Apple Announces iPhone 5S With Touch ID Fingerprint Sensor

In addition to announcing the iPhone 5C, Apple also revealed the iPhone 5S at today’s media event. As largely expected, the iPhone 5S will have the same size and design and the current iPhone 5 but will feature improved specifications and will be available in three colors: silver, gold, and space gray.

Internally, the iPhone 5S will feature a 64-bit A7 processor that will be up to twice as fast at CPU tasks. Another significant new feature is a “Touch ID” capacitive fingerprint sensor built into the home button that’s capable of scanning sub-epidermal skin layers. Touch ID can be used to unlock an iPhone and authorize iTunes purchases. 

The camera in the iPhone 5S will have a new 5-element lens with a f/2.2 aperture and a sensor that’s 15% larger than the one in the current iPhone 5 and a dual-LED “True Tone” flash that will adapt to the existing lighting to provide better colors and more accurate skin tones. Other new camera features include a burst mode capable of capturing 10 pictures per second and slow-motion 720p video capture at 120 frames per second.

The iPhone 5S will cost $199, $299, and $399 for the 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB models respectively with a 2-year contract. The iPhone 5S and the lower-cost iPhone 5C that was also announced today will be available in stores in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the UK starting on September 20.

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