2013 IPHONE BUYERS GUIDE: HOW TO CHOOSE THE PERFECT GOLD/WHITE, SILVER/WHITE, OR SPACE GRAY/BLACK IPHONE 5S FOR YOU!
Color is one of the most visually distinctive - and personal - things about a new iPhone, which makes it one of the most important choices you'll have to make. Originally there was only one color, aluminum and black, but Apple eventually went to black and white, and now they're offering three choices for their high-end iPhone 5s: silver and gold, silver and white, and space gray and black. (The space gray and black replaces last year's slate and black, likely because it's an easier color to anodize). If you're on the fence about which color you should get, here's what you should consider.
Distraction dangers
Both the gold/white and silver/white iPhone 5s have white faceplates, which means white is the color you'll see most when looking at the screen - something you'll be doing a lot. TV sets are almost always black for a reason: when you're watching a show or a movie, or playing a game, you want the TV set to disappear, so you can enjoy what you're doing without noticing a big colored rim around it.
The same goes for the iPhone. Some people find having a white faceplate very distracting when they're watching videos or gaming, and others just don't like the contrast between the white border and the black screen when the device is off. It's very "panda". Conversely, if you do more messaging than media, white can actually blend better into Messages, Mail, Safari, etc.
I've had both a Black & Slate and a White & Silver iPhone 5, and a black and white iPhone 4, and have never been distracted nor irked by either one. If a white faceplate catches your eye, however, you might want to stick with black.
Discoloration doubts
Rumor has it Apple delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4 in order to improve the UV protection and prevent discoloration. Regardless, they took a long time to figure it out and get it right, and the white iPhone 4 has been on the market for over two and half years now and there haven't been any widespread accounts of discoloration. My own white iPhone 4 looks as white now as it did the day I bought it back in 2011.
So, whether you get the iPhone 5s in white and silver or white and gold, you won't have anything to worry about.
Coolness concerns
Black is almost always the most popular color for electronics and electronics accessories. That's why it's so common. It's literally the hot little black number. However, true black is incredibly hard to anodize, which is why the dark iPhone 5 was closer to charcoal and the iPhone 5s is closer to graphite. Gray may not look as cool as blackout black, but it'll likely still be the default for many people.
That said, some people just love white phones. At the end of the day, you need to buy what you like. White iPhones stand out more and can be more obvious with brightly colored cases. Black phones tend to disappear more, and let the accessories be the star.
Likewise, for some people gold looks hot, or portents prosperity. Others might worry it comes off as chintzy or tacky. It's neither of those things. It's just new. If you like it, if it appeals to you, if it represents what you want in an iPhone color, than it absolutely doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.
Withstanding wear
The iPhone 5s has an aluminum unibody. On the silver iPhones, it's clear coated but not otherwise treated. That means if there's a scratch or chip, it's not particularly noticeable unless the light hits it just so. The space gray iPhone is anodized. That means if there's a scratch or chip, it may be more easily noticeable under a wider range of lighting conditions.
Some people don't care. Like any great object, some people feel wear makes it look even better. Call it Millennium Falcon chic. However, the old iPhone 5 slate and black iPhone showed damage a lot more, which is probably why the new one is space gray and black instead. Apple may have mitigated a lot of the previous concerns with this change. Only time will tell.
If the idea of wear bothers you, however, you'll want to skew towards the white models.