by Each time Apple introduces a new iPhone model, we get many questions about compatiblity: Will the accessories you already own—cases, speakers, chargers, and the like—work with the new model? In some years, such as when Apple replaced the iPhone 4 with the iPhone 4S, there are few physical and electrical differences, so almost everything works. Other times, Apple changes both the size and the electronics of the phone: The iPhone 5, for example, had both a different shape and a completely different charge/sync connector.
This year, we get a little bit of both, as Apple has introduced both the iPhone 5s, which is nearly identical on the outside to last year’s model while being significantly upgraded on the inside, and the iPhone 5c, which uses a completely new exterior design while retaining the guts of the iPhone 5. How well will your current iOS accessories work with these new models? We’ve been testing various gadgets and gear, and here’s what we’ve found.
Cases
If you’re upgrading from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 5s, there’s good news: The two phones are identical in size and shape, so most cases for the 5 will fit the 5s, and vice versa. This includes Apple’s new iPhone 5s Case, which fits the iPhone 5 just fine.
The LED flash on the iPhone 5 (top) and 5s (bottom)
I say “most” because there’s one possible hangup here: While the back camera lens is roughly the same size, and in the same position, on the iPhone 5s and 5, the iPhone 5s flash uses two LEDs, whereas the iPhone 5 uses one. Some iPhone 5 cases have a teardrop-shaped camera opening—wider on the left to accommodate the camera lens, but narrower on the right for the LED; and a few actually use separate, custom-fit openings for the lens and the flash. These kinds of cases may partially obscure the iPhone 5s flash, or may be close enough to obscuring it that the case affects photo quality. If you want to use a case not specifically made for the iPhone 5s, be sure the opening(s) for the camera and flash are large enough to avoid this problem.
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