The idea of a plastic iPhone is a bold one – for a company renowned for its attention to design and build quality, it seems an odd move to go from a solid, aluminium bodied handset to plastic.

If you can overlook the cases, colours and marketing (and they're big ifs), the 5c's a powerful, smart package, with a great OS

An iPhone 5 for less; iOS 7 lives up to the hype; Excellent new camera app

Colour theming will alienate diehards; Legibility issues with some fonts and icons; Still too darn expensive

The iPhone 5c is not for people who read tech news websites. It's for those who want something that looks fresh and exciting from Apple even if it isn't packing the latest and greatest features in town. It is for those who want to show the world they bought something new.

Very sturdy build underneath the plastic; Fun and fabulous colour range; Improved front-facing camera

Local pricing just too close to iPhone 5s

We never expected Apple to build a cheap anything and the 5c is testament to that. Launching a phone to appeal to a wider demographic is a brave move, especially when you're considered a premium brand.

Colourful chassis; iOS 7 looks incredible; Improved battery life

Price-tag compared to rivals; Smaller screen than rivals

Its makeover and quality construction make it a pleasure to use and the new pre-loaded iOS 7 operating system complements the high quality hardware to create the sort of experience only Apple can deliver.

If you think you know the new Apple iPhone 5c ($99 for 16GB/$199 for 32GB with contract), you do. It's the guts of the iPhone 5 wrapped in a colorful enclosure, with a new front-facing camera and battery. That's basically it.

Bright and cheerful new colors; Solid value; iPhone 5 internals are still solid; Stronger RF reception than iPhone 5; iOS 7 is a dramatic upgrade

That 4-inch screen is starting to feel small; No significant new hardware features

The iPhone 5C is the iPhone 5 in plastic for $100 less, and that's not a bad thing. The polycarbonate colored cases look and feel a lot better than you'd guess.

More comfortable to hold than iPhone 5S/5; Bigger battery; Colors look great and plastic doesn't feel cheap; iOS 7 looks fantastic

iOS 7 still has a few nagging issues; Poor Google services integration

For over a decade, the most persistent criticism of Apple has been that the company's power comes not from invention, but from marketing - that millions of customers are buying into a logo and a lifestyle more than radically new products.

Look at all the colors; iPhone 5 internals still solid; Great camera

Not as nice as the iPhone 5; iOS 7 still needs polish

The iPhone 5c is the cheapest iPhone currently available and comes in a choice of Blue, Green, Pink, White or Yellow. It's underpowered in various ways however, with a tiny screen, weak battery and miniscule memory.

Apple's iPhone just got a splash of color. While it has the same internal components as last year's iPhone 5, the new iPhone 5c comes wrapped in a brightly colored plastic shell. Available for $99 in one of five bold hues, the 5c also runs iOS 7, Apple's equally colorful operating system, which is...

Colorful plastic design feels sturdy; Bright display; Excellent camera; Well-designed OS with timesaving features

Storage not expandable; Small screen