iPhone 5s (space gray, 2013)

The iPhone 5s was released in 2013 as a successor to the iPhone 5. While previous “s” updates delivered only slight enhancements, the 5s had major upgrades internally and externally. The iPhone 5s included an A7 chip (Apple’s first 64-bit “system-on-a-chip”), Apple’s first fingerprint Touch ID, and greatly enhanced cameras with a flash system that used different color temperatures.

The iPhone 5s was offered in three metallic colors: silver (white glass front with a metallic sliver back), gold (white glass front with a metallic gold back), and space gray (black glass front with metallic gunmetal gray back). Its touch screen was a Retina display (1136 x 640). The back camera was an 8-megapixel iSight camera (1080p), and the front camera was a 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera (720p).

The A7 chip that powered the iPhone 5s ran at 1.3 GHz and storage was offered at 16, 32, or 64 GB. Wireless connections included 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and 4G/LTE. Wired connections included the Lightning connector and a standard headphone jack.

This was the first iPhone to ship with iOS 7, the first iOS version designed under Jony Ive that removed the previous “skeuomorphic” design aesthetic that used true-life design elements such as faux textures, drop shadows, glossy surfaces, beveled edges, and other real-world visual cues (e.g., the Notes app icon resembled a legal pad with torn-off pages, the Newsstand app icon that resembled a book case). Instead, iOS 7 icons and interfaces were flat and featured a defined colorful palette.

Sources: Everymac, Wikipedia

iPhone 5s Leather Case (black, 2013)

Apple’s Leather Case for iPhone 5s also fits the earlier iPhone 5. Although no official Apple cases were released with the iPhone 5, this case was backward-compatible and came in six leather colors: black, light beige, brown, (PRODUCT)RED, blue (light blue), and yellow (with a somewhat lime green tone).

Reviews of the case were generally positive, noting that the cutouts were precise and the buttons were accurately placed, if a bit squishy. MacWorld reported, “The case covers the iPhone’s Sleep/Wake button and volume buttons with custom-molded overlays. These overlays are subtle, but they’re prominent enough to locate by feel.” The light beige color was described as quickly discoloring, even though Apple’s packaging specifies that the leather will develop a patina over time. Further, the cutouts for the audio port and Lighting connector are very close, allowing Apple cables, but not some larger third-party options.

Sources: iMore, MacWorld