Spec-by-spec: How the new iPhones stack up to the competition

[Jos]

Apple’s iPhone event marked a slight shift in the company’s ongoing strategy for new releases. Instead of announcing a new device and lowering the price on the previous generation, the company introduced two new phones: one flagship and one aimed at more budget-conscious buyers. Yes, the iPhone 5S and 5C are officially a reality, and rumors centering on them over the last few weeks have been mostly spot on.

You can read all the details in our announcement coverage. But if it’s hardware specs you are after, we’ve compiled a side by side comparison with some of today’s top contenders for your smartphone dollars.

	Apple iPhone 5S	Apple iPhone 5C	Moto X	HTC One	Samsung Galaxy S 4	Nokia Lumia 1020
Price (on contract)	$650 ($200)	$550 ($100)	TBA ($200)	$600 ($200)	$650 ($200)	$660 ($200)
Availability	September 20	September 20	Now	Now	Now	Now
Metascore	N/A	N/A	{pf id:93674 size:small}	{pf id:87473 size:small}	{pf id:87718 size:small}	{pf id:92666 size:small}
Review	More info	More info	More info	More info	Review	More info
System chip	Apple A7	Apple A6	Motorola X8 (Snapdragon S4 Pro)	Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T	Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T	Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960
CPU	-	1.3GHz dual-core, Apple Swift	1.7GHz dual-core, Krait	1.7GHz quad-core, Krait 300	1.9GHz quad-core, Krait 300	1.5GHz dual-core, Krait
GPU	-	PowerVR SGX543MP3	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	Adreno 320	Adreno 225
Display	4-inch IPS LCD	4-inch IPS LCD	4.7-inch AMOLED	4.7-inch S-LCD 3	5.0-inch Super AMLOED	4.5-inch AMOLED
Resolution (PPI)	640 x 1136 (326)	640 x 1136 (326)	720 x 1280 (316)	1080 x 1920 (468)	1080 x 1920 (441)	768 x 1280 (334)
RAM	-	1GB	2GB	2GB	2GB	2GB
Front camera	1.2MP	1.2MP	2MP	2.1MP	2MP	1.2MP
Rear camera	8MP	8MP	10MP	4MP	13MP	41MP
Storage	16/32/64GB	16/32/64GB	16/32GB	32GB	16/32/64GB	32GB
USB	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
microSD	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Cellular	HSPA+ / LTE	HSPA+ / LTE	HSPA+ / LTE	HSPA+ / LTE	HSPA+ / LTE	HSPA+ / LTE
Wireless	Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0
NFC	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Operating System	iOS 7	iOS 7	Android 4.2.2	Android 4.2.2	Android 4.2.2	Windows Phone 8
App Marketplace	iTunes	iTunes	Google Play	Google Play	Google Play	Windows Marketplace
Weight	112g	132g	130g	143g	130g	158g
Other	Airplay, Fingerprint sensor, always-on motion sensors	Airplay	Always-on voice recognition / authentication, gesture controls

Keep in mind that as smartphone hardware has reached a certain level of maturity, these raw specs can only paint part of the picture. For instance, at 8-megapixels the iPhone 5S’ camera may seem to be on the losing end of this chart. But other camera related improvements like a larger sensor, improved autofocus and image stabilization, and dual LED flash setup may go a long way in keeping Apple among the best in this category.

Otherwise we’re seeing an emerging trend where some manufacturers are carefully looking at hardware differentiators that can truly enhance how you interact with your smartphone and the world around you, as opposed to throwing stuff you’ll rarely use in there just because it exists. For Motorola that’s always on voice controls and gesture recognition, whereas Apple also has a motion coprocessor plus fingerprint reading.

That said, it’s kind of surprising Apple didn’t include 802.11ac wireless in their latest handset.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/53942-spec-by-spec-how-the-new-iphones-stack-up-to-the-competition.html

 

[Fbarnett]

Who writes these articles? How is a Iphone 5c targeting budget mined consumer at $100.00 down and a balance of $450.00
You can buy phones on almost any carrier outright for $100.00
I like how every year the Iphone cost $100.00 more

 

[mctommy]

Who writes these articles? How is a Iphone 5c targeting budget mined consumer at $100.00 down and a balance of $450.00
You can buy phones on almost any carrier outright for $100.00
I like how every year the Iphone cost $100.00 more

Correction:
Every year the same iPhone cost $100.00 less... which is a big whoop.

 

[MrBungle]

I think phones are reaching a point where like PCs everything is "good enough"... What is the point of a higher resolution camera when it can already capture more pixels than exist on any screen or can be printed by any printer the average person has? What is the point of a faster processor when your apps run fine? Some have a need for more storage but this too has its practical limits. Sure there are always outliers but I think there isn't really much that is lacking in current generation phones, the market is mature, next years phones will be the least exciting yet.

 

[St1ckM4n]

'Budget' iPhone is -$100. So... how much will iPhone 5 cost? -$150? :\

The specs on paper look pretty damn sad. But what surprised me most out of everything was Bluetooth 3.0 on the Lumia!

 

[Guest]

You are all missing the big picture here about the new Iphone, IT COME IN GOLD COLOR!!!!

 

[teddy bear]

'Budget' iPhone is -$100. So... how much will iPhone 5 cost? -$150? :\

The specs on paper look pretty damn sad. But what surprised me most out of everything was Bluetooth 3.0 on the Lumia!

do you think wp 8 need bluetooth?

lumia is a perfect phone without wp8.

 

[Codepimp]

No NFC must be bad Tech..

 

[63Jax]

This was suppose to be the cheap one, lol! they really did it, greedy bastards!

 

[Guest]

I love how people can say this

But other camera related improvements like a larger sensor, improved autofocus and image stabilization, and dual LED flash setup may go a long way in keeping Apple among the best in this category.

Bull. If Apple was leading in that specific category, they would exploit it. No? What about "Panoramic" pictures, which I was using for years on a non-Apple phone before they caught up. Dual flash goes a long way? Are you kidding me...if some one is buying a camera because the "Dual Flash goes a long way" instead of the Nokia phone with a 41Mp camera...they're mental image stabilization needs to be corrected.

The advances that Apple is making software-wise seems to be outpacing their advances hardware wise. Close friends & family have had the iPhone for years, the only compliments I hear are on the software side, not that the screen looks "So much sharper", or "It's 1/100th thinner". The usability is what is noticed, not the dual led flash.

Oh and for the comment:

I think phones are reaching a point where like PCs everything is "good enough"... What is the point of a higher resolution camera when it can already capture more pixels than exist on any screen or can be printed by any printer the average person has? What is the point of a faster processor when your apps run fine? Some have a need for more storage but this too has its practical limits. Sure there are always outliers but I think there isn't really much that is lacking in current generation phones, the market is mature, next years phones will be the least exciting yet.

If you're going to mention the word generation, then you should probably know the generation of frequent "New iPhone customers" ranging from 8 years old to 28 years old will want nothing but the "Best of the best". Thus resulting in "There's never ANY problem with my phone" then a new 5S comes out and the argument is changed to "There are SO many problems, I had to buy the new one". Hence Apple making so much cash EVERY time a new one comes out, which is simply genius on their part due to the brain-wash style marketing. You can't knock the hustle!