Apple iPhone 5S in the test: is it suitable as a 100-euro cell phone?

In autumn 2013, the iPhone 5S saw the light of day. Meanwhile (2020) it is on the price level of affordable entry-level smartphones for less than 100 euros. Is it still worth buying today?



Oalthough Apple has officially not sold it for a long time, the iPhone 5S is still available as new goods in retail stores: idealo.de currently lists the mini smartphone from € 99. Sure: The iPhone 5S released in 2013 cannot keep up with current hardware breakers from its own family such as the iPhone 11 or iPhone 11 Pro . Nevertheless, the former top model has aged well and offers all the bargain hunters in the 100-euro smartphone segment interesting extras.

iPhone 5S: premium class design

In 2020, the iPhone 5S also scores with its design: the noble aluminum housing is of high quality and thanks to its small size fits comfortably in the hand. By the way: The iPhone 5S was one of the first smartphones with a fingerprint sensor.

Timelessly chic: Even if today's top devices mostly show glass backs, the light aluminum robe of the iPhone 5S makes something difficult.

Compared to conventionally large smartphones like the Motorola Moto e6s, the iPhone 5S looks almost cute.

iPhone 5S: display on hand

Compared to today's smartphones, the 4-inch screen of the iPhone 5S looks tiny. And that has unusually pleasant effects: thanks to its compact size, the small screen can also be conveniently operated with one hand. With a resolution of 1136x640 pixels, the display comes to a solid 325 pixels per inch (pixel per inch, PPI). Smartphones in this price range usually only have 270 PPI, like the Alcatel 1S or the Xiaomi Redmi 8a. The sharpness of the display is above average, but there are no strong colors and contrasts. An equally good Moto e6s shows the nicer picture here. The iPhone 5S scores again in terms of brightness: at 520 candelas per square meter (cd / sqm), it is significantly brighter than its competition, which makes it easier to read image content in strong sunlight.

Advantage of the compact size: The 4 inch screen is easier to use with one hand.

iPhone 5S: Fast operation thanks to the A7 chip

The iPhone 5S was Apple's first smartphone with a 64-bit processor - and it has paid off since iOS 10 (the iPhone 5S even runs iOS 12). At the time, the iPhone 5S broke all benchmark records. Today it lags behind the big ones - but the little ones still show it off. It reached 1,240 points in the 3D Mark Slingshot game benchmark (an impressive 825 points on the "Extreme" setting). This is extraordinary for a smartphone in this price range. The Xiaomi Redmi 8a scores 821 and 444 points here, a Nokia 1.3 dachshunds behind with 333 points (0 points on extremes). The iPhone 5S runs accordingly fast. The loading times are still manageable, the system runs smoothly, there are no stutters when scrolling or switching between apps. With Wifi 4 and LTE Cat 3 (100 megabits per second), surfing on the go is a bit slower than with some cheap competition.

iPhone 5S: camera with 8 megapixels

The resolution of the main camera is 8 megapixels (MP). You won't find a second lens on the back. Nice extra: If you keep the camera symbol pressed, the new iPhones take photos in series. Here, the iPhone 5S managed 93 shots within ten seconds. Then you can choose the best photo. Daylight photos show natural colors and a high dynamic. The sharpness is sufficient. Pictures taken in the semi-darkness often testify to image noise and severe loss of detail. The front camera has a below average resolution of 1.2 MP. The affordable entry-level phones like the Moto e6s do better, but still: In this price range, not much can be expected from a mobile phone camera. If you want more here, you have to spend more.

In daylight, the photos show natural colors and good dynamics, the resolution is now considered low.

The iPhone 5S is particularly weak in shady areas and when there is little light (right half of the image): image noise and loss of detail occur.

iPhone 5S: video and slow motion

The 5S was the first smartphone to record slow-motion videos smoothly (120 frames per second). The function is rarely found among 100-euro devices. The resolution is slightly reduced from the usual Full HD to 720p HD resolution. That doesn't bother in practice - sports films or children's videos are really fun. The editor can then be used on the iPhone to determine which passages are to be delayed and which part of the video is normal. This is how hobby films are fun.

iPhone 5S: battery power

With its 1,560 milliamp hours, the battery is really a slim guy. The energy storage of today's iPhones and especially of the androids exceed capacities of 3,000, 4,000 or even 5,000 mAh. The iPhone 5S has the smaller, more economical display. Unfortunately, this is not enough: In the practical test with permanent video playback, it only took four hours and four minutes to run. It can't keep up with endurance runners like the Xiaomi Redmi 8a (twelve hours and 29 minutes) or the Samsung Galaxy A20e . A disadvantage that one buys with the compact housing size. It is all the more worthwhile for interested parties not to buy a second-hand iPhone 5S. The used battery in such an old model reduces the runtime enormously.

iPhone 5S: storage, iOS 12, updates

For Apple fans, not only the hardware, but also the software with its many practical extras is a buying argument. Seamless coordination with other Apple services, devices and functions such as AirDrop or the voice assistant Siri are also on board the iPhone 5S. One big catch remains: Apple has provided its devices with updates for an unprecedentedly long time - the iPhone 5S released in 2013 has not been included since 2018 after a five-year update guarantee. IOS 12, released in 2018, marks the limit and is the last installable version. It is also a shame: the iPhone 5S is almost only new in retail with the small memory capacity of 16 gigabytes. Only those who have few apps and other data on their iPhone or use iCloud should access here.

What is missing from the newer iPhones: the jack connection for headphones. Charging is also done here using a Lightning cable.

Useful extras from the Apple world such as AirDrop or AirPlay are also included with the iPhone 5S.

iPhone 5S: conclusion and alternative

The king is dead, long live the king? Not quite: The iPhone 5S has had a few years under its belt and the former technical advantage still gives it an advantage today: the display is nice and bright, sharp and still shows acceptable colors, the speed of work is excellent in this price segment and it is compact and high quality Design gives the device a noble touch and the practical benefit of being able to use it with one hand. But if you can do without iOS and one-handed operation and prefer either a long battery life or a colorful, large display, you should rather use Android devices. 

Pricing and availability

At the start, the device cost a whopping 699 euros (RRP) with 16 GB, the most expensive variant with 64 gigabytes of memory cost 899 euros (RRP). With the release of the iPhone 6 , Apple lowered prices and no longer offers the iPhone 5S in the official store itself. In May 2020, the market price for free trade is less than 100 euros.