iPhone 5C hands-on: $99 price on contract, 5 colors, small spec upgrade- http://techsmashit.com/iphone-5c-hands-on-99-price-on-contrac/

iPhone 5C hands-on: $99 price on contract, 5 colors, small spec upgrade
http://techsmashit.com/iphone-5c-hands-on-99-price-on-contrac/

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iPhone 5C hands-on: $99 price on contract, 5 colors, small spec upgrade

  

Apple today officially unveiled the long-rumored iPhone 5C, a stepdown, less-expensive model to the flagship iPhone 5S,
which was also announced. The iPhone 5C will be available in five
colors — white, green, blue, pink, and yellow — with the 16GB model
priced at $99 and the 32GB version costing $199 (with two-year
contract). Sadly, yes, there is no supercheap contract-free version.

Design and feel
As expected, the phone has a polycarbonate (plastic) back. Jony Ive,
Apple’s senior vice president of design, described the iPhone 5C as
“beautifully, unapologetically plastic. Multiple parts have been reduced
to a single polycarbonate component whose service is continuous and
seamless.”
How does it feel in the hand? Remarkably solid and
dense, more like a candy-lacquered metal phone than a “plastic phone.”
The 5C has a steel frame under the polycarbonate, and the smooth finish
feels very hand-friendly. Hopefully it’ll stay scratch-resistant.
The
curved edges are a bit of a return to the older plastic iPhones, but
the phone’s squarer design still comes through: it has a flat back. It’s
a shinier, smoother, thicker device than last year’s fifth-gen iPod
Touch.

Specs: iPhone 5-esque

If you’re wondering what makes a 5C different from the now-discontinued
iPhone 5, it’s basically this: new colors and feel, better front-facing
FaceTime HD camera, and a slightly larger battery. Oh, and there’s no
64GB version: you’ll have to get an iPhone 5S for that.

Some of the specs Apple is highlighting include an A6 processor,
an 8-megapixel camera with a 3x video zoom in-camera app, an improved
front-facing HD camera, and 802.11 a/b/g/n dual band Wi-Fi, as well as
“more LTE bands for world coverage.”

The iPhone 5C weighs slightly more than the iPhone 5 but seems to offer slightly better battery life.

From a specs standpoint, the iPhone 5C appears to be a slight upgrade
over the existing iPhone 5. However, at 4.65 ounces, the iPhone 5C
weighs slightly more than the 3.95-ounce iPhone 5.

A first look at the colorful iPhone 5C (pictures)

            

         

         

            

         

         

         

The iPhone 5, which also runs on an A6 processor, will be discontinued,
but the iPhone 4S will stick around in an 8GB version that will be free
with a two-year contract.

Apple also introduced a new line of $29.99 cases
for the 5C, with multiple six color options available. The cases have a
“soft, matte” finish to contrast the glossy finish of the 5C’s back.

Apple said the 5C has “impressive battery life” and from a first glance
at the numbers, it appears to offer better battery life than the iPhone
5, particularly for Internet browsing on LTE (10 hours vs. 8 hours on
the iPhone 5). Standby time is rated at 250 hours compared to the iPhone
5’s 225 hours.

In all, this is pretty much what we were expecting the iPhone 5C to be
— a cheaper-to-produce version of the iPhone 5 that’s been jazzed up
with an all-new, colorful and shiny look. Those colored backs should
appeal to younger consumers, though it’ll be interesting to see whether
iPhone 5C owners choose to protect their phones with cases — made by
Apple or other accessory makers — or leave them exposed.