iPhone · Retina & Beyond · 2013
iPhone 5C
Essentially an iPhone 5 in cheerful plastic. The "C" was unofficially "colour" — green, blue, pink, yellow, white — pitched as the fun, affordable iPhone.
iPhone 5C: key facts
When was the iPhone 5C released?
The iPhone 5C was released in September 20, 2013. Apple discontinued it in September 2015.
How much did the iPhone 5C cost?
The iPhone 5C launched at $549 in 2013 — about $756 in today’s money (approximate, US CPI).
What are the iPhone 5C’s specs?
The iPhone 5C used a Apple A6 running at 1.30 GHz, with 1 GB of memory and 16 GB of storage. It ran iOS 7.
Why does the iPhone 5C matter?
The first (and only) iPhone in a hard-coated polycarbonate shell, in five pop colours.
Full specifications
| CPU | Apple A6 · 1.30 GHz |
|---|---|
| Cores | 2 |
| Memory (RAM) | 1 GB |
| Storage | 16 GB |
| Display | 4" Retina LCD, 1136×640 |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX543MP3 |
| Ports | Lightning, 3.5 mm |
| Weight | 132 g |
| Dimensions | 124.4×59.2×8.97 mm |
| Operating system | iOS 7 |
| Released | September 20, 2013 |
| Discontinued | September 2015 |
| Launch price | $549 |
How the iPhone 5C compares to today
A 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro has about 16× more memory than this device shipped with.
At 1.30 GHz, the clock is roughly 2.5× slower than a single performance core of a 16 GB Apple Silicon MacBook Pro — and that is before counting cores, width and IPC.
This held about 4,100 modern phone photos — a respectable library even today.
Launched at $549 in 2013 — about $756 in today’s money (approx., US CPI).
Cross-architecture speed figures are clock-only and approximate; inflation figures use US CPI.
Did you know?
Apple even sold colour-matched cases with circular cut-outs that spelled odd words against the shell.
Related iPhone models
Open the iPhone 5C in the interactive archive →
Last updated: 2026-06-25