Finally, Apple has made the dream of millions come true: it has made an iPhone with a full-body display. Something new!
Stop. This is about another iPhone. Which we won’t be able to get at all soon, obviously not this year. Let's be realistic. The iPhone 8 appeared only because Apple did not have time to prepare the iPhone X for sale.
I have no illusions and I don’t advise you to. The iPhone 8 performs the tough task of being second best to the top ten, and therefore lacks much of what usually attracts the buyer of the next generation of Apple smartphones.
This does not mean that the smartphone turned out to be bad. Nothing of the sort: it’s better than the iPhone 7 in almost every way. It’s just that not everyone needs to buy one.
We have an iPhone 8 Plus 256 GB Space Gray , and based on it we will also give a verdict to the regular-sized 8. This one is now sold in Moscow for about 79 thousand rubles. Prices change hourly, so prices may be lower at the time of publication.
Updated: Read a photo review of the red Product RED model here.
Glass appeared behind. It's not that good
Well, who here missed the body of the iPhone 4? You've got it, gentlemen!
Apple returned to Jobs' preferences after 6 years. Nostalgia has nothing to do with it. This is a technical necessity: the iPhone 8 introduced wireless charging, which was difficult to implement in the metal case of previous models.
The phone looks incredibly beautiful in the photos of the official website. Shine, reflections, almost glares of light inside the panel. But the color itself is stable, even, sharp.
But in reality, guys, everything is a little different .
Let me remind you that we got a black model, and we haven’t had time to test the chic white and gold ones yet. I think I’ll write about the white and gold ones separately, they turned out so successful. Finally (since the iPhone 5) you can take a white iPhone again!
But the black iPhone 8 disappointed me , especially after the matte iPhone 7. It's not that black. It's as if it was diluted a little milky white. I suspect that the glass is to blame, reflecting a little light onto the panel whenever there is light.
If you place the phone on a table with the display facing down, it appears as if the phone's frames are darker than the back panel. And this is somehow so-so. It is better to notice this effect in person, since in the photo everything turns out darker than in reality.
I admit, I wouldn't mind a dark blue color with a glass panel. Just like Samsung and a lot of other smartphones. It's a great combination, but Apple clearly thinks differently.
The second nitpick about the case is that it is unusual and flies out of your hands very easily . It seems that there is also a display on the back, or you took the iPhone on the wrong side. It's a matter of time and adaptation. But I’m completely serious about the ease of dropping. You need to buy a case for the iPhone 8 if you don't want to walk around with a broken ass... panel on the back.
And the third, completely expected thing is that it gets TERRIBLY dirty. When I picked it up for the first time, immediately after unpacking, my hands were so clean that I could replace the surgeon without gloves. I picked it up for 30 seconds, turned it over, and there were stains.
If I'm not mistaken, Apple stated that there is an oleophobic coating on the back panel. It will definitely wear off over time, if that’s the case. And erasing prints that are more visible than the company logo turned out to be not so easy.
Finally, the issue of scratches is more relevant than ever. To Apple’s credit, I would like to note that the first tests on YouTube showed the incredible strength of this glass. After all, Gorilla Glass is the latest version.
But at the same time, the editor-in-chief of The Verge, after a week of careful use, saw a large scratch. So here the question is open, we need real stories of real people in a couple of months.
Interestingly, in the iPhone 8 the metal frame is still aluminum and matte, but in the iPhone X it will be shiny and made of steel. What is expected. Visually, the best solution was left for the top model.
I can say one thing: I hope Apple doesn’t leave the design exactly like this and comes up with something different in the next generation. Or at least make the frames steel in all models. I recommend the white and gold versions, they are better than the black one.
Bright colors
Six months after the presentation of the iPhone 8, the iPhone 8 Product (RED) model was released, designed to spur the sales of smartphones of this generation.
Users leave positive reviews, iPhone 8 has broken human stereotypes - a red smartphone will no longer be a girl’s prerogative, the phone looks impressive even in men’s hands. The tone is rich scarlet, catchy, the usual dark shades of cherry make the color richer and deeper. The glass back panel makes the color “playful” - if the phone is placed in the shade, the back will become a noble wine shade. This is the case when the lack of originality of the design is compensated by a bright color palette. The red panel is combined with a black frame and screen - for the Product(RED) line of smartphones they refused to use a provocative white frame. The smartphone will be appreciated by both girls who like the color red and men who will like the brutality of Product(RED).
