In terms of value, the iPhone 5c is nigh unbeatable. Apple’s unapologetically plastic mid-range smartphone is just a bit less powerful than the top of the line iPhone 5s, but it’s available at a lower price. If you’re thinking of picking one up, though, you’ll probably want to wait for just over a month. Here’s why…
Apple introduced the iPhone 5c last year alongside the iPhone 5s, the new, top-of-the-line iPhone model with an aluminum build and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The iPhone 5c was meant to serve as a way for Apple to address the lower end of the smartphone market while still keeping the healthy profit margins that have made it one of the most profitable companies in the world.
Multiple reports hold that Apple misstepped with the iPhone 5c, as it hasn’t been selling as much as the flagship iPhone 5s, but those sort of miss the point. The 5c isn’t meant to outshine the 5s; it’s simply there to provide a more affordable option for those consumers that want an iPhone but don’t want to pay top-shelf prices. They’re also wrong, as study after study shows that the iPhone 5c is beating almost all of its competitors in terms of sales.
While the iPhone 5c doesn’t have the aluminum build of its higher-end counterpart, Apple didn’t scrimp in making the device. It’s the best feeling plastic phone you’ve ever held, and it’s more than fast enough for any of your needs. With Apple’s iOS 8 on the way, it will only get more powerful in the near future.
So why should you hold off on getting an iPhone 5c if it’s so great? Well, as we reported earlier , Apple will likely introduce the iPhone 6 early in September. Since Apple is usually pretty predictable in how it handles this sort of thing, we feel confident in saying it will shake out in one of two ways.
The first possibility is that Apple introduces the iPhone 6 as its top-end product, moving the iPhone 5s to the mid-range slot and pushing the iPhone 5c to the low-end spot, currently occupied by the iPhone 4s. You can currently get the iPhone 4s for $0 down on contract, and the iPhone 5c will likely cost the same if it moves to that spot.
Alternately, Apple could do away with the current iPhone 5c model entirely, moving the iPhone 5s to the low-end spot and letting the upper two slots be filled by two new iPhone models. This seems a bit less likely, but Apple has reportedly been working on two new iPhones, so it’s within the realm of possibility. If this were to happen, we expect that Apple would repackage the iPhone 5s internals into a polycarbonate shell like we see with the current iPhone 5s.
So, if you’re willing to wait for just over a month, you could either get an iPhone 5c for free on contract or get an iPhone 5s in an iPhone 5c’s body for a much lower price. Recent price cuts have already put the iPhone 5c at near impulse buy levels, but “no money down” is better than “some money down,” no? Take our word for it, you’ll be better off and better satisfied if you wait just about 30 days to pick up that iPhone 5c you’ve had your eye on. Patience is a virtue, after all.