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Apple unveils the iPhone 5S - the gold standard of the iPhone line to date

Focus on performance, photography, and security

Apple unveils the iPhone 5S - the gold standard of the iPhone line to date
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After unveiling the new, budget-friendly iPhone 5C on stage at Cupertino, Apple lifted the curtain on the iPhone 5S.

The true successor to the Gold Award-winning iPhone 5, it's fitting that the iPhone 5S comes in a range of flashy, metallic colours ranging from Silver to Gold with a "Space Gray" model available as well.

Under the hood, the iPhone 5S has a new A7 processor which is the first 64-bit chip ever on a smartphone.

Apple described the A7 as supporting a 'desktop architecture', and advertised that the new processor is 40 times faster in raw performance and a 56 times more powerful in graphic performance.

Alongside the impressive-sounding A7 is a new M7 "motion co-processor" which continuously measures movement data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass so it can tell if you're walking, driving, or just enjoying Angry Birds on your couch.

Like the new Nexus 7, the iPhone 5S also runs OpenGL ES 3.0, which helped the on-stage demo of Infinity Blade III look more impressive.

Like the iPhone 5's unveiling, particular attention was also paid to the iPhone 5S's camera.

While Apple didn't improve the megapixel count past the 5's eight, it did make a number of tweaks to the software and hardware supporting the camera to deliver the best photos in the iOS ecosystem.

Starting with a new Apple-designed five element lens with an f/2.2 aperture and a sensor that's 15 per cent larger, the iPhone 5S also features a new flash that's comprised of two LEDs - one cool white, the other warm amber - to help bring more even colour to skin tones.

Also new is a 10 FPS burst mode that takes pictures continuously for as long as you hold the shutter. This creates a mountain of images to sort through, but the iPhone 5S will select what it deems the best shots and present them to you for approval.

On the video side, the iPhone 5S now supports slow-motion capture, and is able to record video at a 120fps, 720p slow-motion rate.

The final selling point of the iPhone 5S comes in its new security feature, Touch ID - which takes the form of a fingerprint scanner integrated into a circle around the home button.

Instead of typing in a code to unlock your phone, you can now scan a fingerprint (in any orientation). Happily, Touch ID can also be used to make purchases in the App Store or iTunes - thus eliminating the need to retype lengthy passwords.

Better still, the Touch ID scanner is not available to other software and will not back up your fingerprint data to iCloud - so your fingerprint should be secure on your handset.

Like the iPhone 5C, pre-orders for the iPhone 5S open on Friday, September 13 and the phone will be available on September 20.

The iPhone 5S starts at $199 for the 16GB model. A larger 32GB model will set you back $299, while the 64GB version is listed at $399.

Matthew Diener
Matthew Diener
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.