Carrying such beauty in a case is blasphemy. The brightness of the red should not be hidden; the glass back panel is easier to protect with a colorless silicone case. This is a challenge to those boring black, white and gray smartphones. Apple presents a relatively boring and meager palette, calm and universal tones. And the red one involuntarily attracts attention; this device should not be hidden.
iPhone Product(RED) is part of a worldwide campaign in support of the foundation of the same name, which helps people infected with HIV. Otherwise, this iPhone is identical to the 8 model, the equipment is also no different, only in the documentation you can find a letter of gratitude from the (RED) fund, because part of the money from the purchase of the red “eight” will be donated to support the fight against HIV.
Users noted that fingerprints on the red glass are not as visible as on the black back panel. The design details are the same as the simple model - the camera protrudes, there is no headphone jack. It’s easier to come to terms with the functional shortcomings of this generation of smartphones; the design remains familiar, but thanks to the color scheme it won’t become boring over time.
Wireless charging that works everywhere
To my great joy, Cupertino did not reinvent the wheel. The iPhone 8 comes with widely supported Qi wireless charging.
This means that almost all existing wireless chargers already work with the iPhone 8, and you don't have to look for special models with Apple certification or anything similar. For example, the Samsung platform worked as it should
I ran into a couple of Moscow restaurants and made sure that everything was OK and I could use their chargers. There was just nothing to take a photo with. On the Internet, however, I have already seen complaints about some platform models that do not work. Moreover, the more powerful and cooler such charges are, the greater the chance that they will not work.
Over time, a list will appear and the cause of the incompatibility will be determined. In the meantime, I advise you to check such chargers for iPhone 8 in advance before buying.
The principle of operation is the same. Under the glass back cover there is a special receiver coil. Charging occurs due to inductive energy transfer from the platform to the coil.
Important : according to the passport, the maximum distance between the phone and the platform is up to 4 centimeters. But in fact, the maximum is 1 centimeter. If you have a thick or multi-layer protective case, you are in trouble. The display doesn't seem to be charging either, I checked it twice.
Wireless charging on the iPhone 8 also hates metal cases and metal in general. If you have inserts or pads on the back, they shield the signal and prevent the chip from working properly.
I warn you that the iPhone 8 gets very hot when it sits on such a platform for a long time. On the Apple website this is mentioned as a normal situation, but personally I see an extra load on the battery here. Make sure that the sun does not shine on your iPhone 8 while wireless charging, otherwise it will overheat in no time.
True Tone display straight from iPad Pro
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus received displays with the usual diagonal of 4.7 and 5.5 inches, respectively. Apple calls the new screens Retina HD.
The resolution has not increased, but the image has become more saturated thanks to support for an expanded color gamut. This is noticeable only when directly compared with the iPhone 7; photographs do not convey it.
The already excellent viewing angles of the display are now even wider. Thanks to dual-domain pixels, the image is “virtually undistorted” when viewed at an angle. I put it in quotes because I never complained about the viewing angles of the iPhone 7, and it’s extremely difficult to explain the difference in words. It seems to work, but it doesn't seem to.
Another innovation is much more noticeable. iPhone 8 features True Tone technology. It sets the intensity and color temperature of white suitable for the current lighting.
Speaking in Russian, in yellow home lighting the screen will also turn yellow, and in cold lighting it will turn a little blue. That is, it is adaptive color temperature . And she's really good.
True Tone is pleasing to the eye . It is more comfortable to read from the device and work with it in any lighting. Eye strain is reduced to a minimum. I really liked this on the iPad Pro, and it's great that now a similar feature has appeared on iPhones.
For purists who edit photos on an iPhone and don’t want any magic: the function is turned off in the settings, and even when turned on for the first time, it is also offered as an option, and not a mandatory thing.
To make True Tone work at all, the iPhone was equipped with a new sensor that measures the brightness of ambient light and its color. It is located next to the camera. After the measurement, the system changes the display parameters based on special algorithms.
I noticed that True Tone plows independently of the Night Shift function, they do not interfere with each other. The latter only makes the color temperature of the display warmer in the evening, and True Tone flexibly changes the parameters depending on the lighting.
