Apple Unveils iPhone 5S with Integrated Fingerprint Sensor [VIDEO]

Key Features:

• Touch ID fingerprint sensor integrated into Home button

• 4in Retina Display

• New 64-bit processor

• M7 "motion coprocessor" to monitor sensors

• Available 20 September

• Costs from £549 SIM-free

Apple has announced two new iPhones to replace its current model, the iPhone 5. Along with the plastic-clad iPhone 5C, Apple unveiled its flagship model the iPhone 5S.

While the iPhone 5S is a relatively minor upgrade to the iPhone line-up, it does have some significant updates with the much-rumoured fingerprint sensor chief among them. Apple CEO Tim Cook called the phone Apple's "most forward thinking phone yet," during the announcement at the company's headquarters in Cupertino tonight.

Called Touch ID, Apple has integrated a fingerprint sensor into the Home button on the iPhone 5S. It will be used to unlock the phone and authenticate purchases on iTunes. For now Apple is saying these are the only uses for the fingerprint sensor, meaning developers won't be able to integrate the functionality into their apps - though we expect that to change in time.

The fingerprint sensor can read multiple fingers in any orientation, with a demo video showing it to read the fingerprint relatively quickly.

Release date and price

The iPhone 5S will be available in 11 countries on 20 September but while Apple has confirmed the iPhone 5C will be available for pre-order we are waiting to hear back from Apple about pre-order for the iPhone 5S.

As widely predicted the iPhone 5S will come in three colours, with a gold model joining silver and "space grey" models (read white and black).The new phone will cost £549 for 16GB model, a £20 increase on the price of the similar iPhone 5, while Apple has announced the iPhone 5C will cost £469 SIM free. Apple has discontinued the iPhone 4 while the iPhone 4S has gotten a price drop to £349.

Design

The iPhone 5S is virtually identical in terms of design and look to the iPhone 5 - still measuring 7.6mm thin and weighing 112g. The screen remains the same 4in Retina Display we saw on iPhone 5 but Apple has overhauled the inside of the phone significantly.

The iPhone 5S is powered by an all-new A7 chip which is said to be the first 64-bit processor in a smartphone, with Apple saying users will see a doubling in speed compared to the iPhone 5. To put things in perspective, Apple said that compared to the original iPhone launched in 2007, the A7 chip sees a 40% boost in CPU performance and a 56% boost in graphics.

iOS 7 was also revealed to be 64-bit, as are all of Apple's native apps, though Apple said the iPhone 5S would of course continue to support 32-bit apps. Apple announced that iOs 7 would be released to the public on 18 September.

"Motion coprocessor"

Alongside the A7 chip, Apple unveiled a new M7 "motion coprocessor" chip which will measure the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass continuously to identify when you are walking, driving, stationary etc.

The M7 could be a big feature for Apple as it looks to cash in on the current trend for health and fitness apps with Apple showing off on stage a new Nike Move app which takes advantage of the M7 chip.

Apple has also updated the iPhone's camera, but instead of packing in more pixels (it remains at 8 megapixels) it has followed HTC's line by making the pixels bigger (now 1.5 microns) in order to capture more light. "Bigger pixels make a better picture" Apple's vice president of marketing Phil Schiller said during the presentation in Apple's Cupertino headquarters.

The camera also features a two tone flash - one cool and white, the other warm and amber. Schiller said it will allow the camera to create up to 1,000 variations in order to get the right colour balance from the flash - which should help flesh tones in pictures.

The camera also features a new burst mode which will capture 10 images every second, before analysing them and presenting you with the best photo of the lot. The camera can also capture 120-frames-per-second slow motion video at 720p.