Apple iPhone 8 Plus Specs, review, opinions, comparisons

Three Apple models are coming out at the same time - these are iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X. The company describes the former as "the new generation" and the latter as "the future". In the following lines, we will look at the iPhone 8 Plus, which, according to insiders, can hardly be distinguished from the 7 Plus, even taking into account that it uses a glass back panel, not aluminum. What lies beneath the design familiar to millions? 

Design 

It has been Apple's policy since 2014 not to make any other than cosmetic changes to the design of its smartphones at any cost. The iPhone 8 Plus is no exception. In person, it looks like the iPhone 6 Plus.

Its display is covered by protective glass that is rounded at the edges and smoothly transitions into metal at the edges. The bezels around the screen aren't smaller, as one might expect if one were to follow the trends of the flagship market in 2017. This makes the iPhone 8 Plus look slightly archaic. If you look at Apple's other products, it's not the first time this approach has been seen. The design of the MacBook Pro notebooks hasn't been changed in 3-4 years. 

The only innovation in the design of the iPhone 8 Plus, and more precisely in the materials from which the housing is made, is the glass on the back panel. Under it are positioned the Apple logo and flash. The camera unit has two modules and protrudes slightly above the level of the housing. 

The dimensions of the iPhone 8 Plus have grown slightly compared to the 7 Plus. They are 158.4x78.1x7.5mm versus 158.2x77.9x7.3mm. This increase in size has not affected the ergonomics of the smartphone. And the iPhone 8 Plus can be used comfortably. Its weight is now 202 grams, which is a minimal change compared to the 188 grams of the iPhone 7 Plus. 

We should mention that the appearance of a glass panel on the back of the case has not affected the smartphone's protection against water and dust. It is certified to the iP67 standard. This means that no dust can get into the iPhone 8 Plus case. You can submerge it to a depth of up to 1 meter for a maximum of 30 minutes. 

Fingerprint scanner 

Below the iPhone 8 Plus display is a touch-sensitive button that responds to the force of pressure. The fingerprint scanner is embedded in it. 

Like iPhone 7 Plus, it works quickly. In less than a second, the user unlocks their smartphone. You can add up to 5 fingerprints in the settings. 

Display

The iPhone 8 Plus relies on a 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The minimum brightness is 2 cd/sqm and the maximum is 480 cd/sqm. The contrast is 1:1123.

Overall, although the type and resolution of the screen matrix in this model have not changed from the 7 Plus, the colours of the new display appear brighter and more colourful. 

Performance 

This smartphone uses a processor from Apple - the A11 Bionic. It is a 10nm, 6-core chip, in which four power-efficient cores are complemented by two high-performance ones, working in a 4+2 scheme. It's the first time the company has used its own tri-core graphics accelerator. What does Bionic mean in the processor's name? Rather, it's a marketing gimmick. Apple is trying to focus attention on the neural networking chip, which the company calls the Neural Engine. It is capable of processing 600 billion operations per second. It is designed for machine learning. It allows the iPhone 8 Plus to better perceive the outline of the subject when shooting in portrait mode, analyzing the image. 

In addition, iPhone 8 Plus packs 3 GB of RAM and 64 or 256 GB of storage. The 32 GB and 128 GB versions have been dropped, as the former is no longer competitive and the latter would have affected sales of the maximum memory version. 

The faster processor and graphics are immediately reflected in apps and augmented reality games. This should be taken into account by people who use their smartphone for gaming.

Cameras 

Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8 Plus uses a dual 12-megapixel camera system. One is a wide-angle with an f/1.8 aperture, and the other is a telephoto with an f/2.8 aperture. The features of the cameras have not been changed. Thanks to the new processor and software, Apple has improved the HDR mode performance. Photos with iPhone 8 Plus are better quality and slightly more colorful. There is a big improvement in terms of detail. The model has also paid attention to the programming features. This largely concerns the options for shooting in portrait mode. If in the iPhone 7 Plus the background was simply blurred, in the 8 Plus different lighting modes can be simulated. For example, to completely darken the background. 

Overall, the iPhone 8 Plus's cameras take excellent photos. Because of this, Apple have given up on adding optical stabilisation to the telephoto camera. 

The front-facing camera is a 7-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture. There isn't much improvement in the results with it. 

Autonomous operation 

The battery capacity of iPhone 8 Plus is 2675 mAh. If you remember 7 Plus had 2900 mAh. The more power-efficient processor has compensated for the "shrinking" battery. It provides the smartphone with the same level of autonomy. With a moderately active work with iPhone 8 Plus you can count on a little more than a full day. 

iPhone 8 Plus charges pretty quickly. For this, you need to equip yourself with a more powerful charger, which is not included. Induction charging support according to the Qi standard has appeared in the model. 

Conclusion

The iPhone 8 Plus is an excellent follow-up to the iPhone 7 Plus. It has a satisfactory expansion of features. It boasts higher performance, better camera, louder sound and induction charging support. The design has remained virtually unchanged. The dimensions have increased slightly and so has the price. 

If you've been running on an iPhone 6 or 6s Plus, the iPhone 8 Plus will be a wonderful replacement for your device. 

Pros:

• Water and dust protection;
• Quality display;
• High performance;
• Excellent photo quality;
• New options for portrait shooting mode; 
• Loud sound;
• Fast charging support. 

Cons:

• Bulky body;
• High Price;
• Nothing new as a design.