Specifications
- Dimensions and weight: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm, 202 g
- Materials: glass, aluminum
- Biometrics: fingerprint scanner
- Protection: IP67
- Colors: silver, gray, gold, red
- OS: iOS 11
- Screen: 5.5 inches IPS LCD, 1080 x 1920, 401 ppi, 67.47%, maximum brightness 625 nits
- Cameras: rear 12 MP, four LED flashes, f/2.8 aperture, pixel size 1.22 microns, 2x optical zoom; second camera 12 MP, f/2.8; autofocus, optical stabilization; video 4K 60 fps. Front 7 MP, HDR.
- Processor: Apple A11 Bionic APL1W72, 3-core GPU
- Memory: 3 GB, storage 256 GB
- Battery: 2691 mAh
New cameras and the coolest front camera shooting mode
If you don’t care about wireless charging and a glass case, then the camera is the main and unconditional improvement in the iPhone 8 , which is almost impossible to criticize.
Technically, little has changed here. The 12-megapixel matrix remains, but now has increased operating speed and an updated color filter.
According to the specifications, everything is also the same. The iPhone 8 has the same ƒ/1.8 wide-angle camera with six lenses and optical stabilization. The iPhone 8 Plus has an ƒ/2.8 telephoto lens in addition to the wide-angle lens. The aperture is similar to the iPhone 7; competitors have better results.
the photo processing algorithm itself has changed .
Please note: on iPhone 8, all photos are initially taken in HDR mode. This is a response to the superior technology in the Google Pixel, which to this day was considered the best phone for photo quality. The ability to see photos without HDR must be manually enabled in Settings, which I advise you to do right away - personally, I don’t like overexposed shadows just for the sake of sky contours.
We will compare HDR photos and the new processing algorithm in a separate photo comparison, but for now, see a few examples below. They already say that the iPhone 8 has the best camera among smartphones today, but personally, I will first compare it more seriously than confirm it. There are too many nuances here to draw conclusions based on three photographs.
In the meantime, this question is up in the air, I’ll say a lot of good words about the cool new shooting mode with the rear camera - Portrait Lighting , even though it’s in beta. Apple is finally using artificial intelligence in a serious way.
What is Portrait Lighting? This is an imitation of the effects of professional shooting of people's faces in a studio environment. And it works almost perfectly!
It's easy to use. In the Camera application, select the desired effect: daylight, studio light, contour light, stage light and stage light - black and white. Focus on the contour of the face when shooting portraits. You are filming.
The iPhone thinks for about three seconds, and voila, a cool photo is ready. Red spots and skin imperfections are neatly removed automatically, and the result is a completely incredible portrait that has nothing to do with the actual lighting conditions at the time of shooting.
Of all the modes, the coolest and most radical is stage lighting in black and white mode. It completely removes the background of your photo . That is, you were sitting against the backdrop of your grandmother’s carpet and a bunch of scattered things - but in the photograph it looks like you are sitting against a black background with high-quality flash and spot lighting, and they shot you on a Mark III.
For the implementation of the Apple regime, a solid five - and the hope after that that such toy chips will not be forgotten. Now I want something like this not only for portraits, but also for ordinary photographs.
Alas, if there is no face in the frame, the effects will not work . This is a difference from background blur, last year's feature of the iPhone 7 Plus - it is relevant for anything.
4K video can now be shot at up to 60 frames per second, and 1080p video at up to 240 frames per second. In general, 4K 60FPS is a mind-blowing achievement for a smartphone, because until recently only expensive professional video cameras were capable of this.
By the way, 4K 60FPS videos have an unusual problem: not every computer can play them! Too many resources required. For example, my old 2013 Air just freezes on every frame. But on the 2022 MacBook Pro everything is fine.
Optical zoom, as before, is available only to the Plus model. The presence of a telephoto lens allows you to zoom in on the image without losing quality. The zoom works in tandem with digital zoom, allowing you to achieve 10x zoom when shooting photos and 6x when recording video.
Again, a specific comparison of the cameras of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 requires more time, but serious work has been done with the software, and the result is worthy of at least starting to consider buying the eight. Unless you have a seven, of course.
Speakers that actually play louder
Last year, Cupertino equipped the iPhone 7 with two stereo speakers. This made the sound more spacious and deep compared to monophonic speakers in previous models. The plowshare is ok, but it can’t compare with the speakers, which is expected.
This year, the developers have improved the quality of the speakers and worked on increasing the volume level. I launched the first track I came across on YouTube and went deaf.
The increase in volume is really noticeable , it cannot be written off as a statistical error - now one iPhone is enough to pump a medium-sized room with tolerable sound quality. And I was pleased that there is no wheezing from the speaker even at maximum speed, but it can appear over time due to wear.
