In a surprise move and a few months prior to the anticipated iPhone 6 release date, Apple released this week a 'cheaper' 8GB variant of the colourful iPhone 5C in selected countries, Australia including.

The unlocked model carries an average tag price of $680 for Aussie buyers but according to experts, the shaved off price tag will not make the 5C more attractive.

According to Apple Insider, iPhone 5C buyers will end up with some 5GB of usable storage space with the plastic-wrapped iPhone 5S sibling. This is far better, the tech site added, than the estimated 3.7GB left for users of the 16GB Galaxy S4.

With the comparison, the 5C seems tempting. Not too fast, according to CNET. In the first place, the 5C is not designed to compete against the GS4, which is in a different league. Two handsets come to mind that consumers can effectively use as benchmarks.

One is the Moto G, which to date is the cheapest branded Android in the market. The Motorola device dangles a near-native Android for only $150 at Republic Wireless. The whole package is stuffed with most of the Moto X features, which make the smartphone really more inviting.

Then one giant bonus - the Moto G "offers a full 16GB of storage at a far more affordable price," CNET said. So when pitted against the lowly Moto G, it is easy to imagine what will be the easy pick for consumers.

Now if Apple really wants the iPhone 5C to skirmish with a flagship device then it should pick up a fight with the Nexus 5 from Google. The basic 5C specs are listed by its maker as the following: a 4-inch Retina screen, A6 chip, 8MP rear cam with HD from cam and iOS 7.1.

As for the Nexus 5, the tale of the tape paints the following awesome specs and features: a 4.99-inch LCD HD IPS+ display panel in 1080p display resolution with pixel density of 445ppi, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip that spins at 2.3GHz and a camera combo of 8MP at main and 1.2MP as secondary.

The killer punch should be the internal memory, which is most of the 16GB on-board, and the sticker price at $350.

Again, when lined up against the Nexus 5, the 5C is easy to overlook especially for buyers hunting the best gadget deal in town. In terms of form and function, the Nexus 5 has the clear edge, likely to convince serious buyers looking for a power device minus a big cash setback.

So the iPhone 5C at under $700 with only 5GB of available memory (no provision for memory expansion) is no match when tussling with the duo of Moto G and Nexus 5 - both under $300 and boasting of over 12GB storage space.