The iPhone Eight is an iPhone by means of and thru. If you happen to’ve owned an Apple handset from the iPhone 6 onwards, you’ll just about know precisely what you’re getting with this telephone.

[Replace: Apple added a brand new shade to the iPhone Eight lineup and we have examined it under. In search of the very best value? Then you definately’ll want to take a look at our iPhone 8 deals round-up, bringing you the entire greatest affords for the handset.]

Android followers and iPhone pessimists will probably be fast to level out the seemingly minor incremental upgrades over 2016’s iPhone 7, however for these with an iPhone 6S or earlier than that’s much less of an issue.

Whereas it might not provide a lot over its direct predecessor, the iPhone Eight has sufficient about it to make it an thrilling improve for these with older iPhone handsets.

There’s additional energy below the hood, which powers Apple’s new AR (augmented actuality) app push, a tweaked show and digital camera, a shiny glass rear and the addition of wi-fi charging – plus, when you’re upgrading from an iPhone older than the iPhone 7, its mud and waterproof physique will probably be a bonus.

iPhone Eight vs iPhone X

Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel right here – when you’re craving innovation (throughout the iPhone bubble) see the iPhone X.

You’ve got most likely already heard, however the variations between these two telephones is fairly huge – and the primary level is the fee. The iPhone X begins at $999 / £999 / AU$1,579 if you’d like the 64GB mannequin, the place the iPhone Eight begins at $699 / £699 / AU$1,079 for a similar capability.

So what are you getting for that more money – and is it price shopping for? The very first thing is the display screen – you have acquired a bezel-less 5.Eight-inch show with a 1,125 x 2,436 decision, and it is OLED show know-how too – that is superior to the four.7-inch 750 x 1,334 display screen on the iPhone Eight. You will discover a enormous distinction between the 2. 

The opposite massive distinction to contemplate is the way you unlock this telephone – with the iPhone Eight, it is Contact ID fingerprint scanning, because it has been for years. With the iPhone X, you are unlocking together with your face, utilizing the nattily-named Face ID. 

The query stays whether or not Face ID will probably be swift and recognise faces quick sufficient – this will probably be one of many key issues we take a look at in our assessment of the iPhone X.

The notch on the prime of the iPhone X incorporates a digital camera that enables for Animoji, the place emoji will be animated by mapping your face – this function is locked to the iPhone X, so not attainable to do on the iPhone Eight.

The iPhone X has twin cameras the place the iPhone Eight has a single sensor, which permits for background de-focus and a extra complete photographic expertise – though that is additionally attainable on the iPhone 8 Plus.

In brief: the iPhone Eight is the protected, cheaper possibility. It does the iPhone belongings you’d need, and is a stable bundle you may recognise all the best way again to the iPhone 6.

The iPhone X is the following era of Apple’s telephone. It is chock-full of latest know-how, it is thrilling for Apple followers, nevertheless it’s untested and costly. Our full iPhone X review is incoming… so when you wished to essentially discover out which is greatest, we might suggest ready just a few days.

iPhone Eight value and availability

•  Launch value (64GB): $699 (£699, AU$1,079) 
•  Launch value (256GB): $849 (£849, AU$1,329) 
•  On sale from September 22, 2017 

The iPhone Eight units a brand new bar by way of price for Apple’s most mainstream handset, upping the value tag as soon as once more.

The entry-level iPhone Eight will set you again $699 (£699, AU$1,079), which is up from the $649 (£599, AU$1,079) value of the iPhone 7 – nonetheless it’s not all dangerous information, because the iPhone Eight comes with 64GB of storage at this value, whereas its predecessor may solely boast 32GB.

If 64GB of inside storage doesn’t sound like sufficient for all of your images, movies, apps and video games, the iPhone Eight additionally is available in a quite flash 256GB variant, which prices $849 (£849, AU$1,329).

The excellent news, although, is that Apple continues to be promoting the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6S, so if its newest iPhone is a bit out of your value bracket you possibly can nonetheless choose up the telephones it’s succeeding, and now at a decreased value.

The iPhone Eight is now broadly obtainable world wide too, after its official launch on September 22 in numerous international locations together with the US, US and Australia, with the handset arriving in additional places, together with Jap Europe and the Center East from September 29.

Design

•  Glass rear appears and feels nice, and allows wi-fi charging 
•  Entrance nonetheless bezel-heavy and virtually equivalent to previous three generations 

The iPhone Eight marks essentially the most radical change in iPhone design for 3 years – however don’t get too excited.

One of many massive upgrades Apple has given its new iPhone, and the main target of the design, is the  glass rear – it’s an improve over the aluminium physique used because the iPhone 5, and its inclusion means a brand-new function within the form of wi-fi charging.

