Video Comparison: iPhone 8 and 8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

[MacRumors]

With two of Apple's newest iPhones in hand, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus, we thought we'd compare them to the previous-generation iPhones, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, to give our readers a clear picture of the differences between the devices and an idea of whether the new phones are worth the upgrade.

We checked out a 64GB iPhone 8 Plus in the new rosier Gold shade and a 64GB iPhone 8 in the new dark Space Gray color. Design wise, there's a noticeable difference between the iPhone 8 models and the iPhone 7 models just due to the new glass body.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

It's sleeker, heavier, easier to hold, and it looks great with the seven-layer color process Apple used to create the colors for this generation. The display looks pretty much the same as the display in the iPhone 7, but with True Tone, it's able to adjust to the ambient lighting conditions in a room for a more natural paper-like viewing experience.

Other than that, the bezels are the same, there's still the same old Touch ID home button for people who prefer Touch ID, all of the buttons and components are in the same places, and it's IP67 water resistant. One notable difference -- the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have more powerful speakers.

There is, of course, also the wireless charging component. The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus both charge wirelessly on Qi-certified charging mats, and this charging functionality works through a case. The smartphones also include a new A11 processor that brings serious speed gains, but these improvements aren't always noticeable in every day use over the iPhone 7's A10 chip.

So, should you upgrade? Most people who are coming from an iPhone 7 or an iPhone 7 Plus aren't going to notice a world of difference aside from the implementation of wireless charging and some camera improvements, so it may not be worth the cost to buy one of the new devices. Those coming from an iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, or earlier iPhone will see notable speed, camera, and performance improvements, making a purchase more worthwhile.

Lots of people are still holding out for the iPhone X with its radical redesign, despite the fact that it's a good deal more expensive than the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus at its $999 starting point. That device offers up an edge-to-edge screen and facial recognition, but it's going to be hard to get and some people may prefer the Touch ID and more standard design of the 8 and the 8 Plus.

Article Link: Video Comparison: iPhone 8 and 8 Plus vs. iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

 

[bobdobalina]

Buy the iPhone SE!

 

[LincolnsiPod]

Has anyone made a direct comparison between the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone X as well? I've been googling for someone who's made an exhaustive comparison between the two but it still seems to be early days.

 

[gower2352]

Waiting for next years X in hopes Apple finally figures out how to integrate TouchID into the screen and gets rid of the ugly notch.

 

[DTphonehome]

Coming from a 6S, I was on the fence about my new 8. Was seriously considering returning it as I wasn’t blown away by any features in particular. But over the last few days the cumulative improvements like wireless charging and better speakers nudged me toward keeping it. But I’ll quickly jump to the 2018 X if the 2017 X turns out to be an amazing device.

 

[joueboy]

Lots of people are still holding out for the iPhone X

This claim is vague although the number still decent. But I don’t think it will make up the whole difference of iPhone 8 lackluster sales. I would say atleast half of the difference and still good considering the price. We’re already anticipating this steady decline, which is not only exclusive to Apple but for the smartphones in general.

 

[jakirk]

I'd say given most upgraders will be coming from 6 and 6s, it would be good to do a direct comparison between those models too?

 

[HardRain]

I've always bought only iPhones. Then I discovered the note 8 and the camera and audio are so much better than the 8 Plus, its amazing.

 

[seanmcbay]

Waiting for next years X in hopes Apple finally figures out how to integrate TouchID into the screen and gets rid of the ugly notch.

They’re not going to do this since the notch is what makes the phone stand out visually just like the home button did previously.

 

[arggg14]

Why does he end every video with "but, that's the"

 

[azpekt]

1:50 - the iphone at the background moves by itself! Iphone7 killer feature!

 

[Radon87000]

Waiting for next years X in hopes Apple finally figures out how to integrate TouchID into the screen and gets rid of the ugly notch.

Craig already said it’s not gonna happen

 

[nutmac]

iPhone 8 and 8 Plus would've been amazing last year. iPhone 6 design finally looks and feels great in this 4th (and final?) iteration.

But with X looming on the horizon, I can't help but feel like it's a pointless update (7 and 7 Plus are buys, IMO).

