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Sep 19

Best iPhone 5S and iPhone 5 cases

Some of the 'old' iPhone 5 cases work with the 5S just fine, some don't.

(Credit: Screenshot by David Carnoy/CNET)

With the iPhone 5S now available, the onslaught of new cases for it is in full swing. True, many of the “old” iPhone 5 cases (several of which are still in this round up) fit the new iPhone 5S just fine because the iPhone 5’s design is very close to the iPhone 5S’.

However, there are two key differences. First, the 5S has a fingerprint sensor, which means any iPhone 5 case that covers the home button technically isn’t compatible with the iPhone 5S (you can, of course, not use the fingerprint sensor, but if you want to, you don’t want anything covering the home button). Many “tough” cases are affected by the addition of the fingerprint sensor.

Second, Apple has added an additional LED flash to the 5’s back camera. As long as the hole on the back of an iPhone 5 case is big enough to accommodate the dual flashes, it should be compatible. But it’s important to note that the ring around the camera also needs to be black. Word is that if it’s another color, it could confuse the flash’s sensor, which is designed to optimize the color of the flash to bring out the best skin tones in your subjects.