iPhone 8 and 8 Plus Review Roundup: Powerful Devices With Great Cameras Set Stage for iPhone X

[unobtainium]

The camera alone is worth upgrading for? I doubt any consumer would be able to tell the difference between "increased lighting effects" on a 750p LCD screen.

You realize you can view your iPhone photos in other places than your iPhone screen, right?

Personally it’s my only camera, and I’ve been impressed by the improvements, which are very noticeable every single year, with maybe one exception.

 

[DaveOP]

Lol. It is such a waste of money to get the iPhone 8 or 8+ because the upgrade is minor. Benchmarks are just tests, not indicative of the user's experience. The camera is a minor enough of an upgrade because it is just better. Did the 7 and 7+ stop recording in 4k, using dual cameras (7+), not offering OIS, no optical zoom? No, the 7/7+ cameras are not obsolete.

The iPhone 8/8+ record in 4k/60, the 7/7+ record in 4k/30. The difference in quality is quite large, and would cost much more than $100 to get a professional camera to do that. We get it, you're sticking with the 7. There are good reasons for someone else to consider the 8.

 

[ani4ani]

Reviews are coming in great for 8 and 8Plus, I think I just might preorder X rather than wait for the reviews on that one as was my original plan.

Definitely excited come November, an upgrade from 6 to X is going to be incredible.

as would upgrading to any flagship after 4 years!

 

[OllyW]

If so, how can they possibly sell tens of millions of iPhones every quarter?
I'd call them a minority, but not a small one.
Apple launched iPhone upgrade program a couple of years ago, I don't know how many people enrolled but they sure change their iPhone every year, as some other people with a similar plan offered by a carrier

There are hundreds of millions of iPhone owners.

This was posted by @JohnnyGo in another review thread posted earlier, it shows less than 30% have upgraded to a 7 or 7+ and the iPhone 6 is still the most popular model in use today.

 

[matty.p]

HDR is always on? Just this last weekend I had to discard multiple good photos because hdr didn't blend properly.

In portrait mode

 

[rjjacobson]

As others have said, the 8 is effectively a 7S, which in any other year would have garnered mostly positive reviews. But because the 8's are now second fiddle to the X, the natural thing to do is to question why someone would upgrade to the 8 instead of the X.

For those currently using a 7 or 7+, it likely is a stretch to think upgrading to the 8 makes sense. I've been using my 6S+ without feeling the need or want to upgrade to the 7, and the I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that the obvious upgrade path is going to be the X. For early adopters, why would you not skip the 8 and go right to the X?

yes I am early adopter and I have apple upgrade so if I can snag a X I will do so, otherwise probably just enjoy my 7plus 256GB for another year. The X has things I want to play with, and the cameras a few more tweeks than the 8Plus that interest me. But we will see how delayed they get with x. If I can get before years end with the upgrade I will do but if it is late spring maybe I should think about waiting til Fall 2018 and see if they have a X-Plus size ;-)

 

[drewyboy]

This is hands down a pass year for me. Not that the phones aren't good or better than the iPhone 7, of course they are, but knowing that there is a high likelihood that the 2018 iPhones will be based off the iPhone X and replace the iPhone 8's price point, it's hard to justify spending the money now rather than wait till the iPhone line gets cleaned up.

 

[mrklaw]

6s is basically the new baseline for phones. 2GB ram, decent CPU. slowly the older phones will get more and more left behind and then the 6s will start to feel maybe a little slow as more apps assume that level of performance as a minimum.

But for now it is more than enough phone for normal people.

I'd expect a lot on this board to not be 'normal' people and thats why we're looking at upgrading more often for incremental gains

 

[Rogifan]

Thinner bezels to reduce bulk would be nice (and iPhone X shows that Apple values the importance of thin bezels as well).

That being said, if Apple had put an OLED display in the 8+, that probably would've convinced me to get one. I don't want to spend money on outdated tech like a 1920x1080 LCD that is barely an upgrade from my 6s.

If Apple put an OLED screen in the 8 there would be no point to the X. iMO the 8 exists because Apple can’t produce enough X at the price/volume they would need. The 8 from a form factor standpoint isn’t the future of anything. And I don’t think Apple is positioning it as such.

 

[Oblivious.Robot]

as would upgrading to any flagship after 4 years!

3 years actually, but I agree.

 

[Cronowerx]

I'm selling my iPhone 6 and picking up an iPhone 8 on Friday. I'm super stoked to have features like "Hey Siri" and 3D touch. This new phone should last me the next 3 years at which time iPhone X will be out of Beta testing.

 

[recoil80]

You realize you can view your iPhone photos in other places than your iPhone screen, right?

Personally it’s my only camera, and I’ve been impressed by the improvements, which are very noticeable every single year, with maybe one exception.

I usually enjoy my pictures on the TV and you can really see the details. Sometimes a selfie in low light can look almost good on the iPhone and you can see the bad quality on TV.
In general I'm happy with the shots taken with my 6s, but I think portrait mode would be great and that would be my main reason to upgrade, although is quite expensive and I don't know if it is worthwhile.

 

[rjjacobson]

I think for a lot of people, it will come down to this on whether or not they buy the iPhone X:

Want something cheaper, familiar, but very powerful? Buy the iPhone 8.
Want the Plus' dual cameras in a smaller form factor? Buy the iPhone X.
Want the best display possible? Buy the iPhone X.

For me it's those last two items. OIS and brighter aperture on the telephoto lens along with front portrait mode is icing on the cake. Face ID? I don't really care as long as it works well.