Most folks won't be able to tell performance improvements over 7. Camera improvements are appreciated, but not a dramatic leap from 7 and 7 Plus. Qi charging remains the only real feature benefit, which would be a godsend for those that frequently suffer from frayed Lightning cable (I am one of them) or have a car with Qi charging base.

 

[Cosmosent]

FYI to all, "Deeper Pixels" appears to be "Deeper Deep Trench Isolation," and NOT 10-bit (& deeper) color (depth), as I had hoped for.

Note the "appears to be," as this has NOT yet been verified ... other sites have reported it.

Normally, when ANY camera manufacturer decides to go WIDER color (gamut / space), they also go DEEPER color (depth) ... but Apple did NOT do that last year, when they introduced their first Wide Color iPad in March, or the iPhone 7 family in September.

What this means is that when YOU capture content in Apple's Display P3 / Wide Color (color) space, the accuracy of the color capture is reduced, relative to sRGB !

This occurs with any extended color space, when the number of bits per color is kept at only 8 bits.

The ONLY WAY Apple can fix this is to capture in 10 bits ... with the preferred Pixel Format Type being BGR10A2, which they may or may NOT have implemented ... NO ONE (outside of Apple) knows for sure ... it requires experimentation.

If Apple didn't, then the iPhone 8s, 8s+ and Xs "could be" the better devices to get ! ... of course, there is NO guarantee those get the needed Fix either.

As I stated, this is something that was Reported on other sites, and NOT YET independently verified ... but, there were ONLY two possibilities.

I suspect 10-bit color capture is in-deed supported on at least some Apple devices, AND that is simply hasn't yet been discovered by anyone ... High Sierra, released just yesterday, supports 10-bit color HEVC encoding AND Apple talked about Intelligent 10-bit dithering at WWDC in June, so something is in-deed up wrt this whole topic.

 

[Candlelight]

Prefer an SE but the phone is now 18 months old and really should get updated at some stage.

For what I use a phone for, the difference between the 7 and the 8 are minor, and not worth the extra $$.

 

[chrisdazzo]

Wait a second. How are you using Google's Project Fi on an iPhone? Is that a thing now?

 

[Jsameds]

I've always bought only iPhones. Then I discovered the note 8 and the camera and audio are so much better than the 8 Plus, its amazing.

Thanks for letting us know.

Anything else exciting happening in your life at the moment?

 

[macs4nw]

Waiting for next years X in hopes Apple finally figures out how to integrate TouchID into the screen and gets rid of the ugly notch.

You really think TouchID is coming back?

Only if FaceID is not well received, and then only if they can get the Touch sensor working reliably under-glass. Either way the bezels aren't coming back, and I highly doubt TouchID will be implemented on the back. Personally however I believe once we start using it, FaceID will be the preferred method for most.

Apple may however be able to minimize the apparently unpopular notch on future FaceID enabled iPhones.

 

[rafark]

Let me get my magnifying glass to spot the differences.

 

[pnoyblazed]

The glass back alone I love, and the True Tone display

 

[joueboy]

Those fingers though.

 

[Ds6778]

I will probably use this 8 Plus until the 10 becomes readily available. Honestly, with the rumors of delayed production, I’d be weary of being an early adopter. No company is perfect.

 

[LessO2]

I'd say given most upgraders will be coming from 6 and 6s, it would be good to do a direct comparison between those models too?

6 Plus here.

Between the anticipated initial production shortfall (backorders) and how I usually shy away from first-gen devices (6 Plus was exception out of need), I'll probably be in this category. Between the delay, likely kinks to work out and, likely inclusion of the additional T-Mo frequencies that will not be in 8 or X, I'm leaning towards waiting.

Between the smart speaker, X v2.0 (whatever it'll be called) and I'm speculating an iPad powerful enough to replace my Mac, it's going to be an expensive 2018 for me.

 

[Owensmouth]

Having owned iPhones continually since the 3GS iteration, I am most likely to upgrade to the Google Pixel 2 XL mainly due to the fact that Apple is continually playing catch up with new technologies. Wireless charging and an OLED screen have been done years ago. Apple, unfortunately, hasn't truly innovovated since Jobs died.

 

[joesegh]

Wait a second. How are you using Google's Project Fi on an iPhone? Is that a thing now?

You have to activate the SIM it on an approved Android device and then just switch the cards, as far as I know.