Tech

New iPhones plastic and fantastic

The “C” must be for cheap.

Apple Tuesday introduced a line of less expensive, candy-colored phones it boasted are “beautifully, unapologetically plastic.”

Dubbed the iPhone 5C, the phones start at just $99 with a two-year-contract — a bargain compared to Apple’s other newly-unveiled model, the blinged-out iPhone 5S.

The 5C — available in white, yellow, lime green, bright blue and pink — is essentially the old iPhone 5 in a polycarbonate shell.

“The entire back and sides are made from a single part,” crowed Apple senior worldwide marketing Vice President Phil Schiller at the company’s much-hyped unveiling in Cupertino, Calif., adding that the new design “is more fun and colorful.”

The phone is expected to help Apple boost sales in China and other areas where people don’t have as much money to spend on new gadgets as they do in the United States and Europe.

Meanwhile, the 5C’s sleek, souped-up 5S cousin — which comes in gold, silver and a new “space grey” — is “the most forward phone anyone has ever made,” Schiller gushed.

The 5S boasts Touch ID, a security device that reads a user’s fingerprints to unlock the phone, instead of requiring a pass code.

“Your fingerprint is one of the best passes in the world,” Apple design guru Jony Ive said in a video promo at the launch. “It’s always with you, and no two are exactly alike.”

Apple said the fingerprint tech — which can also be used to make iTunes purchases — will not store data in company servers.

The 5S also has a “blazing-fast” new processor, longer battery life and an “SLR-quality camera” with a slow-motion feature, execs said. The new phone also runs health and fitness apps that track exercise routines, sleep patterns and calorie intake.

The 5S starts at $199. Both phones go on sale Sept. 20.

Apple also showed off its new iOS 7 operating system, which will run on both new phones and all Apple devices that are iPhone 4 generation or newer.

“It’s like getting an all new device,” said Craig Federighi, head of Apple software.

Despite all the fanfare, Apple stock fell $11.60, or 2.3 percent, Tuesday, closing at $494.88.