Skip to content

iPhone 5 vs. iPhone 5S vs. iPhone 5c Comparison Review

We all know about yesterday’s even that took place, where Apple launched two new iPhones – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. It is hard to digest, but the iPhone 5 will no longer be available, well, at least officially. What does one make of these developments? Would it be worth paying a lot of money for the newer iPhone or would it be a better idea to get hold of the iPhone 5 instead?

5 vs 5c v 5s

Well, that’s exactly what we’d be discussing further. Gear up for some heated battled between siblings!

Display and Processor

There’s literally nothing to choose from in between these 3 iPhones – all of them come with 4 inch displays. The resolution on these panels is identical too, at 1136×640 for each. The pixel density on these panels is 326 PPI, not staggering by any means, but probably the most practical. This is what Apple call the ‘Retina Display’, referring to the human eye’s incapability in realizing (or being able to view) pixels separately.

The bottomline: you can’t really choose one among the three as far as the display is concerned.

Coming to the processors on these devices, there is a bit to choose from, but again, the difference isn’t as vast as you’d see between 3 devices from Samsung’s Note series. The iPhone 5S comes with the most advanced processor seen on an iPhone ever – it runs on Apple’s proprietary A7 chipset, combined with the M7 Motion co-processor (GPU). What’s amusing is that the processor is built on a 64 bit computing architecture, making it one among the most advanced mobile computers in the world.

On the other hand, both, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5C run on the same A6 chipset, again a platform developed by Apple themselves. The A7 is far ahead in terms of processing and graphics power, but most of us would probably never need that amount of processing potent. But where’s the harm in going for the better one available, and being future proof?

The iPhone 5S wins the battle hands-down when it comes to processing hardware.

Camera and Memory

As you would’ve expected, the iPhone 5S packs the most powerful camera out of the lot. The device comes with a f/2.2 sensor with a 5-element lens. The wider aperture means that more light would fall on the sensor, and the device would be able to generate better low-light images when compared to other devices with lenses with smaller apertures.

Another highlight is the True Tone LED flash seen for the first time. Basically, the single LED flash element is now replaced by 2 LEDs with different colour tones to them, which adapt to the surroundings automatically and apparently, capture the best possible scene with the right balance of light.

On the other hand, both, the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5C come with the older gen 8MP cameras without these features. The dual element LED is also not seen on these two devices.

Coming to front cameras, the iPhone 5S comes with a 1080p camera, while the other two come with the same 720p front-facing units. Quite clearly, the 5S has the superior unit of the three; while the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 5C stand at par.

Battery and Features

Apple being Apple, never reveal the actual battery capacity in mAh, Wh, or any other unit. All we get is the estimated number of hours under each type of usage. Typically, the real world usage doesn’t come close to what companies claim, but in Apple’s case, what they claim is actually about what you really get, which is a promising sign.

Model iPhone 5 iPhone 5S iPhone 5C
Talktime (3G) 8 hours 10 hours 10 hours
Standby 225 hours 250 hours 250 hours
Audio 40 hours 40 hours 40 hours
Video 10 hours 10 hours 10 hours

As you can see from the above table, the iPhone 5 seems to be the weakest link out of the 3. It is heartening to know that Apple have included a bigger battery in the iPhone 5C, which some assume to be the stripped down version of the iPhone 5, which is clearly is not.

All in all, the iPhone 5S was expected to top every chart here, and it does not disappoint. The phone also comes with a fingerprint reader dubbed as Touch ID by Apple, which will make locking and unlocking the device hassle free.

Key Specs

Model iPhone 5 iPhone 5C iPhone 5S
Display 4 inches IPS 1136×640 4 inches IPS 1136×640 4 inches IPS 1136×640
Processor A6 A6 A7 with M7 co-processor
RAM, ROM Not unveiled, 16/32/64GB Not unveiled, 16/32GB ROM Not unveiled, 16/32/64GB ROM
OS iOS 6 iOS 7 iOS 7
Cameras 8MP rear, 720p front 8MP rear, 720p front 8MP rear, 1080p front
Price About 42k INR To be announced To be announced

Conclusion

The iPhone 5S leads the lot, and in some style. The phone comes with the fastest processor, a better camera as well the unique Touch ID feature. The device is expected to be blazing fast, and the launch in the Indian market is being looked forward to in a big manner. You can expect the device to be priced at around 45k INR, which was also the price tag that came with the iPhone 5 last year.

On the other hand, the iPhone 5C is expected to cost around 30-35k, which would still be a bargain considering it is basically an iPhone 5 in a different shell.

nv-author-image

Abhishek Bhatnagar

Abhishek Bhatnagar, a known technology blogger & YouTuber from India. A Software Engineer by qualification, now he works as the editor-In-Chief, Webmaster, & Managing Director at Gadgets To Use. He runs a number of other technology websites as well.