With a new A7 processor, the camera can autofocus faster and click up to ten pictures in a second. You can capture dynamic memories and not miss a single second of it. The burst mode also comes with a counter that will tell you how many shots have been captured as part of a single burst. The application also analyses the photos and suggests which shots are better depending on clarity.
The Touch ID
iPhone 5C 
iPhone 5S
This is one of the most significant differences that exist between the iPhone 5S and 5C. iPhone 5C is the last phone to have carried the iconic square icon on the home button. This square button has been replaced by the fingerprint scanner that allows you to unlock your phone with your biometric id. You need not type your password over and over again.
The ‘Touch ID’ sensor is not just limited to unlocking your phone but also to download apps from the App Store without having to type your Apple password. It is also incredibly useful in accessing the keychain of passwords and other saved data which makes your life easier. We are, after all, living in a world where all our online presence can be traced back to registered accounts and their corresponding passwords. The iPhone 5C does not give you this option.
Speed, Storage, And Software
While both the phones have a 1 GB RAM, the iPhone 5S is the first smartphone with a 64-bit processor. Apple Inc. introduced the faster A7 processor with 5S while the 5C runs on the 32-bit A6 processor. This makes the iPhone 5S twice as fast as the iPhone 5C. While the distinction might not be overtly visible on everyday regular use of the phone, gamers can definitely spot the difference. Because of its faster processing speed, the iPhone 5S can handle games with heavy graphics better than what the iPhone 5C can do.
The iPhone 5S comes with three storage space options. They are 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB while the 5C does not have 64 GB as a storage choice. If you are the kind who has tons of photos, songs or apps on your phone, the iPhone 5C might leave you a little constrained.
Motion co-processor M7 was first introduced by Apple with the iPhone 5S. This processor works on the physical sensors that are there in your phone like the accelerometer or compass. It can basically decipher better the movement of your phone. It helps in reducing power consumption and collect more accurate data when you are using a health or fitness application.
These are some of the most distinctive, decision-altering differences between iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Although it has been a few years since the models were released and Apple itself has released so many upgrades after, iPhones 5C and 5S are still quite functional and play a huge role in the used market.
While it might seem as though the iPhone 5S does better on all counts, you must not forget that the iPhone 5C was introduced as the more affordable cousin in the family of the iPhone 5 series. It is significantly cheaper and at the end of the day, the price is a huge factor when it comes to making choices. One can also argue that the 5S comes with improvements that are of consequence in the long run and can make up for the extra cost.
It appears as though Apple had different target audiences in mind for both the models; the iPhone 5C for the adolescent, youthful crowd and the iPhone 5S for a more professional populace. Whichever one you pick, Apple is not going to let you down.
