Ahead of the official releases of both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c this Friday, September 20th, early reviews of the new devices have gone live at several publications. The iPhone 5s includes notable new featured such as the Touch ID fingerprint authentication system, and improved camera, and a faster processor.
The iPhone 5c sports the same guts as the iPhone it replaces, but adds a plastic back shell in various colors. Earlier today, we reported that launch supplies of the 5s will tight, but the 5c will see strong amount of stock. You can read our full roundup of the product reviews below (and we’re also rounding up takes on iOS 7 in a separate post)…
Walt Mossberg – AllThingsD:
On Touch ID:
On A7 chip:
There is one bug in the system: Sometimes, while trying to use a finger to authenticate an online purchase, the phone asks for a password. Apple says it expects to fix this bug very quickly.
On calls:
Lauren Goode – AllThingsD – On the iPhone 5C:
– On size and battery life:
Myriam Joire – Engadget on 5S, 5C.
Apple has put a larger battery in the 5C, though the company has declined to say exactly how much bigger it is. Since the display and processor remain the same, a user should be able to get some extra juice with this phone.
This past weekend I used both the 5C and my own iPhone 5 at the same time, with the display on both set to about 75% of full brightness and their batteries fully charged. I ran the same apps, including maps apps, browsed through both Safari browsers and made phone calls on both phones. When my iPhone 5 died on Saturday night, the 5C had 17% battery power left.
– 5s’ camera:
– 5c final thoughts:
Anand Lal Shimpi – AnandTech:
Stuart Miles – Pocket-Lint:
As I said before though, if your plan all along was to buy an iPhone 5 – the iPhone 5c is a clear substitute good. I don’t expect that we’ll see an even cheaper version, but I am excited for what happens when the 5s hardware waterfalls into the 5c replacement next year.
Apple throwing its hat into the multi-device race marks a very important change for the company. I’ve always believed that the smartphone space would end up looking a lot like the PC industry, or in Apple’s case, the Mac business. Apple presently offers a handful of Mac notebooks, and I see no reason why Apple will stop at two with the iPhone.
– On iPhone 5s Touch ID:
– On iPhone 5s in general:
– On iPhone 5c:
TechCrunch – Darrell Etherington:
-On Touch ID:
– On the new True Tone flash:
Jim Dalrymple – The Loop:
– On Touch ID:
On iPhone 5c:
In addition to the speed, the location of the sensor is key. There is no extra movement needed to activate fingerprint reading. That decision was vital in making the fingerprint sensor work for users—if you have to move to make it work, it may not be worth using.
Of course, you can still have a manual passcode. If you do, you are required to type this in the first time after you restart the device, and if something ever happened to your fingerprint, you have a way to access the phone.
Setting up a fingerprint is as easy as resting your finger on the Home button and following the onscreen instructions. The button will vibrate when it’s reading; lift your finger and rest it on the button again; and repeat until it’s done. Very simple.
Luke Peters – T3:
– On M7 motion processor:
Scott Stein – CNET 5s, 5c:
Apple claims this will provide a 6x power saving for (iOS 7-updated) apps that record motion – Nike+, Strava, Moves, etc – but this dedicated chip can also tell what state of movement you’re in and will adjust the iPhone 5s accordingly.
To test this, we used Apple Maps to plot an A to B route that required driving and walking. Upon reaching our destination, and exiting the car, the navigation switched from car to foot, taking us down one-way streets that wouldn’t have been possible in a motor.
If the Coprocessor is clever enough to know where you are and what you’re doing (to an extent), it could pave the way for the next wave of apps and features. One example we were given was this: if your iPhone 5s is put in a gym locker while you pump iron, it knows that a) you’re not using it b) there’s no network coverage c) it’s stationary.
The iPhone could then power itself right down, switching off 3G/4G, the screen and so forth until the time it’s picked up again, where it would come back to life, ready to take that call from your PT asking why you sat in the sauna for two hours rather than making yourself sick doing burpees.
– On the “s” upgrade:
– Touch ID works with toes:
– Who is the 5c for?
Of course, a $99 iPhone isn’t anything new. Apple’s been selling “last year’s iPhones” for years at a hundred-dollar discount alongside whatever new versions are sold. For the past 12 months, 2011’s iPhone 4S sat in the $99 spot; it’s now offered as a free phone with a new contract, in a take-it-or-leave-it 8GB version. But Apple’s never offered a $99 iPhone this good, and with a redesign to boot.
Those who don’t care about the latest and greatest graphics or camera quality, or are due for an upgrade — like my mom — would be a perfect fit for the iPhone 5C. It’s a good year to make an upgrade if you haven’t done so recently, because both the 5C and 5S are very polished phones.
