Apple has taken a significant drop in their hold on the smartphone market since Android made its debut as the other premier smartphone retailer, mainly because users expect them to basically revamp every time they release a phone like the iPhone 1 or the iPhone 4 did. This is not realistic, and Apple’s stock has reflected that. Apple’s most recent attempt at pulling their fan-base back is the release of the 5c and the 5s. Are either of the phones worth the money?

The 5c did not sit well with a majority of the public, stockholders included. On the day of release of the 5c, Apple’s stock dropped 5 percent, indicating that investors were not confident that this idea was going to sell. A majority thought that the general public was not going to buy into the idea of an “affordable iPhone,” and many ditched their stock. The main fear was rotating around how Apple was not really innovating like it used to.

However, according to senior Sam Owusu, Apple still is innovative. He says, “With the recent release of iOS7, Apple has made it clear that they are still on track to compete well with Samsung,” he said.

So before you buy, you should know exactly what features are new and why you should care or consider upgrading.

Unfortunately, if you bought a 5, but you probably should have waited. For a similar opening retail price, $199 for the 16 gigabyte model, you get the same feeling as your old 5 as far as familiarity goes, with a few extra features. The two selling points for the 5s model are the new A7 silicon processor which Apple claims to give it a ten times processing power jump over both the 5 and the 5c (who both use the A6 processor), and the finger print scanner that is designed to reduce the amount of time spent between screens and purchasing apps, which power users will appreciate. To top it all off, the 5s is available in gold. Because who doesn’t need a gold-plated phone?

As far as the 5c goes, changes are not always for the better. While it is almost a full $100 cheaper at $99 for the 16 gigabyte, and comes in more color variations, however do not be fooled. Out of the two, this is definitely the weaker brother. It does not have the A7 processor that the 5s has, it actually uses the same processor as the original iPhone 5. The 5c has essentially the same internal mechanisms as the 5, with a plastic back covering vs. a metal one. It does, however have an optimized operating system, and will as such run iOS7 faster than any other iPhone, except the 5s. It also does not include the handy-dandy fingerprint sensor for smooth sailing between screens.

So which one do you buy if you have to choose? 5s hands down.

Senior Zain Hassan said, “If I had to pick one, I would pick the 5s. It is more expensive, but the increased specs [internal features] make it well worth the buy.”

While it lacks the fun colors and cheaper price tag, you get a lot bang for your buck. So next time you are in the Apple Store consider your options carefully, because the most flashy is not always the most effective.