At an excited press event, Apple unveiled the iPhone 5S (new flagship) and the iPhone 5C (predominantly the same as the iPhone 5 but with multi-colored plastic case).
iPhone 5S Hardware Spec This model is based on the new A7 chip (64-bit, 32nm, new ARMv8) and new M7 companion chip (supports the A7 chip by managing motion and location information). It has a four-inch screen (1,136 x 640, 326ppi, in-cell touch, IPS+LTPS), NAND memory (16/32/64GB), and two cameras (back camera: 8 megapixels, large aperture, high-speed consecutive shooting; front camera: 1.2 megapixels, BSI-CMOS). According to Apple’s claim, there is a performance increase in 3G call time and LTE data communication time by 20% (10 hours), and standby time by 11% (250 hours).
iPhone 5C Hardware Spec
Basic features are similar to the 5S, but the core chip is the A6, and the M7 is not included. The body is made from polycarbonate and will come in five colors. US prices based on a two-year contract will be $99 for 16GB and $199 for
32GB. Some non critical components may have been added with near similar performance at lower prices than for the 5 and 5S, contributing to a decrease in product costs.
iPhone 5 Series Support for 4G LTE bands Globally
Tye newly launched iPhone 5C / 5S support the maximum 4G LTE bands across the globe which no other phone comes close to in support. Entire list of 4G LTE Support is being published here. Though Airtel & Reliance Jio Infocomm are missing in the list of operators, Indians must be hopeful because the iPhone 5 Series is capable of 4G-LTE in 2600/2300MHz band as seen in Germany/Korea. Since the phone is not yet launched in India, eventually Apple may add it to the list after official launch.
Pricing of the iPhone 5 Series
While there were few surprises in hardware, surprising was that Apple left its typical pricing scheme unchanged. At this level, we do not expect the iPhone 5C to meaningfully penetrate emerging markets without substantial subsidy, noting that phones priced above $300 account for just 13.7% of the global handset market. Still too high for the Indian market 🙂