iPhone 5S vs. iPhone 5C vs. iPhone 5: Specs compared

Apple’s new iPhone 5S boasts plenty of fresh hardware, features, software, and speed. The company’s step-down model, the iPhone 5C is no slouch, either, and comes in a stylish polycarbonate and colorful chassis. Indeed, despite its budget price, the iPhone 5C will replace the iPhone 5 completely. Find out just how these new iPhone models fair when pitted head-to-head against Apple’s venerable handset from last year.

Apple unveils iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C (pictures)

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Confirming much of the leaked information, Apple’s new top-of-the-line device the iPhone 5S brings a new 64-bit A7 processor to the table. Indeed Apple claims that this new silicon makes the 5S twice as fast compared with the A6-powered iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C.

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The iPhone 5S doesn’t just boast a Apple’s latest mobile-processing solution, it comes with a fingerprint scanner, too, which the company says will make security both tighter and less frustrating. Many of the other components are the same as on the tried-and-true iPhone 5, such as the screen size and resolution. That’s sure to be a letdown for those eying the larger displays of competing Android phones.

Another area where Apple didn’t shake up the cart too much is the camera. While there was talk about the larger pixel size of the phone’s image sensor, the sensor in both new models will remain fixed at 8 megapixels. Of course the iPhone 5S does now have a fancy dual-element flash that’s able to adjust its color temperature based on ambient lighting.

Want to see how everything stacks up by the numbers? Take a look at the chart below for a deep dive into the details.

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iPhone 5S iPhone 5C iPhone 5
Operating system iOS 7 iOS 7 iOS 6
Display 4-inch IPS LCD; 1,136×640 pixels, 326 ppi 4-inch IPS LCD; 1,136×640 pixels, 326 ppi 4-inch IPS LCD; 1,136×640 pixels, 326 ppi
Price $199, $299, $399 $99, $199, $549 off contract (16GB) No longer sold
Carrier AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Global AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon
4G LTE Yes Yes Yes
Camera 8-megapixel, 1080p front-facing, dual-element flash 8-megapixel, 720p front-facing 8-megapixel, 720p front-facing
Processor Proprietary A7 CPU (64-bit) Proprietary A6 CPU (32-bit) Proprietary A6 CPU (32-bit)
Memory 16GB, 32GB, 64GB 16GB, 32GB 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Battery Talk time up to 10 hours on 3G; embedded Talk time up to 10 hours on 3G; embedded Talk time up to 8 hours on 3G; embedded
NFC No No No
Fingerprint scanner Yes No No
Dedicated fitness tracking Yes No No
Weight and thickness 3.95 ounces, 0.3 inch 4.65 ounces, 0.35 inch 3.95 ounces, 0.3 inch
Colors Gray, gold, silver Blue, green, pink, yellow, white Black, white

This is a developing story. Check out the latest on the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, and see all of today’s Apple news.

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