iPhone 8 Review: To Buy or Not To Buy?
Although the iPhone 8 looks a lot like the iPhone 7 / 6 from the outside, it was drastically re-engineered from the inside to be a powerful device. Unfortunately for this particular model that it was announced minutes before the iPhone X, so it didn’t receive the media hype iPhones usually get. Nevertheless, this is still a solid phone.
iPhone 8 Overall Features
The iPhone 8 is a splash, water, and dust resistant phone. It has the A11 Bionic chip that delivers laptop-grade monster performance. The 4.7-inch device comes in two storage capacities 64GB / 256GB, as well as three colors Gold, Silver, and Space Gray. Apple is still using the lightning connector; I was expecting a transition to USB-C especially that it has become the norm on the new MacBook Pros and with other mobile Android-based brands.
Camera
The camera got a complete makeover. The new 12MP sensor coupled with the A11 bionic processor and an enhanced image stabilizer means that it will deliver stunning results.
The back camera has a f/1.8; that will make it perform a lot better in low light conditions. The camera shoots in HDR mode by default. HDR balances the picture between the darkest dark and the lights light to avoid an over/under-exposed image.
A noticeable element is the fact that images now are more vivid and colorful, This is something that Instagrammers will love and appreciate.
The selfie cam is better, although its only a 7MP camera, the iPhone front camera has always out-performed other devices especially in low light conditions even if they packed a bigger MP count.
Video
Shooting movies on the iPhone has always produced good results, and it will continue to do so with the new features. You can now shoot 4K videos at 60 frames/sec, and slow-motion videos at 1080p.
You can even adjust your frame rate to 24 frames/sec; Video producers and TV correspondents in Europe and other parts of the PAL world will love this as they occasionally use their iPhones to create on-the-move content for TV and web.
Glass Design
The all-glass phone makes it a much prettier phone, but your chances of scratching or breaking your phone are much higher now. The funny thing is that most people don’t get to enjoy the look and feel of their devices since it will end up being covered by protective cases since day one.
Wireless Charging
The glass wasn’t made for aesthetics only; it is needed for wireless charging. This is something that you need to take into consideration when buying a cover for your device. Make sure to choose a thin cover or one that is guaranteed to work with wireless charging.
The wireless charging dock does not come with the iPhone; you will need to buy it separately from third party brands as Apple doesn’t supply its “AirPower” chargers yet.
The cool part is that it works with any pad using the Qi standard. Ikea (check out their ads) has a wide variety of wireless charging devices, and there are a lot of good brands that create good quality chargers such as Anker, RavPower, Mophie or Belkin, just make sure to choose one that supports a min 7.5W
Viewable Document Types:
For those who open attachments on their mobile devices, here is the list of viewable file types on iPhone
.jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics
Battery Life
Apple claims that the iPhone 8 battery lasts as much as the iPhone 7. Up to 14 hours of talk time, 12 hours of internet use, 13 hours of video playback, 40 hours of audio playback.
Fast-Charging
Although the iPhone 8 is fast charge capable, Apple didn’t put a lot of effort communicating this particular point. Many of the Android-based phone makers pride themselves with this feature and promote it up front. When plugged via wire the phone can jump start and fill up to 50% power in 30min if using a USB-C Power Adapters and the iPhone fully drained.
iPhone 8: To Buy Or Not To Buy?
If you are a new iPhone user or upgrading from an earlier model such as the iPhone 6 / older or you are simply not ready to spend around $1200 to get the iPhone X, then the iPhone 8 is perfect for you, buy it.
If you are currently using the iPhone 7/Plus then don’t buy, put in some additional savings and wait for the iPhone X, it will not be cheap.
If you’re not sure what to do with your old device, there are some services like Gazelle for people living in the US that let you trade-in your old phone for a good price; it can be done online or via a physical drop Kiosk, you can even win an iPhone 8 in the process.