The appearance of the iPhone 8 in the first weeks caused bewilderment: the design of past models, there are no revolutionary changes, there is no wireless charging. Why take? But after the release and testing of iPhone X, the true purpose of the 'eight' became clear. New software, functions, non-standard chips were put into the usual body and thus continued the tradition of the SE series.
'You won't understand until you hold it' is the unspoken saying of iPhone lovers. So only a detailed review of the iPhone 8 and 8 plus will allow us to draw conclusions about the advisability of buying a smartphone in 2018.
Market positioning
2017 is the anniversary year Apple. 10 years ago, on a hot June day, the first iPhone 5 appeared on sale, conquering and exciting the whole world. This was followed by the annual premieres of the next line. Soon everyone got used to traditional autumn presentations: the public was offered a choice: a standard model or a smartphone with a large screen and additional features.
The company marked its ten-year history with the release of not two, but three models at once: iPhone 8, 8 plus and X. and if earlier, the extended version was considered the flagship, since there was no choice, now a dozen '.
Buyers expecting to spend a lot of money on an advanced smartphone bought an iPhone 10. The company Apple miscalculated, because of an incomprehensible PR, the sales of the “eight” were ruined.
After 3-4 months iPhone 8 found my buyer. This is the last model in the usual design, starting from the 'dozen' the form factor is being modernized from Apple. New smartphones will receive a different design, OS and content that meets the requirements of the modern market.
Package contents and first impressions
Opening a box of new iPhones is an event in itself. The expectation of a miracle does not leave us even in adulthood. But to the disappointment of users, the contents of the package are the same as those for the iPhone 7 and 7 plus.
The package includes:
- Charger with 5 W Lightning cable. The smartphone supports wireless charging, but the docking station will have to be purchased separately. Devices that support the Qi standard are suitable.
- EarPods in classic white, 3.5mm to Lightning adapter.
- A clip for removing the SIM card.
- Instructions in several languages.
Impressions about what the iPhone 8 looks like are mixed. The design has not changed, the size of the display, the lines of the body, the location of the camera and the speaker – one to one, like on the “seven”. The only significant innovation is the glass back cover, here Apple decided to go back to the origins, namely the 5s model. The glass in the panel is pleasant to the touch, the iPhone 8 lies confidently in the hand, but it glides on a smooth surface, it is better not to leave it on the edge of the table or purchase a cover. The dimensions allow you to use covers from the previous model, but then you will not feel the pleasant chill from the glass base.
New in design
The opinion about what the iPhone 8 and 8 plus looks like was formed immediately after the presentation of the model. Everyone decided that the 2018 smartphone was an exact copy of the 'seven'. But this statement is only partly true, there are changes, but not impressive.
Overview of iPhone 8 plus in terms of design:
- The color palette of the models is smaller compared to last year's options. The stores received 'Silver', 'Gold', 'Gray space'. A little later, in April 2018, a series iPhone 8 plus RED was released in support of the charitable foundation. The red model turned out to be bright and memorable. Conquered many iPhone 8 plus space gray 64gb, deep gray is combined with a smooth, glossy surface.
- Glass back panel. It is worth noting the resistance of the glass back to scratches. The '7' caused negative due to the unstable case to mechanical stress, in the new model this problem is not so urgent. The reason for replacing plastic with glass, the developers called the emergence of the wireless charging function. You should be careful with the panel, from a height of 1 m, but on a concrete or stone floor, the cover will fly to smithereens. Replacement will cost $ 350. But according to the developers, owners can safely carry the smartphone in their back pocket without a case. It won't scratch on buttons or iron buttons.
- The screen size remained the same – 4.7 inches, the bezels around the edges of the “seven”, and the camera continues to stick out. For some reason, this fact annoys the owners. But there is nothing to do, you have to wait for the next model.
Conclusions: reviews of the protective glass for iPhone 8 are mostly positive, no one wanted to return to the plastic panels. Some ladies were upset by the lack of a pink solution for the iPhone, although the 'Gold' color is diluted with a pleasant golden hue. The smartphone is 10-15 grams heavier, which makes it much more convenient to hold the iPhone 8 in your hands. The repetition of the design of the 'seven' upset only at first, the real changes affected the software and functionality of the smartphone.
True tone screen
It has already been said about how the iPhone 8 is in the hand, it remains to find out what good they have prepared Apple for our eyes. All three new products of 2017 received True tone technology. The essence of the function is the presence of four-channel ambient light sensors that monitor the nature of the lighting and automatically adjust the level of white color on the screen.
Benefits of using True tone:
- White balance is close to natural. In the dark it does not blind, in the light it gently affects the eyes.
- The device automatically monitors the white level, you do not need to adjust anything manually.
- The correct intensity of light transmission reduces eye strain.
