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dimme

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 14, 2007
3,294
32,915
SF, CA
I have a iPhone 6 that needs replacing, the battery is shot and it only has 16GB of storage. I was waiting for the Apple announcement and planed to get the current model. For my budget my option is the XR, I just can see paying $999 for a phone so the XS is out. I carry my phone in my front paints pocket and I feel the XR is just too big. Is this the way of the future for apple giant phones? I love its but now the other side of the fence is something I will also be checking out.
 
The iPhone 8 is a fantastic phone. I just traded mine for an 8+, partly because I wanted a Product Red phone.

I had an iPhone X and wasn’t sold on it. The XR is tempting but the 8+ beats it on the features I care about most.

So, no, you’re not crazy to get an 8. It’s great.
 
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Not crazy at all, the 8 is a great phone and will be for another few years still. I'm sure there are great deals to be found too.

This. Best Buy, Fry's, Walmart, Target seem to have semi-regular sales on it. Carrier deals. Add in price will soon drop, can pick up a really nice phone for a nice price.

Like OP, I carry the phone in my front pocket, so the 8 is a great size for that, fits into coat and suit coat pockets. For me, sits comfortably in my hand. Fast processor and the new A12 processor is not that much faster from what I recall from the presentation (seem to recall that the two big cores have a 15% speed improvement, but all the cores have better power usage performance). Imo, phone processors, for most people, are overly sufficient for their needs, so, no need to go chasing processor upgrades: most people will not tax it and the 8 should have sufficient runway.

Will be interesting for me in 2020. I have normally updated my phones every three years, so, can sit it out to see what happens to the iPhone line, if they bring back some smaller device. If not, by then would have got hands-on with Xr, can see how the 8 handles iOS 14, battery health on the 8: might be able to stretch things out one extra year and then pull the trigger on the 2021 X (X is not much bigger than the 8, and could live with that, just hate the price; Xr is too close to being Plus in size, so, assume will not like as I do not like the Plus size phones in my hands).
 
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I'm in the same boat as the OP. I really like the size of the iPhone 6-7-8 and am hesitant to go larger. I can afford the new X models and am impressed with the tech but at the end of the day I really only use my phone for calls, texting and looking at the internet if I am out at lunch by myself or just killing time. If I want to really surf or do more involved stuff I always switch to my iPad or MacBook. I can also more easily justify getting the new Apple Watch if I only spend $599 on the phone. I recently got a Fitbit versa and love it and haven't worn my expensive Swiss watches much since I got it.
 
The iPhone XR isn't that much larger than a 6 if you want to check it out in stores when it's available.
 
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I've been thinking about buying the 8 as well. However, it has the same amount of RAM (2 GB) as the SE. And RAM is the aspect which determines performance the most with iOS (A9 is not THAT faster than A8, but the 6 has only 1 GB compared to 2 GB of 6S/7/8). The X has 3GB, Xs/Max have 4GB, XR has 3 GB. The 8 will soon be the ONLY supported device with 2G of RAM => poor performance with iOS 14+.
 
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iPhone 8 is great. And so is the iPhone 7, a new one at $450 is a great deal. That’s what I’d get.

I usually stay one or two generations behind. I’ll get an iPhone Xs when the next iPhone is released, and pay the discounted price. You get a mature product and any component problems have been fixed during the product’s lifecycle. I still use the iPhone primarily as a phone, plus email, navigation, and some home devices. I don’t need to spend triple the money to do exactly what the older gen phones do well.
 
I wouldn't call it crazy but considering that there are better options available that wouldn't be a wise choice, as long as you're happy with your purchase it's fine.
 
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I agree w @meme1255
The 8 is going to bite you in two years with its 2GB of RAM. The 8 is now like the 6 was. The 8 Plus has 3GB RAM so you'd be good there, but personally I wouldn't buy an iPhone today w only 2GB of RAM unless I was planning on getting rid of it in two years. IOS 12 may be a gesture of good will from Apple this year, being nice to older devices, but you can take it to the bank that iOS 13 and beyond are going to tax the hell out of older devices and make them a pain to use. As is the Apple way.
 
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I agree w @meme1255
The 8 is going to bite you in two years with its 2GB of RAM. The 8 is now like the 6 was. The 8 Plus has 3GB RAM so you'd be good there, but personally I wouldn't buy an iPhone today w only 2GB of RAM unless I was planning on getting rid of it in two years. IOS 12 may be a gesture of good will from Apple this year, being nice to older devices, but you can take it to the bank that iOS 13 and beyond are going to tax the hell out of older devices and make them a pain to use. As is the Apple way.
But if I am happy with my 6 now I should be good with the 8 well into the future. I have a iPad and MacBook, and iMac for heavy lifting. I use my phone for maps, texting, talking, and music, not much more.
Also I like small phones and I prefer to use iOS so my choices are limited.
 
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But if I am happy with my 6 now I should be good with the 8 well into the future. I have a iPad and MacBook, and iMac for heavy lifting. I use my phone for maps, texting, talking, and music, not much more.
Also I like small phones and I prefer to use iOS so my choices are limited.
I'm on the same boat as you… But I don't see a sensible solution (at least here - SE 128G costs 400 EUR).
 
No, you're not. The iPhone 8 is perfectly capable and a stellar device. But, I would have shelled out the additional $150 to future-proof my purchase. (You can still do this if you prefer the Xr over the 8.)
 
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I have a iPhone 6 that needs replacing, the battery is shot and it only has 16GB of storage. I was waiting for the Apple announcement and planed to get the current model. For my budget my option is the XR, I just can see paying $999 for a phone so the XS is out. I carry my phone in my front paints pocket and I feel the XR is just too big. Is this the way of the future for apple giant phones? I love its but now the other side of the fence is something I will also be checking out.

I have an 8+. Fabulous phone. Will probably last me for another five years, maybe longer.
 
Not crazy at all fella I currently have a 7plus and not a fan of the x models so I’m thinking of changing to an 8plus as my upgrade..
 
My mom is needing to upgrade her 6, so I'm getting her an 8 next week. It's a good phone for the price and will last a while!
 
Makes me laugh. 2017 technology being old technology. C'mon let's get serious. Are we at the point that a 2017 iPhone is old tech? Next a 30 years old person is an elderly? Then a 50 years old should go away? I'm fed up with this novelty non-sense. If one embraces this philosophy then never buy a piece of tech cause the day after you purchase, it's already dated. The best recipe for being unhappy and sour until you die.
 
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