iPhone 5c
Discontinued 9 Sept 2015
Released
20 Sept 2013
Announced
10 Sept 2013
Pre-orders opened
13 Sept 2013
Launch price from
$99
Discontinued
9 Sept 2015
Lifespan
2 years
- Category
- iPhone
- Status
- Discontinued
- Apple support status
- Obsolete (Apple no longer services it)
- Release type
- Refresh of an existing model
- Previous model
- iPhone 5
- Official Apple page
- No longer available on Apple’s website
- Tech specs
- Apple specs ↗
- Press release
- Apple Newsroom ↗
- More information
- iPhone 5c on Wikipedia ↗
Notes
The iPhone 5c was Apple's cheaper phone at $99, and it was the iPhone 5 in a different shell. Apple stopped selling the iPhone 5 on the day the 5c was announced and carried its A6 chip, 4-inch screen and 8 megapixel camera straight across.
What changed was the outside. The body was a single piece of hard-coated polycarbonate, moulded over a steel frame that also served as the aerial, in blue, green, pink, yellow and white. It remains the only plastic iPhone Apple has made since 2009, and the last.
The front camera improved to a FaceTime HD one, which was the only real hardware gain over the phone it replaced.
Selling it alongside the iPhone 5s was Apple's first attempt at offering two new iPhones at once. The idea was that the colourful cheaper model would reach buyers who would not stretch to the flagship. It did not work as hoped. The 5c sold poorly against the 5s, and Apple never repeated the formula, waiting until 2016 and the iPhone SE to try a cheaper model again.
It was announced on 10 September 2013 at Apple's September event, with pre-orders from 13 September, and reached customers on 20 September 2013 at $99.
iPhone release history
- 2026
-
18 Sept 2026
iPhone 18 Pro
iPhone 18 Pro Max
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro Max
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2025
-
19 Sept 2025
iPhone 17
iPhone 17 Pro
iPhone 17 Pro Max
-
9 Sept 2025
iPhone 15
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
- ↑ 7 months later
-
19 Feb 2025
iPhone 14
- ↑ 5 months later
- 2024
-
20 Sept 2024
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
-
9 Sept 2024
iPhone 13
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2023
-
22 Sept 2023
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
-
12 Sept 2023
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 14 Pro
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2022
-
16 Sept 2022
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Pro
-
7 Sept 2022
iPhone 11
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2021
-
24 Sept 2021
iPhone 13
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Pro Max
-
14 Sept 2021
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone XR
- ↑ 10 months later
- 2020
-
13 Nov 2020
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12 Pro Max
-
23 Oct 2020
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
-
13 Oct 2020
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
- ↑ 6 months later
-
15 Apr 2020
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
- ↑ 7 months later
- 2019
-
20 Sept 2019
iPhone 11
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11 Pro Max
-
10 Sept 2019
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
- ↑ 10 months later
- 2018
-
26 Oct 2018
iPhone XR
-
21 Sept 2018
iPhone XS
iPhone XS Max
-
12 Sept 2018
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
iPhone X
- ↑ 10 months later
- 2017
-
3 Nov 2017
iPhone X
-
22 Sept 2017
iPhone 8
iPhone 8 Plus
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2016
-
16 Sept 2016
iPhone 7
iPhone 7 Plus
-
7 Sept 2016
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
- ↑ 6 months later
-
21 Mar 2016
iPhone 5s
- ↑ 6 months later
- 2015
-
25 Sept 2015
iPhone 6s
iPhone 6s Plus
-
9 Sept 2015
iPhone 5c
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2014
-
19 Sept 2014
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
-
9 Sept 2014
iPhone 4s
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2013
-
20 Sept 2013
iPhone 5c
iPhone 5s
-
10 Sept 2013
iPhone 4
iPhone 5
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2012
-
21 Sept 2012
iPhone 5
-
12 Sept 2012
iPhone 3GS
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2011
-
14 Oct 2011
iPhone 4s
- ↑ 1 year, 4 months later
- 2010
-
24 Jun 2010
iPhone 4
-
7 Jun 2010
iPhone 3G
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2009
-
19 Jun 2009
iPhone 3GS
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2008
-
11 Jul 2008
iPhone 3G
iPhone
- ↑ about 1 year later
- 2007
-
29 Jun 2007
iPhone
