The iPhone X has everything you’ve been wanting in a phone: The Face ID, the huge screen, and wireless charging. There’s only one problem… price. You may have already determined that you cannot afford a phone that costs $1K, which is what the price tag on the iPhone X is at the time of this writing. So are there any other options that will satisfy your desire for a modern, high-tech smartphone?
The hype over the iPhone X is all the rage right now, but could there be a different option that meets your needs? The iPhone 8 has many upgrades that would be very apparent and palatable to any smartphone enthusiast upgrading from the iPhone 6… but what if you have an iPhone 7? Will you notice much difference then? Let’s compare some of the features between the two phones.
Similarities and Differences between the iPhones 7 and 8.
Presentation. The sleek look of iPhones have always been a selling point for many users. The iPhone 7 and 8 are both very similar in appearance, with one major difference: glass. The iPhone 8 has a glass back, much like the iPhone X does. The user will notice a difference in weight (the iPhone 8 is 7% heavier than the 7), and thickness (a difference of .2mm). Some users might complain of a heavier phone, or more surface area to crack.
Display. There isn’t a great deal of difference between the displays on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. The one change is that the iPhone 8 now has the “True Tone” display technology which means your phone will adjust its color temperature based on the lightness or darkness of your surroundings. The purpose of this feature is to make reading text easier on the eyes. There is a lot of manual adjusting you can do in the iPhone 7, however, to achieve a similar effect.
Battery and Charging. If you were excited about the wireless charging option for the iPhone X, then you’ll be very happy to hear that this feature also comes with the iPhone 8! The main setback is that it does not include its own wireless charger with the original packaging, you will have to purchase that separately. It does however, come with a standard USB wall cable charger. You can also use a USB-C connector and power adaptor for a “fast charging” option – but those are a separate purchase also, and can cost upwards of $75.
Performance. Now we’re getting into the main advantage the iPhone 8 has over the 7. The processor in the iPhone 8 has the same processor that is in the iPhone X, the A11 bionic chip, which is Apple’s fastest smartphone processor to date! According to Tom’s Guide, the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X are the fastest phones in the world. Apple says the iPhone 8 will operate 25% faster than its predecessor when performing at high efficency. It can even go as high as 70% faster when multitasking between different applications.
Camera. The iPhone 8 doesn’t have any difference specs in its camera than the iPhone 7 does. The only difference is the A11 bionic chip that we discussed under the performance section. The chip should help the camera produce better quality pictures by adjusting the low light focus and reducing noise levels. If you’re a photographer, these would be helpful features, but the average user might not notice them.
Conclusion
If upgrading from an iPhone 6, the user will see a significant difference if they decide to purchase an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. The improvements would not only be with faster performance, but there is also an upgraded camera, and display.
However, if you are upgrading from an iPhone 7, there may be good reason to wait until you can afford the iPhone X. The cheapest model of the iPhone 8 plus is nearly $800, so you wouldn’t be seeing substantial savings anyway. The main difference you will see is in the performance speed. As you learned in our review, the camera, appearance and display are not that much different.
Photo Credit: Aaron Yoo