I don't know if the time will come when I can give up my portable speakers, but Apple is trying and doing everything so that you can at least hear a call from another room. It is commendable.
Processor and performance, which is unrealistically high
Every new iPhone gets a more powerful processor, and now Apple has outdone itself. This year was no exception; the heart of the iPhone 8 was the A11 Bionic chip. I think you've already heard that it's more powerful than the 2022 MacBook Pro.
Okay computers, but the new 6-core processor is up to 70% faster than the previous A10 Fusion . The graphics processor has also been upgraded; it is 30% faster than its predecessor.
The increase in general is huge within the framework of neighboring generations of devices, but personally I still don’t understand where so much power is needed. Time and new firmware should show why all this is needed.
No matter how much I tried to catch the iPhone 7 Plus with greater brakes than the iPhone 8, it didn’t work. It is too early. By the way, both lag in the same places due to optimization problems in iOS 11. There are also no games yet that would demonstrate the superiority of the new processor.
There are no changes in RAM : the iPhone 8 costs 2 GB, the iPhone 8 Plus 3 GB. Remember this, since according to the experience of past years, it was the RAM that became the performance bottleneck of older models. And if versions with 4 GB of memory are released next year, a noticeable performance gap will still appear in some iOS 13.
What Apple has really done is improve the battery conservation mechanisms. iPhone 8 has received a new generation of performance controller, which is responsible for overclocking the processor at times of peak load and reducing performance when working with basic tasks.
Do you think this will give you better battery life? NOPE.
Apple reduced the battery in both models : 1821 mAh in the iPhone 8 instead of 1960 mAh in the iPhone 7. Plus also suffered: 2675 mAh versus 2900 mAh.
The difference in capacity is leveled out by the work of the new controller, but at the same time it means that under maximum load the iPhone 8 will discharge faster by 5-10% of last year’s model. So what is it, Apple? We asked for a bigger battery, not the other way around!
In general, the new A11 Bionic processor found in the iPhone 8 was developed with an eye to augmented reality, which requires serious calculations and eats up the resources of even the iPhone 7 Plus in two hours.
I would talk about the difference in AR work on the old and new models later for a simple reason: there are very few serious AR applications in the App Store, and none of them have yet used the A11 resources properly. In my comparisons, the difference is zero, so there’s nothing to write for you yet.
Who needs an iPhone 8?
Well, you can’t just insult a really good smartphone. You and I are meticulously comparing the old and the new, looking for the difference. For a buyer on the street after Android, the eight will seem like a revelation. I am sure that the eighth one will be a good buy for the holidays, especially for girls.
Turning a blind eye to the lack of innovation, the iPhone 8 worthily continues the work of the iPhone 7 - but in this matter it goes very far. The question is: is it still good or so-so?
To be fair, after getting to know the smartphone, I can safely call it iPhone 7s. This is it, it’s just that the number has changed due to marketing and the new building. And if you were waiting for the iPhone 7s, then this is exactly what you got.
Think about it right now: are you in the category of people who make sense to buy the iPhone 8? If…
- you still have an iPhone 6 or even younger models
- you missed the iPhone 7 while waiting for the iPhone 7s
- you are not going to buy X and just want to upgrade your iPhone
- you flatter yourself with the naive hope that you will buy an iPhone X in a store before March next year
...then you can just go and buy an iPhone 8 without thinking twice. Let's get ready now. Because there will be no alternatives until mid-spring next year. And then we can wait for the new generation. Why not treat yourself to a new iPhone to replace your many-year-old one?
Yes, it makes sense to buy the iPhone 8 for everyone who has an iPhone 6s and older . I highly recommend the Plus model because you will appreciate the blur effect in the camera and the excellent battery life that you quickly get used to. This is a really good idea and not a waste of money, you will see the difference and it will be money well spent.
But if you have an iPhone 7 , then I have sad news. No guys, you can't upgrade to iPhone 8. More precisely, do as you want, I am not telling you. But there is so little point in changing seven to eight! And this is what a fanatic on the Apple website tells you.
I agree that the portrait modes with lighting effects are incredibly good! But, unlike background blur effects, they only work on faces and only with the rear camera.
Here's a simple test for you. Open Photos on your iPhone and see how many portraits you have of other people. If there are a lot, then write down cool features and reasons for purchase; if you clicked 2-4 such photos a month, then no, you won’t need it.
