iPhone 5s: Is it time to upgrade?

The next flagship phone of one of the biggest brands in the world is here.

After much anticipation, Apple unveiled its next round of flagship phones at the special event on Sept. 10: the iPhone 5s and 5c.

The iPhone 5s is the high-end model and looks physically identical to its predecessor-the iPhone 5-but has a couple new features that might convince tech fans to make the purchase. It comes in three different colors: silver, gold and space gray.

First up are the all-new Apple A7 and M7 processors which Apple claims will double performance over last years model while simultaneously conserving battery life. Phil Schiller, Apples Senior Vice President of worldwide marketing, said on the company’s website that the new A7 chip is the “worlds first” 64-bit smartphone processor. What this mean is that the Small, lightweight and portable device being carried in pockets is now on par with high-powered desktops when it comes to performance.

The iPhone 5s has also received an upgrade to the camera. According to Schiller, It’s the same 8-megapixel resolution but with a new five-element apple design lens that has a larger f/2.2 aperture. This new lens lets in more light, has a more dynamic range of color and allows less noise in the image, according to the company’s site. Apple also added a new two-tone flash, slow motion video capture and burst picture capture.

The third feature is all about security. Smartphones in this era carry an enormous amount of personal information, including contacts, emails, photos and access to accounts. According to Schiller about half of iPhone costumers do not set up passwords.

So Apple has come up with a way to use a unique access key to protect this information that people take wherever they go: fingerprints. The new Touch ID, located on the home button, reads your fingerprint at a detailed level in order to unlock the iPhone.

Jonathen Cardozo, Computer information systems, would buy the new iPhone for its latest security upgrade.

“I would get it,” said Cardozo. “ It’s the newest thing in the world of cell phones and I think the finger print scanner is cool.”

The iPhone 5c has the same specs as the iPhone 5. It carries the same A6 processor and camera but it distinguishes itself in other categories. For example the 5c is made of a cheaper, plastic cover and comes in five new, bright colors colors: white, pink, yellow, blue and green.

Crystal Perez, Graphic design, doesn’t believe the added color is enough to justify the upgrade.

“It’s the same thing, just with some different colors,” said Perez.

The baseline 16-gigabyte iPhone 5s will be $199 and 5c $99 on a standard 2-year contract.

Ashley Furman, Psychology, believes it’s just not the right time for a new phone.

“I’ve thought about it,” said Furman. “Maybe farther along down the road but I still need to pay for my books before thinking about that.”

For more details, the special event can be watched on the website at http://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2013/