Nonetheless, by way of dimension, form and look the iPhone Eight makes use of the identical kind issue because the iPhone 7, 6S and 6, and from the entrance it’s virtually inconceivable to distinguish between the 4 generations of handsets.

The iPhone Eight is a fraction of a millimeter thicker (7.3mm vs 7.1mm), wider (67.3mm vs 67.1mm) and taller (138.4mm vs 138.3mm) than the iPhone 7, however you gained’t discover. The purpose we’re making is that it’s comparable… very, very comparable.

It’s heavier too, an additional 10g over the iPhone 7, which can be a bit extra noticeable – nevertheless it’s not overbearing, and we had been nonetheless capable of comfortably maintain the telephone in our palm.

The ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t repair it’ argument will be tossed round right here, and Apple actually hasn’t had any hassle shifting massive portions of its smartphone lately; however in a yr when Samsung and LG dramatically slashed the bezels to present us placing, futuristic designs, the iPhone Eight falls flat.

It’s not like Apple has missed this pattern – the bezeless iPhone X is testomony to the truth that it hasn’t – nevertheless it means the iPhone Eight and iPhone Eight Plus look ever-more dated in opposition to the competitors, which now features a rival in their very own camp.

There’s nonetheless a digital camera bump too – that is simply remedied with a case, however for these wanting to indicate off the brand new shiny rear of the telephone it will increase the prospect of harm while you place it on a flat floor.

The ability/lock key continues to be simple to hit on the suitable facet of the handset, as is the centralized dwelling button with Contact ID fingerprint scanner positioned within the bezel under the four.7-inch show. The mute change and quantity keys reside on the left of the telephone, and are once more effectively positioned for simple manipulation.

All of it works, the design is useful, and it’s not a bad-looking handset – however look at that price ticket and it’s exhausting to not really feel a bit short-changed on preliminary inspection.

A remaining phrase on the glass rear too – we want the best way it appears and feels versus the steel physique of the iPhone 7 and co., nevertheless it additionally means it’s much more slippery. 

If you happen to’re somebody who’s liable to drop their smartphone, the iPhone Eight comes with a excessive danger warning, so put money into a bumper, as there’s glass to be smashed on each side now. 

Apple says the glass is super-tough, however we’ve discovered that it does scratch – and when you go for the Area Gray shade it’s additionally fairly the fingerprint magnet. The silver mannequin we reviewed was extra forgiving although, which meant much less time cleansing it with our shirt sleeve. Apple additionally affords a placing gold shade possibility and, now, the Product Red iPhone 8 when you held out for the particular version hue.

 Show 

•  four.7-inch Retina HD show, identical because the iPhone 7 
•  Apple’s True Tone tech improves colours and distinction 

 On paper there’s nothing between the iPhone Eight show and the display screen on the telephone it’s changing. Each it and the iPhone 7 boast a four.7-inch IPS show with a 750 x 1334 decision, giving a 326ppi pixel density.

In actual fact, it’s the identical dimension and backbone because the iPhone 6, which was launched again in 2014.

Whereas on paper this may increasingly seem to be the identical outdated story of Apple refusing to be pushed on upping specification, it hasn’t left the show alone utterly, including True Tone show know-how to the panel.

What this does is monitor the ambient mild across the handset, and calibrate the display screen to greatest swimsuit the lighting circumstances you’re in. It ends in stronger colours and improved distinction, which does make the show look higher than iPhone screens that got here earlier than it.

Place True Tone and non-True Tone iPhones facet by facet and you may see some enchancment, however the iPhone Eight’s show nonetheless doesn’t have fairly the identical colourful punch, or readability, because the QHD+ AMOLED show on the Galaxy S8.

The colour replica is improved as effectively, with Apple specializing in what really makes the display screen look good quite than pushing the pixels for the sake of the spec sheet… however a lift to Full HD would have made an precise distinction to the standard and readability.

Video games and movies look vibrant and vivid although, and the display screen itself is responsive, giving a stable total expertise. It’s exhausting to knock the display screen by itself deserves, because it’s solely while you put it alongside rivals that it lacks the identical readability.

The truth that the display screen is smaller than a number of flagship rivals additionally means it’s simpler to carry and use one-handed, and we had been capable of stretch our thumb comfortably to most areas of the display screen, which isn’t as simple on the bigger iPhone Eight Plus.

I used to be engaged on this concept of mixing app design with the #iPhoneX notch. 📲🤗 pic.twitter.com/lj2AhxWNeESeptember 18, 2017

I used to be engaged on this concept of mixing app design with the #iPhoneX notch. 📲🤗 pic.twitter.com/lj2AhxWNeESeptember 18, 2017