The iPhone 5C, the colorful new plastic phone from Apple, is the same phone Apple introduced last year.

It has the same processor, same rear camera, same screen (4 inches), and same glitzy new iOS 7 software that most iPhones and iPads updated to this month. For specs geeks, the only new things you’ll see are a slightly larger battery and a slightly better front-facing camera for video chats.

But the iPhone 5C is really just the iPhone 5 covered in shiny plastic that comes in five color options.

However, that doesn’t make the iPhone 5C a bad phone.


The Plastic

I’m not a fan of plastic phones. They often feel flimsy and not at all like the ~$ 600 premium pocket computers they’re marketed as. Samsung is perhaps the biggest offender with the Galaxy S4, an unattractive device wrapped in creaky, cheap-feeling plastic.

But the “C” in iPhone “5C” does not stand for cheap. The plastic feels really good, almost like ceramic. It’s polished with a shiny lacquered coating, to the point where the device is almost slippery. There aren’t any bends, creaks, or squeaks when you grip it. The buttons (also plastic) feel like they’re molded directly into the body. They’re so sturdy that I was surprised I could even press them. 

iPhone 5C back

Steve Kovach/Business Insider

The iPhone 5C may be the cheaper of Apple’s two new iPhones, but it still feels like a premium product. 

I laughed out loud when Apple’s design guru Jony Ive called the iPhone 5C

Steve Kovach/Business Insider