Apple Announces the iPhone 5c, A Lower-Cost Plastic iPhone Available in Various Bright Colors

At today’s event in Cupertino, California, Apple has announced the new iPhone 5c, a lower-cost iPhone with a hard-coated polycarbonate (plastic) body available in a variety of bright colors like green, blue, pink, yellow, and white. The 5c uses the same 4-inch Retina display, A6 processor, and 8-megapixel rear camera found in the iPhone 5, but has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor and will feature a new FaceTime HD front camera with better low-light performance and improved audio. Apple says the iPhone 5c supports “more LTE bands that any other smartphone in the world” and has Dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0.

The iPhone 5c will be available for pre-order on Friday, September 13th, and will launch in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the UK on September 20th. The 16GB model will cost $99 and the 32GB version will retail for $199 with a two-year contract. Apple has also created a set of environmentally friendly custom cases for the iPhone 5c made of soft-feel silicon rubber, which will retail for $29 apiece.

Today Apple also announced the iPhone 5s, a new iPhone with a built-in fingerprint sensor for unlocking the phone and authenticating iTunes purchases.

For more coverage on the iPhone 5c, head over to The Verge.