Meet the two newest members of Apples iPhone family:
a much faster, fully 64-bit iPhone 5S, and
the iPhone 5C, essentially a tweaked iPhone 5 available in multiple colors. Both phones will launch simultaneously on September 20. Apple revealed the phones during a press event at its corporate campus in Cupertino, California on Tuesday afternoon.
Apple claims the iPhone 5S is up to twice as fast for both CPU and graphics and says the new A7 processor housed within includes over a billion transistors twice as many as the A6 processor in the iPhone 5, while retaining the same footprint (iOS 7 has apparently been updated to take advantage of the new 64-bit architecture, too). The iPhone 5S will be available in black, gold or silver colors.
The iPhone 5S also includes something Apple calls an M7 motion co-processor, which keeps tabs on the devices accelerometer, gyroscope and compass. Apple says this will enable new types of health and fitness apps, such as a new Nike+ Move app that keeps track of how active you are.
As expected, the iPhone 5S will include a touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the Home button. Itll scan fingerprints in any orientation as well as sub-dermal fingerprint layers, and Apple noted you can use it to unlock your phone without a PIN or make iTunes purchases without entering a password. Lest you worry that datas being stored in the cloud, Apple confirmed its not backed up or stored on Apples servers, and that its encrypted and locked within the A7 chip its not directly accessible by software.
Camera-wise, the iPhone 5Ss aperture is slightly larger than the iPhone 5′s, the f-number dropping from f/2.4 to f/2.2 (lower is better). Itll also do auto image stabilization, allowing you to take multiple photos at once and combine the sharpest parts of each. You can now operate in Burst Mode (hold the shutter to snap up to 10 frames per second) or use a SloMo camera app that lets you shoot video at up to 120 frames per second at 720p.
To demonstrate the power of the iPhone 5S, Apple brought Epic Games (
Infinity Blade) onstage to announce and then show off
Infinity Blade 3 apparently the conclusion of Epics mobile action-strategy trilogy with up to eight worlds on tap.
While Apple didnt delve into specifics about A7′s 64-bit architecture, the 64-bit shift typically allows computers to access more than 4GB of memory. Thats not something Apple needs today, but
theres a theory that Apples laying the groundwork for much more powerful iPhones and iPads. With the A7 chip, Apple is kicking off that transition now, so it wont have to keep supporting a 32-bit operating system in a few years.
The iPhone 5S looks to be priced in line with prior models: $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB or $399 for 64GB all with two-year cellular contracts.
The iPhone 5C, by comparison, includes Apples older (but still powerful) A6 processor, an 8-megapixel camera, polycarbonate casing without seams or cracks, a higher battery capacity than prior iPhones and availability in multiple colors, including white, blue, yellow, red and green. It includes a front-facing FaceTime HD camera capable of taking sharper pictures, and will sell for less than the iPhone 5 originally did: $99 (16GB) or $199 (32GB) with a two-year contract; Apples
listing the unlocked pricing for the iPhone 5C on its website as $550 (16 GB) and $650 (32 GB). Colorized custom cases will sell for $29, and the cases have holes in the back, allowing you to create a two-tone look if you prefer.
