In the race to reach iPhone supremacy, a head-to-head comparison of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C is in order.

Six months ago, the release of iPhone 5 excited consumers with the sleek, modern style that presents an upscale feeling of owning such a luxurious piece of technology. Not too different from its forerunner, the iPhone 5C has a distinct design. It has a rugged look, with a more versatile and scratch-friendly unibody polycarbonate casing that many young users will deem useful, making it the better choice for students and yuppies on the go. But many wonder what is the better choice overall in terms of practicality-the refined iPhone 5 or the visually-appealing iPhone 5C?

When it comes to durability, users of the iPhone 5 might have a struggle maintaining the aluminum façade clean. A review published in V3 states that after weeks of usage, the iPhone 5 shows distinct signs of wear and tear (scratches). This is where the iPhone 5C takes the lead; because of its polycarbonate casing, it is less susceptible to such damage, which can be ideal for those with more active lifestyles.

As for thickness, the iPhone 5C is slightly chunkier, with a measure of 8.9mm compared to the thinner iPhone 5 which is 7.6mm thick. Both the handsets have similar 4in 1136x640 326ppi retina displays; however, the iPhone 5C shows faster performance with the iOS7. When the operating system was updated with the iPhone 5, the device loaded a little slower, making it fall behind.

Although both types have identical 8 megapixel rear-facing cameras, the iPhone 5C has experienced a boot in FaceTime, with a boastful 1.2 megapixel front camera. This makes FaceTime calls clearer with the iPhone 5C, and this makes the "plastic" iPhone more reliable to those frequently using this feature.

When it comes to battery life, iPhone 5C lasts 2 hours longer (10 hours battery life) with the WiFi or 3G switched on. This can be an important feature as it supports iPhone 5C's claim of being the perfect device for on-the-run individuals.

All in all, sleek does not always mean better. The iPhone 5C can be more promising especially if its features are used to their fullest, making it the better choice against the classic aluminum iPhone 5.