iPhone 8 Review
The iPhone 8 was probably the least exciting release in Apple’s history. It does not come as a surprise, since it basically came out at the same time as the iPhone X, its already available successor.
Consequently, the iPhone 8 looks like a good upgrade from an iPhone 6, if you don’t want to part ways with 1000$ for an X model.
SAME DESIGN
Just like we’ve said for the iPhone 7, the 8 series doesn’t come with a new design, but with a slight improvement of the old one. It’s okay if you like the current design, but you’ll have to admit it seems a bit lazy. Sure, the 8 series is a little bit bigger than the 6 series, but it will fit in the same case as the iPhone 7. On a positive note, we’ve been told it has got the most durable glass ever.
You can choose between Silver, Gold and Space Gray. The antenna bands have been reduced and there’s still the same Lightning-to-3.5mm jack adapter in the box.
SCREEN AND SOUND
The iPhone X follows the bezel-less trend previously introduced by Android, but the same can’t be said for the iPhone 8. The screen is 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1,334 x 750 pixels while the X model has a 5.8 inch display with 2,436 x 1,125 pixels.
So the only real improvement is the True Tone technology designed to adapt to the lighting environment, which doesn’t really stand out compared to the iPhone 7.
On the other hand, the sound department has finally seen an improvement with the iPhone 8 being 25% louder than its predecessors, with a bit more bass. Headphones are still way better, and Apple has added Bluetooth 5 support that will make them run smoothly.
PERFORMANCE
Apple’s new A11 Bionic chip is fast. Really fast. It’s made of six cores: two high-performance ones and four high-efficiency ones. Plus, an Apple-designed GPU.
We compared the performance of Samsung and HTC with the iPhone one and there was no competition: iPhones are still some of the smoothest and fastest smartphones out there. To be honest, you might not even need that much power.
Android phones have a lot of RAM, but your iPhone will be just fine with its 2GB, since the operating system works very differently and doesn’t need as much. AR also works perfectly, without any problem, however your battery will die out quickly and you might feel the back of your device warmer than usual.
IOS 11
A real game-changer, Apple’s latest system works wonders. Together with its powerful processor, you can make the most out of all the Augmented Reality apps and games. The Control Center has also been redesigned and is a very positive note.
GREAT CAMERA
Although you won’t be getting the dual camera set-up of the X and 8Plus, you will still get a 12 megapixel main camera, f/1.8, with optical image stabilization and HDR. Low light performances are also improved, though still not great.
The great thing about this camera is that it’s really easy to use: you just have to point and shoot while the phone will do the rest. Unfortunately, you won’t get features such as Portrait Lighting, only available on 8Plus and X.
You can film 4K video at up to 60 fps and 1080p at up to 240 fps. The front facing camera is a 7 megapixels f/2.2, which will work for your selfies and FaceTime.
WIRELESS CHARGING
You won’t have to choose between plugging your jack headphones with the Lightning Adapter or charging your phone. Thanks to the glass back and Qi standard you can now charge your phone simply by placing it on its base. Charging has also been made a lot faster, making up for a smaller battery, but this feature isn’t available unless you buy a USB-C to Lightning Cable to combine with a Power Adapter. It’s ridiculous that they won’t give you such a feature in the basic package and all the cables and adapter might cost you up to 85$.
The charging pad is quite cheap but very slow.
CONCLUSION
It’s a good upgrade of the iPhone 7, but to be honest I don’t see it being worth it. If you really want to change your iPhone, it’d make sense to buy an iPhone X if it weren’t for the fact it’s very expensive.
Overall, the iPhone 8 is a solid improvement, but there’s a good reason why it wasn’t met with enthusiasm.