iPhone 5C review

Maps is a contentious area of the Apple ecosystem since its rather embarrassing launch which saw the whole of the internet go about spotting the myriad of errors in the software. It lead to an Apple climb down and CEO Tim Cook recommending users try alternative solutions until a fix was in place.

Several years on and we're still waiting for the major overhaul to take place - Maps is still determined when I type "Luton" that I mean a tiny village in Devon rather and the large Bedfordshire based town.

Some things have been fixed, Doncaster for example is now spelt correctly, but there's still quite some way for Apple Maps to go before it can seriously challenge Google Maps, with elements like public transport integration not on offer.

Of course it's not always bad news and for the most part Maps works pretty well, and it's able to comprehend where I am and where I want to go.

The colour palette is pleasing to the eye and everything is very easy to read with various points of interest marked on the map including restaurants, hospitals and train stations.

Maps load very quickly on the iPhone 5C, be it over Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G, so there's no awkward waiting around when you fire up the app, although I found it sometimes took a good five seconds or to locate me. Most of the time however I was pin pointed within a couple of seconds.

Turn Wi-Fi off and try and locate yourself when indoors and the 5C struggles to really nail down your location, placing a large blue halo round the location dot, which is usually in the right vicinity.

As well as the stock map view you can also view the world in a series of satellite images or choice a hybrid option which sees roads laid on top of the satellite snaps.

However unlike Google Maps, the TomTom powered Apple maps doesn't have the StreetView option, nor does it sport any public transport information, so if you want to know which bus or train to get you'll have to go elsewhere.

The 3D Flyover option which Apple lauded at the launch of Maps is nice to view when you're over a city which has actually supports it, but for the majority of the world there are no 3D renders present and thus the mode is merely there for aesthetic value.

While there are some gremlins on the navigation side of things, in general Apple Maps is a very capable turn-by-turn sat nav alternative - and you'd hope so considering TomTom is behind the technology.

Tap in your destination and a pin pops up with a little blue square next to the address details with an estimated drive time - tap this and Maps will load the route from your current location, plus provide two alternatives.

Select the route you want and hit "Drive" and you'll be launched into the navigation screen, where the blue route stands out well on the grey roads making it really clear where you need to go - especially useful at tricky junctions.

I did find the text display the time and distance left on my journey and my estimated time of arrival were a bit small at the top of the screen and I found myself squinting at the screen to read them - not particularly safe when you're driving.

The stereo speakers on the base of the iPhone 5C allow for loud, clear spoken instructions from a robotic male voice, and the volume really impressed me as I've found many phones struggle to be heard over the noise of the car.