Design:
The machine is rounded to the edge with and small body so the handle is very good. If the first person to see this device will feel like the other iPhones only add one case. The machine comes in 5 colors for selected: white, pink, blue, green and yellow. With such a youthful color, 5c is very suitable for young people. On the façade, we will encounter familiar home physics buttons, selfie cameras and speakers. And at the bottom of 5c we’ll see a lot of holes, from big holes to tiny holes: headphone jacks, mics, lightning ports and speakers are neatly folded. Right next to the hole again but not as big as the other guys, when using the rod into the hole will go to the sim and of course there is only 1 sim. The left side of the machine is a volume up and down button and a fast and convenient on / off switch. Behind the phone is a camera, mic, flash, apple logo and the word “Iphone” with some other information.
Screen:
The screen is equipped with a retina screen of 4″ with a resolution of 640 x 1136 pixels. Screen 5c color is true, okay I do not appreciate 5c screen is also partly because it was born long ago. Although it is not so high, it is much more difficult to see it outdoors, but it is all black in color, so it’s all black when it’s off. In front of the screen, it looks very cool, and it has the ability to automatically reduce the screen brightness to match the outside light to save battery life.
Display
The iPhone 5C had the same 4-inch Retina screen as the iPhone 5, kind of, and yeah at the time of release people were saying it was among the best screens in the whole smartphone market. It brought solid color accuracy , good sharpness and a bright level that still looked decent outside.
1. Display Quality
That 4-inch panel ran at 1136 x 640 pixels, so the pixel density came out to 326 PPI, basically it made text and pictures look pretty crisp. You could read pages without squinting much , browse the web, and watch photos or videos without the image turning mushy. The colors felt lively but still realistic, and the contrast was handled well, so you could see stuff even in strong sun.
2. Screen Size
The display was like 4 inches or something , pretty small compared to all the bigger phones that were getting way more attention in 2013. But at the same time, for a lot of users that snug sort of build felt a little bit like a win, because it was easier to manage with one hand, and it seemed more portable then those larger devices.
3. Touch Sensitivity
The iPhone 5C touchscreen was pretty quick to react, thanks to the capacitive tech in the display. Touches were picked up accurately , and they came in fast, which made navigation feel smooth. It also supported multi-touch gestures, and that mattered more and more when people started using apps and moving around iOS in general, you know.
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Software:
The intuitive, easy-to-view interface with all the apps on the home screen, application icons have the same shape looks very consistent. Also, the machine has a lot of fast action like the top down to search. Fast application and suggestive applications, swipe from the bottom up to set up fast customizations, fast camera, computer, flashlight, … Also in this 5c also has intelligent virtual assistant and Siri.
Performance:
The machine owns Apple A6 chip, dual-core 1.3GHz clock. The GPU is a PowerVR SGX 543MP3, 1GB of RAM, and comes with 8/16 / 32GB versions. Although ram status is 1GB but multitasking is pretty good. It’s been a long time but the experience on 5c is still great, smoother. It’s possible that its 3D scores can not be compared to mid-range players now, but the ability to play heavy titles like Asphalt 8 is still very good even at the load speed game is slightly better. It only has 4″ HD screen and good optimization of the game from the programmer for it. Machine is not equipped with memory card, fingerprint sensor, water proof, …
Camera:
The front and rear of the 5c have a 1.2 MP resolution, you can get 720p video recording up to 30 fps, plus an 8 MP unit with a f / 2.4 aperture, together with flash and video recording capability. When it’s 1080p, the frame rate stays at 30fps and the camera doesn’t protruding out, just sits in place, kind of flush. The camera interface is familiar with panorama, square, time-lapse, etc. It’s just a swipe to quickly switch between image modes and filters, and there are no more deep customizations or professional modes. At full light conditions, the image is bright, true, color contrast is quite good, but the details of the image is not high because the machine only owns the rear camera is 8MP
Battery life:
Not enough. Because on average, the screen has a range of 2-3 hours when connected wifi, play games and watch videos, but compensated for the good waiting time not waste as much as the other android. The charging time is about 2 hours if you do not use it much while charging. Because the machine has 1510 mAh so charging is much that is also right.
Market positioning and reception
The iPhone 5C was kind of an experiment, by Apple, like they tried to make a cheaper vibe without going all the way “budget.” It sat there as the more affordable option compared to the iPhone 5S , and those two came out around the same time. The iPhone 5S brought more serious tech, meaning the A7 chip and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile the iPhone 5C , with its colorful shell and lower sticker price, seemed to aim at a wider crowd , including people in emerging markets, who just wanted something Apple-ish but less expensive.
1. Pricing strategy:
When it launched , the iPhone 5C was $549 for the 16GB version and $649 for the 32GB version, not counting any contract. In general, sure, that felt cheaper than the iPhone 5S. But it still was not really a bargain phone. A lot of folks expected it to be way more dramatically priced, like “cheap, cheap,” and so there was a bit of letdown among consumers who wanted an even more aggressive deal.
2. Target audience:
The iPhone 5C was directed at a younger group, and also first-time smartphone buyers, people who got pulled in by the bright colors and the Apple name. The vivid color options, and that playful kind of marketing, clicked with this group. It also ended up being for anyone who wanted a dependable, solid iPhone, without needing the newest, fancier stuff that showed up on the iPhone 5S.
3. Sales Performance:
The iPhone 5C’s sales performance was pretty solid, yet it didn’t really hit those peaks Apple kinda hoped for. it did sell decently in a few markets, but in other places it felt overshadowed by the iPhone 5S, which had more advanced features, and honestly it seemed like better value for people who could manage the price gap. In a couple regions , the iPhone 5C was viewed as kind of expensive for a “budget” phone, so adoption moved slower where shoppers were very price sensitive.
4. Criticisms:
The iPhone 5C got some pushback mainly about pricing and a perceived lack of innovation. Some reviewers plus consumers said the plastic build felt like a downgrade compared to the nicer premium materials Apple used on other iPhones, and that Apple did not do enough to make the iPhone 5C noticeably different from last year’s iPhone 5. also, the iPhone 5C was sometimes unfairly called a “cheap” iPhone, which didn’t quite match its actual quality, or day to day performance.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.