- The text on the display is better perceived, it is easier to read.
To enable the function on iPhone 8 black plus go to 'Settings' → 'Display and brightness' → enable the True tone button. Alternatively, swipe from the bottom of the screen and call the Control Center. Here, with a little effort, click on the brightness level slider and activate the True tone icon.
This feature is not very impressive and immediately. The work of the application will become noticeable if after 1-2 weeks you decide to turn off the cherished button. The difference between True tone and normal tone is striking. White gives the 'tone' to the rest of the shades, which is why its balance is so important on digital devices. Plus technology in excellent optimization. When the function is enabled, the energy consumption is exactly the same as without the use of external sensors.
The quick access bar has changed. Now you need to swipe on the bottom screen and the main elements will come out. They are also easy to operate, icons are located on the same screen and work with 3D Touch.
Battery
The very first reviews iPhone 8 64gb confirmed the information about the decrease in the volume of the battery. This caused bewilderment and outrage, the issue of fast discharge of smartphones from Apple is still acute and often discussed.
The facts are:
- The battery capacity of the iPhone 8 is 1821 mAh versus 1960 mAh on the 'seven'.
- The extended version received a 2675 mAh battery, less than all plus that came out in previous years.
The company had to take such a step. The glass back and the introduction of wireless charging have taken up precious millimeters of the case. At the presentation, a very decent time of using the smartphone was announced:
- Talk time – up to 14 hours.
- When playing music – 40 hours.
- In iPhone 8 plus, respectively 21 and 60 hours.
The test results surprised even pessimists. Despite the modest battery capacity, the smartphone holds a charge confidently. With intensive use, and this is the Internet, applications, social networks and games, the iPhone 8 and 8 plus lasts for 8-11 hours! As evidenced by the company's announcement of improved operating system optimization. Now the software analyzes the habits of its 'owner' and adjusts the saving modes itself.
Charging question
The developers indicated the time for charging the gadget up to 100%: wireless charging – 30 (!) Minutes, with a standard one – 2 hours 30 minutes. 'Trust but verify' is a favorite saying of bloggers and ordinary users specializing in technology from Apple. 2-3 days after the smartphone went on sale, hundreds of reviews were released about testing the iPhone 8 and 8 plus batteries.
General conclusions about the capabilities of a smartphone:
- With a wireless installation in 30 minutes, the iPhone 8 was charged by 51%, during the same time with a regular charge of 5W up to 21%. So the function is suitable for those who are not used to waiting.
- But wireless and standard charging reached the full battery level almost simultaneously. The device for fast energy storage works in an increased mode only up to 50%, after this value the speed is automatically reduced. These are safety measures, since with such a rapid exchange of energy, a lot of heat is generated, which threatens to damage the equipment.
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But don't give up on new technology right away. It is relevant and really works. It only stops the cost of a wireless docking station, while you have to spend 7-8 thousand rubles. It might be worth waiting for a cheaper device to come out. It is highly discouraged to buy Chinese counterparts via the Internet, it's a pity if a smartphone for 50 thousand deteriorates due to a low-quality device. But with licensed chargers supporting the Qi standard, the gadget works flawlessly.
RAM test
One has only to wonder how our gadgets are getting smarter and faster every year. Today, comparisons are made with smartphones from other manufacturers, and devices of other categories are taken for performance testing: laptops, tablets.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have also been assigned to processors based on ARM cores or Intel Core i5. You will find out about the test results below, while the dry facts about the A11 Bionic operating system:
- The bit width is 64 bits.
- 6 cores, 2 of them are responsible for performance, 4 for energy efficiency. All cores are capable of running simultaneously.
- In the iPhone 8, the RAM is 2 GB, in the iPhone 8 plus – 3 GB.
RAM testing was carried out in different directions. It was important to understand three points: the speed of information processing, the presence of lags when loading applications or opening files, and the power of the OS.
Test results A11 Bionic on iPhone 8 and 8 plus:
- In terms of the speed of opening pages, files and applications, both models are ahead of the main competitor Samsung Galaxy S8. Opening time for PDF – 0.9 s, web page – 0.2 s. Such indicators are the merit of not only powerful software, but well-established interaction between the OS and the hardware component.
- In browser tests Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus confidently left behind 7s. In Octane Benchmark, the models scored 36004 and 35170 points against 29801 points of the 'seven', and in Kraken Benchmark they coped with the same tasks on average by 260 ms. faster.
Moreover, the different value of RAM for iPhone 8 and 8 plus is imperceptible. In both versions, the performance indicators are approximately the same. But the fact of superiority over the previous model is obvious and never ceases to please. The A11 Bionic processor was announced as the first where a neural system is built in, that is, the ability of the machine to learn while it is running. The fact is confirmed by tests, the system adjusts to the specified parameters, analyzes itself and chooses the best ways to solve problems.
