Whether you are a proud owner of the previous generation iPhone 4 or the iPhone 5 that was released in late September of 2012, you may be scoffing at all those Apple mobile phone users who are trembling in line for the newly out iPhone 5s as if it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. But if you’re stuck wondering what the big idea over the launch of the 5c and 5s is, you may just find yourself one of those tempted to upgrade once you learn just how grand of a deal the 5s really is based on both reviews and reality. From a technology standpoint, it’s a completely new device. From a financial standpoint - it’s going to cost you anywhere from free with an extensive contract, to £99 with a 24-month contract with Orange and a £37 monthly fee, all the way to a whopping £709 without a subsidizing contract.

While it hangs on to all the features you love about your current iPhone - iOS, iCloud, impressive wireless network pickup, the app store, and the iSight camera - it builds on a host of new bits and pieces which take the phone from great to brilliant.

Perhaps the most distinguishing feature that the 5s boasts is a result of Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec security. Touch ID is the innovation that replaces a number passcode when logging into your phone. Now, after just a few minutes training of the sub-epidermal fingerprint sensor, you can login to your phone with your own fingerprint by simply swiping it briefly over the phone’s circular button. No longer is a password needed, and no longer do you have to worry about hackers or thieves, as only your finger controls your phone.

If you use your iPhone as a primary or secondary camera, the True Tone flash system, new finer sensor and aperture, and the burst feature for taking dozens of pictures machine-gun style in a matter of seconds will make all the difference. Though the 8MP resolution is the same, the new calibrating functions with iOS 7 are enough to make the camera vastly improved, especially when it comes to naturally-lit portraits. The HD video recorder has also gotten a revamping, with new slow motion options, and the ability to take stills while recording film. The new A7 processor handles all this heavy lifting with ease and grace, turning the iPhone into a pocket-sized device that works as hard as a desktop computer.

Of course, it’s not all brilliant. Inherent in the release of every new version of the iPhone is a brand new set of bugs, quirks and minor fixes that could use an upgrade. Those little annoyances for the 5s will find you occasionally struggling with correctly sending iMessages, using the built-in calibration sensor, and the phenomenon of even the most impressive iOS features inducing motion sickness in users who can’t handle all that zooming business so close to their face.

But in three new colors that Apple has never before offered - a hardy space grey, classy silver and sleek gold - and a lovely new, unscuffable finish, the iPhone 5s has the true potential to change the way your data is protected, stored, and displayed. If your data is worth fingerprint security, a new interface, and the best camera in a mobile on the market, then you may consider the 5s an investment in your future. In Ananad Shimpi’s incredibly comprehensive review of the 5s, he states, “…The 5s is probably the most futureproof of any iPhone ever launched. As much as it pains me to use the word futureproof, if you are one of those people who likes to hold onto their device for a while - the 5s is as good a starting point as any.” Because of its 64-bit platform for apps and ahead of its time A7 chip, the 5s is a phone you won’t want to upgrade from next year, or even the year after, for that matter.