Well, it’s that time of year again – autumn, where the air gets a bit sharper, the trees burn yellow and red, the leaves fall, and we drop the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c from increasingly high places.

After months and months of waiting, wondering, and watching Apple’s every move, we’ve finally gotten our hands on the new iPhones. This year, we get two iphones to drop: the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S. As you may have known if you spend any time at all on the Internet, the iPhones 5C and 5S were released today — the iPhone 5C is supposed to be Apple’s more affordable phone, while the 5S boasts of new innovations such as the Touch ID, a fingerprint scan security technology, and an improved camera system.

You may have seen some of the photos — the new colors and cases and sizes — but how do they really measure up? Is the iPhone 5C a good value? How does it compare with its predecessor, the iPhone 5, and how does either compare with the much-ballyhooed iPhone 5S? and, most importantly, how durable are they?

The iPhone 5C is a departure from the usual brand of iPhones in that it is made from plastic, whereas the 5S is a more traditional iPhone, constructed from high-grade aluminum.

Here’s a 3-way comparison of the tech specs, comparing the iPhone 5C, the iPhone 5S, and the original iPhone 5:

As you can see, the iPhone 5S is the same size and weight as the previous iPhone 5, while the 5C is somewhat different — it’s a bit bigger and heavier. The easiest difference to note is the color change. Whereas the iPhone 5 only offered colors in white or black, the iPhone 5S comes in silver, gold, and space gray, while the 5C is the most colorful, with options of green, blue, yellow, pink and white, and the ability to choose one of their different colored cases. There are also new little perks, such as the charger, which is sleeker and more compact.

 Perhaps the biggest substantive difference between the different versions is the camera. The iPhone 5 and the 5C use the same camera, but the 5S has made major improvements. For one, there is increased sensor size, as well as the pixel size and the size of the aperture. It also added an amber flash to complement the white flash, giving pictures a more precise lighting.

There’s also the much talked-about Touch ID in the iPhone 5S, which can read fingerprints (you’ll notice in the video that there is an extra cable connecting sensor to the charging port assembly)

All 3 phones work with iOS 7, but only the iPhone 5S claims that its new processor, the A7 chip, works seamlessly with the new operating system.