Cameras and portrait lighting
The iPhone 8's features include advanced shooting functions. If the front-facing shooting is not impressive with the changes, then the main camera received several cool chips. As in the “seven”, here is a 12 megapixel module with a telephoto lens with aperture – f / 2.8, and a wide-angle lens – f / 1.8. But despite the similar parameters, the pictures are different.
The reasons:
- developers have changed lens systems;
- the matrix has increased in size, therefore it absorbs more light;
- developed new algorithms for processing photographs.
The iPhone 8 has finally improved the 'Blurred Background' mode. There were problems with this function on the 'seven', the program 'blurred' the wrong objects or lost the object. In the 'eight', the OS has become smarter, it selects the desired item for processing. Experts compared the result with filming with a professional camera. The photo is saved instantly, and also quickly opens for adjustments.
On the iPhone 8, the texture effect has been noticeably improved. The pictures even show grooves on the skin or engraving on the ring.
What delighted selfie lovers and social media lovers was the emergence of the Portrait Lighting mode. The program is improving and learning, today 5 special effects are presented:
- 'Daylight', the person and face in the foreground are sharp, the lighting does not change, the background is blurred.
- “Studio face”, bright lighting on the face, as from spotlights.
- 'Contour light', the main feature is the expressiveness of halftones.
- 'Stage light', the background turns black, the light falls on the person.
- 'Stage light – mono', similar to effect 4, in black and white.
Controls the Portrait Lighting mode in Portrait mode by swiping left and right. To get to the desired effect, spin the carousel at the bottom of the screen. If you don't like the photo, you can return it to its previous state even from the Gallery. The memory shortage has also been fixed. There are new formats for converting photo and video files: for HEIF images, which take 2 times less than JPEG, for video, the HEVC codec.
Video
Starting with the iPhone 7 Apple, it continues to confidently follow the path of creating a smartphone that captures video no worse than professional cameras. In part, this trend has already been reflected in life, some of the videos on YouTube were shot on iPhone.
Characteristics of the video mode on the 'eight':
- Video recording in 4K, HD 1080p and 720p.
- Frame rate 24, 30 or 60 fps depending on shooting mode.
- Optical image stabilization, no shaking hands.
- Support for slow motion mode.
- Shooting using the Time-lapse technique, that is, a moving photo.
- During 4K recording, 8MP still pictures can be taken.
- Enlarge the video during playback.
The Slow-slow mo function or the effect of slowing down video deserves special attention. Only with the advent of the A11 Bionic chip did it become possible to shoot Full HD 1920 × 1080 pixels at 240 fps. Prior to that, by default, all devices were recording at 140 fps. Time-lapse videos without loss of quality can be viewed on another device that supports the A11 processor.
Speaker
In the reviews in Russian, the iPhone 8 and 8 plus stereo speakers earned a positive rating. When tested with Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30, the brainchild Apple received the highest score, beating the rival by 2-3 steps.
What changed:
- In iPhone 8 we managed to get rid of the broken sound, carried out balancing, the melody sounds smooth and does not hurt the ear.
- Bass sounds loud, while clean and without wheezing.
- The sound in the headphones is soft and pounding.
The company is renowned for its meticulous attention to detail. It took the developers months of effort to fit speakers with similar content into a thin case without sacrificing other components.
What video reviews tell us
What does a consumer do when they plan to buy an iPhone 8? That's right, read reviews about him and watch video reviews. Spend 50-60 thousand rubles at once on a shiny rectangle without remote acquaintance with an expensive gadget. Usually, it is not difficult to guess the mood of such videos. In the first months after the presentation, bloggers look for 'punctures' of the next model or scold Apple for not wanting to listen to the opinions of users.
But in 2017, the tradition was broken. Each video review about the iPhone 8 and 8 plus came out, if not with praise, then definitely in a positive way. A review of these videos gives an idea of the pros and cons of the eights.
Disadvantages from a blogger's point of view:
- old design;
- lack of wireless headphones;
- the need to purchase a docking station for wireless charging yourself.
Benefits:
- improved performance;
- new camera functions;
- support for wireless charging;
- learning OS;
- glass body;
- improved interface;
- light setting functions;
- increase in volume by 25%;
- cool augmented reality app.
Long before the announcement of the iPhone 8 plus and assumptions about how it looks, the model was doomed to a supporting role. And if iPhone 8 confidently started in its price category and immediately became in demand, then the extended version failed, fans of products Apple were waiting for the iPhone X smartphone of the decade.
After a year of testing both models, users come to the conclusion that both the iPhone 8 and 8 plus were underestimated from the very beginning due to the hype around the 'ten' They have the same things as in the flagship of 2017-2018, but cheaper by 10-15 thousand and with the usual design.