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.
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.
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I’d like to see some real-use performance comparisons (not benchmarks). And showing pictures from the 8’s camera doesn’t help inform a decision on upgrading without also showing the same shots taken from iPhone 7.
Edit: I found at least one performance video on YouTube that shows them to be very similar.