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Advice: iphone 8 vs. 7 (non-Plus)

S

sa3417

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Hello,

I am hoping for advice from the knowledgeable members here.

I have the iphone 5s which wieghs 113 grams. The weight is important to me because I do a lot of walking with the phone in my pocket. I am trying to choose between the 8 and 7 (non-plus size). The 8 is 10 grams heavier but offers wireless charging which may be useful and the latest processor. I do not want the X because it weighs 170+ grams.

I am not on a budget but I recently found a deal that offers me the iphone 8 (64 GB) for almost the same price as the iphone 7.

(1) For users who upgrade each year: is the weight difference between the iphone 7 and 8 noticeable? and

(2) Do the additional features make the 8 worth getting over the 7?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
 
If you are not on a budget, and plan on keeping your device for a long time, it is likely that the 8 will be more future proof than the 7.

Personally I find the lightness of the 7 to be a great feature, one of the reasons I kept it even though I purchased an X (I am one of those SIM swapper people). The 8 is noticeably heavier, but, I think you will get used to it after a day to two (I had one on loan / test). One issue with the 7 is how slippery it is compared to the full glass 8. If you don't run a case, that could be a trade off, though, the 8 is arguably more fragile being a full glass design.

Both have great cameras, good displays, and good speaker audio quality (if you use that). The 8 is faster overall, but unless you are using applications that tax the system, it may not be noticeable. Both will be much faster than your 5s. A phone I still have and use daily as an iPod.

If you are buying at Apple, remember that you have a 14 day return policy, so you should be okay to exchange and get a 7, if you find the 8 to be to heavy for you.
 
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bambooshots said:
No question. 8.

I wouldn’t get another phone without wireless charging now.
Click to expand...

The 7 was the only iPhone i’ve ever returned. It had terrible battery life and felt cheap, despite it’s price. IMHO, it was a step back from the 6s. Totally agree on getting the 8. Not even a question.
 
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hexagenia said:
The 7 was the only iPhone i’ve ever returned. It had terrible battery life and felt cheap, despite it’s price. IMHO, it was a step back from the 6s. Totally agree on getting the 8. Not even a question.
Click to expand...
Wasn’t going to add but will.. 7+ also only iPhone I’ve ever returned. A camera issue that didn’t go away. Went back to 6S+, which was my favorite iPhone until the 8+.
 
sa3417 said:
Hello,

I am hoping for advice from the knowledgeable members here.

I have the iphone 5s which wieghs 113 grams. The weight is important to me because I do a lot of walking with the phone in my pocket. I am trying to choose between the 8 and 7 (non-plus size). The 8 is 10 grams heavier but offers wireless charging which may be useful and the latest processor. I do not want the X because it weighs 170+ grams.

I am not on a budget but I recently found a deal that offers me the iphone 8 (64 GB) for almost the same price as the iphone 7.

(1) For users who upgrade each year: is the weight difference between the iphone 7 and 8 noticeable? and

(2) Do the additional features make the 8 worth getting over the 7?

Thanks in advance for your responses.
Click to expand...

1.)A lot of users on here will tell you that the iPhone 8 weighs significantly heavier over the iPhone 7, but in the real world, no one really will notice the weight difference outside of a tech forum. But if the weight of the iPhone is extremely important to you and you would notice it, then I would suggest the iPhone 7, as it weighs approximately 12 g less in comparison to the Plus models.

2.) The main additional features of the iPhone 8 is the wireless charging, True tone, upgraded camera, increased stereo speakers by volume of 25% over the iPhone 7.

But my personal opinion, I would choose the iPhone 8. It's just a more updated device and being that it sounds like you don't upgrade very often, you would likely would appreciate the additional features over the iPhone 7.
 
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OP- 10 grams should in no way influence your decision. Especially if the phone is in a pocket while walking. I doubt you'd feel a difference holding them in your hands either. All things considered, if you plan on keeping the phone a while as you're upgrading from a 5s, then I'd say definitely get the latest phone out as it will be supported longer than last year's model.
 
