Apple unveils the iPhone 5C - a beautiful, unapologetically plastic iPhone

As expected, Apple unveiled not one but two new iPhone models at an event held in its Cupertino headquarters.

The first of the two devices, the iPhone 5C, is a budget version of the iPhone 5 that features the same A6 processor and 8 megapixel iSight camera as the original.

It's not all a rehash, however, as the iPhone 5C does has a few benefits over its older brother.

Namely, the battery's slightly larger than it was on the iPhone 5 and it boasts a new HD front-facing FaceTime camera, improved backside illumination, and enhanced FaceTime audio as well.

What's most striking about the iPhone 5C, however, is its colourful design. Yes, it's made of plastic (or, rather, a hard-coated polycarbonate material for the boffins out there), but it's proud of the fact.

So proud, in fact, that Jony Ive describes the iPhone 5C as "beautifully, unapologetically plastic."

The budget-friendly iPhone 5C comes in five colour options (green, white, blue, pink, and yellow) and has a steel frame underneath of the plastic that doubles as an antenna.

If you're worried about protecting your new, unapologetically plastic iPhone 5C, Apple's got you - and it - covered with a range of "soft-feel silicon rubber" cases available for $29.00.

Like a custom-tailored piece of protective swiss cheese, these cases have circular cutouts so you can see the original vibrant colour of the 5C underneath.

The 16GB iPhone 5C will be made available at $99, while a 32GB version is priced at $199 (with a two-year contract, naturally).

Pre-orders for the 5C open on September 13, with the phone hitting shelves a week later on September 20.