Apple makes iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S official

Apple has officially announced two new iPhones, the flagship iPhone 5S and budget iPhone 5C. They both have a UK release date of September 20th.

As expected, the iPhone 5S gets a specs boost, with a faster processor and a new fingerprint sensor, while the cheaper iPhone 5C meanwhile keeps a very similar spec to the existing iPhone 5 but is now available in a range of colours and has a polycarbonate body.

New colours were all the rage, with five bright hues for the iPhone 5C – green, white, blue, pink and yellow - and silver, gold and space grey for the new flagship iPhone 5S (below).

The iPhone 5 was promptly discontinued and removed from the Apple store in the UK and US, though there is a new 8GB iPhone 4S for a cheaper price of £349.

MORE: iPhone 5 vs iPhone 5C vs iPhone 5S: features, prices, specs

Apple also confirmed the launch of iOS 7, the new Apple operating system, which will ship on the new iPhones.

iOS 7 will also as a free software update on selected iOS devices from September 18th, and is compatible with the iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and above, iPad Mini, 5th-gen iPod Touch and above.

The latest iPhone event proved something of a damp squib, with much of the news already leaked in rumours and pictures ahead of the event.

The iPhone 5C, billed as the cheap or budget iPhone, also came in noticeably more expensive than predicted, the cheapest 16GB model coming with a £469 price tag.

Most impressive was the new fingerprint sensor, which looks set to replace the traditional passcode or pin lock, using your fingerprint to unlock the device and even make iTunes purchases.

There was no use on new iPads, they're tipped for possibly later in the year, nor any sign of new iPods, which were last updated in September 2012.

Hands on: iPhone 5S review

Hands on: iPhone 5C review

by Joe Cox

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Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is Content Director for T3 and What Hi-Fi?, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for more than 15 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).