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7 has a noticeably brighter screen than 8, if this is important to you. I have tested them side by side with the same settings (Auto-Brghtness ON / True Tone OFF).
 
maflynn said:
What do you do that requires that speed? What apps benefit the most?
Click to expand...
Photo editing mainly. RAW editing sees good deal of benefit IMO.
[doublepost=1510850146][/doublepost]New photo editing app, Raw Power, is looking very good. Ex-Apple Engineer Director.
 
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Thank you all for your helpful responses. I've now moved to the iphone 8. It does feel heavier than my 5s but I expect to get used to it in a week or so. As some of you said, the phone is super-fast, the second generation touch-id is a pleasure to use and I like the increased screen real-estate.

I really wish apple would get rid of the camera-bump. This is one of the reasons I stayed with the 5s this long (weight being my primary motivation). Unfortunately, looking at the X, I believe the camera-bump is here to stay...
 
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I upgrade every year. I had the 7 and got the x. I returned the x for various reasons one being the weight. I got the 8 instead and extremely happy. I have 6 for work next to it and no significant weight difference noticed.
 
sa3417 said:
Thank you all for your helpful responses. I've now moved to the iphone 8. It does feel heavier than my 5s but I expect to get used to it in a week or so. As some of you said, the phone is super-fast, the second generation touch-id is a pleasure to use and I like the increased screen real-estate.

I really wish apple would get rid of the camera-bump. This is one of the reasons I stayed with the 5s this long (weight being my primary motivation). Unfortunately, looking at the X, I believe the camera-bump is here to stay...
Click to expand...

Good choice!

I moved from a 5s to the X, but if they had not come out with X I was going to go with the 8. The 10g weight gain over the 7 is very minor, and since it sounds like, similar to me, you do not upgrade that often the price difference over three years or so is also pretty minor. Since I do not upgrade every year, I think it is worth going for what is “your subjective best” in your parameters.

A camera bump is easily disguised with a case 🙂
 
sa3417 said:
I am not on a budget but I recently found a deal that offers me the iphone 8 (64 GB) for almost the same price as the iphone 7.
Click to expand...
Are you comparing the 64gb 8 deal price to the price of a 128gb 7? That's double the storage if that matters to you.

Edit: NM, I just saw that you made your choice
 
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Since you are coming from iPhone 5S i suggest you to go for latest. The weight difference between 7 and 8 are minimal and you won't feel it in real world usage.
 
Use a lightweight case too. I noticed some are heavier than others. I like the speck ones.
 
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sa3417 said:
Thank you all for your helpful responses. I've now moved to the iphone 8. It does feel heavier than my 5s but I expect to get used to it in a week or so. As some of you said, the phone is super-fast, the second generation touch-id is a pleasure to use and I like the increased screen real-estate.

I really wish apple would get rid of the camera-bump. This is one of the reasons I stayed with the 5s this long (weight being my primary motivation). Unfortunately, looking at the X, I believe the camera-bump is here to stay...
Click to expand...

A great choice! I myself moved from 7 to the 8 and it was a decision I do not regret.

There are many pros and cons as well so I’ll keep it short. The feel and the weight of the phone is great. You get the premium feel with the new 8. I believe the A11 is much more better in terms of power efficiency compared to the A10 and this could be why I’m getting slightly better battery life compared to the 7 even when the 7 was first released a year ago. The True Tone display is makes reading text for long duration easier too. Of course these are all subjective and you might even feel the opposite. I felt the 8 is worth every dollar I paid.
 
sa3417 said:
Thank you all for your helpful responses. I've now moved to the iphone 8. It does feel heavier than my 5s but I expect to get used to it in a week or so. As some of you said, the phone is super-fast, the second generation touch-id is a pleasure to use and I like the increased screen real-estate.

I really wish apple would get rid of the camera-bump. This is one of the reasons I stayed with the 5s this long (weight being my primary motivation). Unfortunately, looking at the X, I believe the camera-bump is here to stay...
Click to expand...


Nice choice. Funny you mention the camera bump, now I think flush cameras look weird/cheap after staring at a bump since 2014. 😕
 
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