Yes those camera features on the "X" is why I want it rather than a 8 Plus from my 7Plus. And since I am on the upgrade program it makes in terms of monthly budget ok to do. And then in 2018 I can go to a Xs Plus ;-) on such a plan if I like it. I want the OIS on the telephoto especially for rear cameras will help my photos more on the telephoto end I believe. And the things I can do with front camera intrigue me (not Animojics meh ;-)

 

[Rogifan]

If so, how can they possibly sell tens of millions of iPhones every quarter?
I'd call them a minority, but not a small one.
Apple launched iPhone upgrade program a couple of years ago, I don't know how many people enrolled but they sure change their iPhone every year, as some other people with a similar plan offered by a carrier

OK but people on the iPhone upgrade program or something similar offered by a carrier are probably going to upgrade regardless. I’m in the upgrade program and that’s what I do. As long as I can afford the monthly payments I chose to upgrade every year but I don’t really care if my phone looks new or not. In fact it doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t because fewer people know I have a new phone and give me looks like I’m crazy for getting a new phone every year.

 

[MacPDiddy]

The main difference between the previous iPhones [7 and 7 Plus] and iPhone 8 is it just support wireless Charing. Otherwise nothing major upgrade over iPhone 7 Plus. All minor spec bumps come at a higher price tag since Apple rised the price by $50.

False. Did you SEE the CPU speed upgrade above? iPhone 7 scores 3133 vs. 8's 10,411! Bluetooth 5.0 is a big upgrade. Better camera. Better display (True Tone is awesome). And AR!

Why so many trolls on an Apple-centric site? Samsung bots hard at work?

 

[Hastings101]

Well, at least the SE and 6S have become really good deals now. Maybe it will help Apple get some of the mid-range market. I personally think the 8/8+ only exist because Apple knew they couldn't meet iPhone X demand and had to supply something new in quantity or they'd be out a lot of sales

 

[OneMike]

Most people who make the above claim will later use the said saved franklins to buy junk food, eat hotdogs and drink beer. But they'll boast that they have no iPhone X. Go figure.

Good time to not be most people.

 

[fourthtunz]

Reviews are coming in great for 8 and 8Plus, I think I just might preorder X rather than wait for the reviews on that one as was my original plan.

Definitely excited come November, an upgrade from 6 to X is going to be incredible.

Heh, I couldn't wait that long! I'm trading in my 6 on the 8+.
Figure I'll have that by next week and upgrade to the SEX(special edition X) next year

 

[adamski23]

I'm torn whether to upgrade this year. The upgrades seem nice and all but something about the look of the glass back feels off to me. I've had glass backed phones before, but after going all metal, I think I need a hands on experience before jumping in.

I took my iPhone 7 out of its case today. The matte black colour and metal just looks and feels elegant.

 

[beanbaguk]

Coming from my iPhone 6S and waiting for my iPhone 8 Plus, I can't wait.

 

[mrklaw]

X is expensive because the BOM looks expensive. Spend the next 12 months getting the supply chain sorted, cost reduce the front camera gubbins and get the costs of the OLED down. Then the next XI can be $100-150 cheaper. And the XI+ will be $999

 

[nviz22]

The iPhone 8/8+ record in 4k/60, the 7/7+ record in 4k/30. The difference in quality is quite large, and would cost much more than $100 to get a professional camera to do that. We get it, you're sticking with the 7. There are good reasons for someone else to consider the 8.

That's minimal though because it is still 4k and 30 additional frames per second will not help with storage issues if you record a ton. That's just a new area for Apple to tackle. It is an impressive feat in a phone, but it is not worth it calling a huge camera upgrade because it will not considerably change the user experience like a dual camera setup would vs the camera modules the 6S/6S+ offered or what the 6/6+ offered.

 

[Sharasuke]

So I've been using an iPhone 5 for the last 4-5 years and honestly cannot really complain about speed. Okay, the camera is not that good in today's standards. But it suffices.

I was waiting for this special model to upgrade but the price tag of 1159 euros (which is 1388 dollars at the time of writing) is waaay to much for me. If it was 999 dollars or a little more I would do it. (The 8 is 809 euros, 969 dollars btw.. what currency converter is apple using..)

And buying an 8 and getting around with it for 4-5 years means I miss out on the iphone X being the 8S next year and faceID and this new tech with neural networks and stuff for 4-5 years. So the 8 is not really an option for me.

I will replace the battery of my 5 and just wait another year for the upgrade and get away with the 8S

 

[redheeler]

If Apple put an OLED screen in the 8 there would be no point to the X. iMO the 8 exists because Apple can’t produce enough X at the price/volume they would need. The 8 from a form factor standpoint isn’t the future of anything. And I don’t think Apple is positioning it as such.

Face ID? Smaller form factor? OIS on both back cameras?

You're right though, a lot fewer people would pay the extra $200 to go to the iPhone X, and the release date of the 8 could be delayed in the same way as well.

But the X is also a big compromise, especially when I saw how it handles landscape mode - less usable space than even my 6s+. At this point it is basically an early adopter sneak-peak product, and serious buyers who want no compromises and a large screen size have to wait another year.

 

[robust]

I'll be upgrading to an 8 Plus (from a 6 Plus) so it's a big difference for me. Was originally going to wait for the X but the more I thought about it the less I care about facial recognition. Sure I'll miss the OLED screen but I'll get the next version of X in '18