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Welcome to the Apple iPhone 5c review. This review is a little late after all the 5c has been for sale since 2013. Mobile phone tech sets new benchmarks every 12 months and you just have to check out our older reviews just to see how the model we raved about then no longer can compete against the latest models. In this context we wrote this review. Furthermore since there are few note worthy models at this time of the year we decided to up this review.
In terms of construction the iPhone 5C feels good for a plastic backed phone. The color and feel though show that Apple went too far in trying to make a cheap iPhone since it looks and ultimately feels as cheap as the cheapest non-Apple mobile phone but without the truly cheap price tag. We don't think that Apple needed to downgrade the construction if you want to make a cheaper model than the regular 5. But it does prove how difficult it is to make a plastic look and feel good. Only Nokia has managed to do that so far.
In terms of hardware the iPhone 5C uses a slower CPU and GPU then the regular 5 but it is faster than the 4S. Everything else in 2015 terms the 5C ranks slightly lower than existing 2015 mid range phones in terms of specification. The bonus you get is 4G or LTE capability which is still not a universal feature in this part of the market BUT a tiny screen. Furthermore the lack of memory in the basic '8 Gig' model in reality comes with less than 5Gigs for data and Apps is a joke really. The iPhone 5C is not a 5 or 5S, more like a slightly upgrade 4S. Clearly it's not close to the iPhone 6 in terms of performance.
In terms of use the iPhone 5C is just like any other iPhone except a little slower. Teens and those in their 20's will notice the relative slowness but won't complain too much because they are little embarrassed having just spent a lot money on something that's quite dated. Older folk will also know the difference if they already own a new iPhone. Overall smooth to use but the interface is starting to show Apple trying to pack in features that require user intervention to tweak to maximise and mostly turn off. The need for Apps to do many things is annoying and honestly they are mostly Advertising App driven interface is quite annoying. It's not bad to use but a 2015 Windows phone is easier to use.
Overall the iPhone 5C is a bit of strange model. It's not cheap because any recently superseded iPhone will always be a better option and value for money in to terms of speed, feature and 'status' only for those in certain countries. The best thing about the iPhone is still the number of Apps available and that's the only saving feature in the 5C model. It's a triumph of PR over reality the 5C so we'd save for the regular 5 or 5S version for longevity, the slightly bigger screen, more memory but optioned with at least 32Gig for the sake of usability. In the end we would definitely prefer a Windows Phone like the run out Lumia 930 before considering the 5C.
Specifications
- Apple iPhone 5c
- Network
Quad-band GSM
Tri-band 3G
4G LTE
- Design
Touch screen
- L124.4 x W59.2 x D9 mm
Weight 132 grams
- Display/s
External 4 inch TFT 640 x 1136
- Camera
8MP
LED Flash
- Video Camera
1.2 MP 30 fps
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V4
- CPU
Dual Core 1.3 Ghz
Graphics: PowerVR
- Memory
From 8-32Gig
- Ring tones
Purchase or iStudio only
- Features
A-GPS, GLONASS, Accelerometer, Gyrometer
Compass, Proximity sensor, Multi-touch screen
Battery 1510 mAh
Up to 250 hours Standby
Up to 10 hours Talk Time
- Price history
From $529 AUD 2015 (Outright 8G)
