iPhone 5C preorders start Friday at 3AM ET and you're in the market for a new iPhone. It's decision time. But do you stay up for the 5C? Or do you wait for the 20th for the 5S? What capacity? What color? What carrier? Well we've got an answer that should fit the vast majority of you like a glove.
For most everybody:
Get the 32GB iPhone 5S in black space grey on Verizon.
Why the 5S? A lot of people label the S upgrade as an "iterative" one like that's a swear word, but in this case it's worth it for a couple of reasons. First of all is the guts; the iPhone 5S's 64-bit A7 chip is a serious step ahead of the iPhone 5 (and 5C) A6. Not only is it fast, but it also has a second brain that turns your iPhone into a seriously efficient fitness tracker. That's practically worth the extra $100 (over the iPhone 5C) on its own. The fingerprint reader for lock-screen (and maybe someday Passbook) security and a way better camera with dual LED flash are just gravy. Really good gravy.
To top it all off, a first-run product is just never as solid or refined as one that's been through a few iterations. The iPhone 5C is probably fine, but why take the chance?
**Why 32GB? **32GB is pretty much the Goldilocks zone for storage space if you're an average user. 16GB is like living in a closet, but 64GB tends to be a mansion that's nice and all, but with a few rooms you won't need and shouldn't pay for. Think about it for a minute, how much of your data is local and how much do you devour from the cloud? As long as you have enough space for some tunes and to store photos and video before you can beam them up cloud-side, you'll be fine.
**Why Verizon? **Other networks are stepping up their LTE coverage, but nobody has the blanket Verizon does. And while there's no huge onslaught of new LTE users this time around like there were after the iPhone 5, Verizon is still the most fit to carry a heavy LTE load.
**Why "Space Grey"? **Silver and gold are a gaudy glitzy mess. Granted, Apple's silver and goldpagne gold aren't as bad people were freaking out about, but grey is just a safer, subtler, slicker option. Have you ever seen a grey gadget look bad? I didn't think so.
But there are exceptions:
Maybe you're an outlier. It's OK. It's cool. You're special. Take pride in it.
Why 16GB? You're a little strapped for cash.
Why 64GB? You're a hoarder.
Why AT&T? You've still got that unlimited plan and you are keen to keep it.
Why Sprint? You don't have an unlimited plan, but you are keen to get one.
Why T-Mobile? You live in one of its LTE towns and never ever leave.
Why gold or silver? You've got no taste, but who am I to judge?
**Why iPhone 5C? **You're frugal, or you're really into color and you want to take a chance and try out something new. Maybe you're a klutz, or have an iPhone-borrowing human child who is. The iPhone 5C is a perfectly valid choice for several reasons, but if you do get it, stick with the 32GB Verizon here as well.