It seems that Apple, in all its brand name glory, comes out with a new phone twice a year. Of course, I use the term “new” extremely loosely. In the past, Apple’s new phones have been the same product packaged with a few new software tweaks, slapped with a different marketing campaign and sent off to the fanatics who had the means and the mind to pre-order. However, iOS 7 has been taking the technology world by storm and the iPhone 5s and its less expensive but vibrant partner, the iPhone 5c, seem to have taken the old features of the iPhone into the new light radiating from the major software update. The question still stands, though, is the new iPhone worth it, or is an Android phone, such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 a better bang for your buck? Most likely not.
When compared side by side, obvious differences between the two appear. A major variance in the devices is the speed of the processors each gadget uses to function. Samsung has developed the 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, or in layman’s terms, an extremely fast processor for the S4 to run on. In the past this processor has made the S4 the fastest phone on the market. However, the A7 chip the 5s runs on has proven, in a study done by independent researchers, to be almost twice as fast as the S4. Knocking the S4 into third place, behind LG’s G2, Apple’s new gadget is now the fastest phone on the market. The 5c also ranked in this test placing in fifth with its Apple brand A6 processor.
The battery life of both the 5s and the 5c last for 10 hours on straight talking time, while the S4 doesn’t even begin to measure up, averaging only 6.5 hours of the same use. When on standby, however, Samsung does beat Apple by a good 150 hours. However, in recent weeks, many owners of the S4 have been experiencing problems with the physical battery losing power and even swelling up. Samsung has issued a statement promising to replace the batteries of all those affected, but the hassle usually leaves the owner without a phone for a short while, waiting for their nearest Samsung Service Center to replace the battery.
Surprisingly, even the price of the devices leans heavily on the Apple side. Ranging between the prices of $199 to $300 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 will get you a 4.59 ounce phone with a 13 megapixel camera that is capable of capturing videos in 720p HD. The iPhone 5s will cost users anywhere $199 for 16 GB of storage to $399 for 64 GB. However, the iPhone 5c marketed as a colorful version of the 5s with a plastic casing starts at just $99. The iSight camera on both the 5s and the 5c is 8 megapixels, but has the ability to capture 1080p videos. Both the 5s and the 5c run on the newest iOS update.
Though both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the both the iPhone 5s and 5c are amazingly similar on the surface, where they do differ Apple tends to come out on top. Both the S4 and the 5s are available for around the same price, while the 5c can be up to $100 less. For the casual user, Apple’s 5c may be the better choice. With both its price range and software quality the 5c allows for a complete smartphone experience. The features, including the camera, the built-in apps, and the apps available for purchase in the Apple App Store, lead to a more consumer friendly product that is sure to satisfy consumer needs.
