Apple iPhone 5S and 5C Hands On Review

Starting with that home button, it's now made of sapphire so that it can act as a reliable fingerprint reader. It's not nearly as concave as previous models — in fact, it's almost flat. Luckily, it still maintains a nice, tactile feel when you click on it and we don't foresee anybody running into any issues. We watched the fingerprint sensor unlock the phone quickly and easily (though we didn't get to try it ourselves).
Everything felt fast and fluid — although the animations in iOS 7 are still a little slow to our tastes — but scrolling in the new Safari was better than before, if only by a tiny amount.

Essentially you spend some time letting the sensors in the Home button get used to your fingerprint, moving your finger around slightly, lifting it up just above the surface and putting it back down, with a graphic filling out how near the software is to being able to recognize your fingerprint (you can use thumb or index finger, depending on your preference).
The process took about 30 seconds to a minute overall, and then once it had successfully identified by fingerprint, it worked flawlessly to unlock the device for every subsequent trial. It also readily rejected Greg Kumparak’s attempts, proving that it isn’t just accepting all comers.

All of that is made more impressive by the fact that the iPhone performs terrifically, and looks fantastic. The colors really pop, and the case fits solidly in the hand and thanks to a slightly rubberized feel it should be easier to hold onto than any previous iPhone as well. The color-match wallpapers add to the charm of the overall package, and that’s likely to appeal to customers who just want a device that looks great out of the box and doesn’t require any laborious customization.

There is absolutely nothing about this setup that makes us believe it's not capable of handling a full share of wear and tear, and the reinforced steel frame convinces us that it's even going to survive falls without a problem.
Speaking of which, the 5c has a glossy finish, but we were quite happy to find that it's not the fingerprint magnet that we've come to expect on other devices. It sufficiently handled the greasy fingerprints of a couple hundred journalists, so we doubt there will be any reason to be concerned about this phone looking dirty. In fact, it has a subtle shine to it that serves to complement the color selection.

The 5c is almost like a toy, a rugged, comfortable device that doesn’t feel much heavier than the iPhone 5 despite being noticeably larger. According to Apple, the device has a larger battery than the iPhone 5, which along with its plastic shell goes a way to explaining its bulk.
This is how you make a plastic phone, though: from the cohesive shell to the smooth and glossy back (which did pick up a fair number of fingerprints) the device feels far better than Samsung’s or LG’s plastic options. Even the rubbery cases look nice, their open-circle backs fitting in nicely with the color palette.