It’s been about one month since the iPhone 8/8 Plus has been out and I’m going to weigh the pros and cons for you. If you are an Apple hater, you might as well leave now. If not, then this article will be as simple as possible to make it easier for you to make the choice. In case you were wondering, I opted for the iPhone 8 Plus so all of my opinions will be referring to that model in particular.
Design
Apple never strays too far from their original designs and the iPhone 8 is no different. It is essentially the iPhone 7/7 Plus. In fact, I don’t know why they didn’t call it that! Although, they did switch from aluminum casing to a glass back to allow wireless charging. Personally, I love the glass look. It appears more luxurious and worth the cost. “But won’t it break easily?”. Look, we are (mostly) adults here. We need to learn how to care for our things. If you break an iPhone, more times than not, you’ll probably deserve it. I ALWAYS have a phone case/screen protector on my phone and have never had any screen cracking, or body scrapes. I use my phone pretty heavily too so I don’t understand how some people can be so carless.
As in this case, I am rocking the leather iPhone 8 Plus case by Apple. It’s simple, elegant and does its job. Although it’s on the pricey side it is worth the money. As for the screen protector, I got the obvious choice of the ZAGG Invisible Shield. They offer a front and back protector but since I have a case that covers the back, I only got the front.
The phone feels good in the hand coming from an iPhone 6S, it is a game changer. Two generations ago I scoffed at the thought of needing a phone that big and I’m not too prideful to say I was wrong. After seeing that episode of Black Mirror where Bryce Dallas Howard is addicted to social media, the thought of a larger phone appealed to me so much more. It makes reading/sending texts so much nicer and most apps infinitely more enjoyable. I highly recommend opting for the 5.5″ display of the iPhone 8 Plus rather than the standard iPhone 8. Speaking of the display…
Display
The 5.5″ Retina HD Display is great. To be honest, I can never tell too much of a difference in displays. The picture is warm and clean and the transitions are very smooth. Everything feels really fluid from games to web browsing. Maybe I just never noticed on past versions of iOS but they finally brought back the Earth and Moon background wallpapers! I’m currently using the iPhone’s new “True Tone” technology which is said to “automatically adapt iPhone display based on ambient lighting conditions to make colors appear more consistent in different environments.” What that means? I have no idea but I believe it makes the colors and white balance more prominent.
Camera
The rear now features 12MP Wide Angle Telephoto Cameras allowing for sharper, more detailed pictures. Jumping from the iPhone 6S to this, I can definitely tell a difference. The photos are amazing and warm-looking. The best part? The iPhone 8 Plus has Portrait Mode which gives you control over certain lighting options. Using this mode makes your photos look professional and adjusts the aperture to blur out the background. There are still some kinks to work out with this method however, as sometimes the technology will struggle to differentiate the subject of the photo from the background. This leads to certain portions of a person getting “chopped” out of the subject. It is also very useful that it allows you to take the photo and edit it afterwards as well. From what I’ve seen, you’re only able to achieve beautiful pictures when certain conditions are perfect.
The front facing camera is just…ok. I’ve never been a fan of front cameras as their quality just doesn’t meet my standards. If I ever need a photo of myself, I’d rather just ask someone to take one of me using the rear camera. That being said, it’s not bad for what it is and still offers a beautiful picture should you choose to go selfie-crazy.
Besides just the photo aspect, the iPhone 8 Plus also offers 4K video recording, which I’m looking forward to greatly as I do a lot of video editing in my spare time. I’m really excited they now let you choose from 24fps, 30fps or 60fps. As compared to the video recording of the Galaxy S8+, I’d have to say that the iPhone 8 takes the cake!
Performance
One of my favorite additions that came with iOS 11 is the new Control Center. Everything you would ever need is right there with a simple swipe up. They even include customizability with these controls.
As previously mentioned, the overall function of the phone is fluid and smooth. Apps work seamlessly and all perform their functions well. Although, it took a few minor updates for the phone to be fully functional. The only issues I have personally come across is the very annoying WiFi connectivity feature. I can’t seem to figure out how to disable the phone from automatically connecting to WiFi wherever I go. I am lucky enough to have an Unlimited Data plan so most of the time my carrier service is faster than the WiFi connection at the office and sometimes at home. So every five minutes when my phone connects to WiFi, it gets pretty annoying having to turn it off over and over again. Apple Pay works great and up until this iPhone, I haven’t taken advantage of its convenience! Not to mention, it’s pretty irritating that Apple decided to give the new MacBooks only USB-C ports but the iPhone 8 Plus uses a lighting cable. I would expect a higher level of integration from them.
I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the wireless charging capabilities that the iPhone 8 Plus has to offer but I’m having a tough time finding a quality car charger that does such. Come Christmastime, I’ll possibly be grabbing myself a wireless charger for the office or home that I can use with my Apple Watch as well!
Final Thoughts
Here’s my hot take. Unless you’re a couple generations behind in the iPhone family, this upgrade will be well worth it. I’m loving the size of the screen and phone itself as well as the beauty of the display. I went ahead and purchased the 256gb just to have more peace of mind and I’m glad I did. The new camera will have me taking a lot more photos in the year to come and I’ll need the space.
On the flip side, if already have the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, do yourself the favor and save the money. If you’re looking for an upgrade, use the extra time and save for the iPhone X, due out next month supposedly. The only reason I chose to get the iPhone 8 Plus is because I couldn’t justify the price jump that the iPhone X is asking for with what it’s offering. It looks beautiful and I’m sure that if you’re willing to drop the dough, you’re going to like it.
Score: 4/5 Slices