Another feature that iPhone 7 owners will really like is support for wireless charging. You can’t imagine how good it is to set everything up once and start living without any wires at all . And the good news is that almost any Qi-enabled charger will work.
Yes, I also warn against buying an iPhone 8 just for the glass case . I didn’t expect this from myself at all, but it absolutely didn’t suit me. It’s just not there, period. Tactilely it seems as if he confused and grabbed the iPhone by the display. Or that in fact this is another Android flagship, and not a smartphone from Apple.
Whatever you say, metal feels much nicer in the hand. And it looks too - in my opinion, natural. Let's wait for the iPhone X, maybe there will be other colors.
Well, as for the performance... I don’t see any difference from the iPhone 7 Plus today. In six months or a year it will become more noticeable, but thanks to the same amount of RAM and overall high performance, I’m not sure that the gap between these two models will ever become more critical than an error.
In general, I wouldn't trade an iPhone 7 for an iPhone 8 , but I would trade all other models. This is logical and justified even from the critical position of the average person, not to mention Apple fanatics.
Touch ID vs Face ID
Facial recognition technology is one of the main innovations of the iPhone X. They promise that the new smartphone owner identification system will be even faster and more reliable than the Touch ID fingerprint sensor. However, there are already persistent rumors that serious problems have arisen with its technical implementation[/anchor], and not everyone wants to become a tester of a test model for $1000+. It’s much calmer to be the owner of a gadget equipped with a Touch ID sensor that has been proven over the years, the malfunctions of which occur less frequently than solar flares.
However, the Face ID function is intended not only for unlocking the smartphone and confirming payments, it can also turn the user’s face into funny Animoji and turn ordinary selfies into gorgeous portraits (support for the Portrait Lighting function for the front camera).
FAQ: answers to your questions
Before the review was published, I posted a mini-post where I asked readers what to check and see in the new iPhone. I have collected here the 10 most interesting questions from you.
1. Interested in how tenacious the grip is these days?
Not grippy at all, slips out at once. Moreover, the dirtier the back panel, the faster it falls out of your hands. You definitely need to buy a cover.
2. Please look at the display on the topic of marriage, spots on the white background, uneven illumination.
On ours everything is perfect, there are no glares, the black is perfectly even over the entire screen area. There are no stains on the white background. I think that in 4 years Apple was able to get rid of childhood diseases.
3. How quickly does wireless charging charge from zero to 50% to 100%?
For a long time. It takes about one and a half to two hours if you don’t use the phone. Which is generally difficult, because as soon as you lift it, charging stops as expected.
4. How much more efficient is Bluetooth 5.0 in real life?
Not by any means. I compared EarPods and two other third-party wireless headphones. There is no difference because it requires the device to support Bluetooth 5.0. But there are no such things for sale.
5. Are iPhone 7 cases suitable for iPhone 8?
I won’t say anything about the regular iPhone, but the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus are almost completely compatible, except that the sides of the case protrude just a little more. I'm not sure about tight all-metal cases, I'll have to try it.
6. Does the screen still turn yellow out of the box, like in last year’s phones?
Due to True Tone, the difference is subtle, but without it the display is bluer than on my iPhone 7 Plus. As a rule, this point varies greatly depending on the games, and you may come across a completely different case.
7. How fast does it charge via USB-C and MacBook Pro charging?
Very fast! I charged from 15% to 100% in less than an hour and a half. Cool stuff. The iPhone 7 Plus charges approximately 30-40 minutes longer under the same conditions.
8. Does 3D Touch lag like on the iPhone 7 Plus?
No, all is fine. But on my plus side it also lags, which is strange. Most likely a bug in iOS 11 optimization.
9. Can you feel the increased width and weight of the device?
I didn’t notice until I read the question! The weight is really more. And it's noticeable. Although Plus itself is so heavy that a difference of even 50 grams doesn’t make much difference
Bundling or Apple's boundless greed
The box is now painted in the color of the iPhone inside. This is, of course, great, but the company would be better off spending the money to put a Lightning to USB C cable inside, which, by the way, costs 2 thousand rubles separately. Using it, we could at least connect the new iPhone to a MacBook, or to another modern laptop. Fortunately, USB C is now being actively implemented by everyone.
But no! Instead, the Cupertino team left the outdated 1-amp charger. From the master's shoulder, so to speak.
In addition, inside are regular wired EarPods with a Lightning plug, an adapter from it to a mini-jack and... stickers. There is nothing else interesting. You can see for yourself by watching my unboxing.
