Apple iPhone 8 full review
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On 12 September Apple announced an update to its iPhone line in the form of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, and both phones are now officially on sale. We explain the differences between the two so you can decide which is best for you.
We’ll explain this in more detail below, but the key differences between iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus can be summarised as follows:
• Price
• Screen size and resolution
• Cameras
• Overall dimensions and weight
• Battery capacity
Price
Both iPhone 8 models are available to buy from Apple and major mobile operators - see our guide to iPhone 8 deals to find the best price today on either model.
The iPhone 8 is the cheaper option, starting at £699, while the iPhone 8 Plus starts at £799.
That’s for the 64GB model; you can also buy either phone with 256GB storage at £849 and £949 respectively.
So whichever way you look at it the iPhone 8 Plus costs £100 more than the iPhone 8. Now let’s see what you get for that additional expense.
Screen Size & Resolution
The iPhone 8 Plus is bigger than the iPhone 8 which allows for a larger display. The iPhone 8 has a 4.7in screen (measured across the diagonal), while the Plus is 5.5in.
That’s not the only difference in the screen department though, because the iPhone 8 Plus also packs in more pixels. Both are termed ‘Retina HD’ displays by Apple, but the Plus’ 1920x1080-pixel resolution has a density of 401ppi, while the iPhone 8’s 1334x750-pixel resolution has a density of 326ppi.
In truth it’s unlikely you’ll be able to see a clear difference between the clarity of these displays, but there is a difference.
Cameras
The camera is one of the key reasons you’ll buy the iPhone 8 Plus over the iPhone 8. Whereas the iPhone 8 is fitted with a single 12Mp camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS, the Plus additionally has a 12Mp telephoto lens with f/2.8 aperture and OIS that supports 10x optical zoom.
This extra lens will enable you to mess around with the focus on your photos, perhaps blurring the background in a portrait - an effect known as ‘bokeh’ that is becoming increasingly popular with consumers.
Only the iPhone 8 Plus has the new Portrait Lighting feature, an in-beta shooting mode that lets you create dramatic lighting effects.
Dimensions & Weight
Given the larger screen size the fact the iPhone 8 Plus is larger and heavier than the iPhone 8 will come as no surprise.
Though it’s only a fraction thicker, the iPhone 8 Plus is a good centimetre wider and two centimetres taller. It also weighs an additional 54g.
Battery Capacity
Apple has not confirmed the battery capacities for its iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, but it has said battery life will be about the same as for the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. This leads us to believe they probably use the same batteries, which are 1960mAh and 2900mAh respectively.
The Plus therefore runs significantly longer than the iPhone 8: an extra 8 hours talk time, 20 hours audio playback or an extra hour internet use or video playback.
Despite their differences in capacity, both batteries can reach 50 percent charge in 30 minutes, and they support Qi wireless charging.
Specs Comparison
| Specification | iPhone 8 | iPhone 8 Plus |
| Operating system | iOS 11 | iOS 11 |
| Available colours | Gold, Silver, Space Grey, Red | Gold, Silver, Space Grey, Red |
| Display | 4.7in Retina HD (1334x750, 326ppi) IPS | 5.5in Retina HD (1920x1080, 401ppi) IPS |
| Processor | Apple A11 Bionic, M11 co-processor | Apple A11 Bionic, M11 co-processor |
| Storage | 64GB/256GB | 64GB/256GB |
| Primary camera | 12Mp, f/1.8, 5x digital zoom, quad-LED flash | 12Mp wide-angle, f/1.8 + 12Mp telephoto, f/2.8, optical zoom, 10x digital zoom, Portrait Lighting, quad-LED flash |
| Front camera | 7Mp FaceTime HD, f/2.2, 1080p video | 7Mp FaceTime HD, f/2.2, 1080p video |
| Video recording | 4K at 24/30/60fps, 1080p slo-mo at 240fps | 4K at 24/30/60fps, 1080p slo-mo at 240fps |
| Fingerprint scanner | TouchID built into Home button | TouchID built into Home button |
| Waterproof | IP67 | IP67 |
| Dimensions | 67.3x138.4x7.3mm | 78.1x158.4x7.5mm |
| Weight | 148g | 202g |
Specs
Apple iPhone 8: Specs
- iOS 11
- 4.7in, 1334x750, 326ppi, IPS True Tone display
- A11 Bionic six-core CPU
- 64/256GB storage
- Main camera: 12Mp, f/1.8 with OIS
- Selfie camera: 7Mp, f/2.2
- Touch ID
- 3D Touch
- 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
- 4G LTE
- Nano-SIM
- GPS
- NFC (for Apple Pay)
- Lightning port
- Wireless charging (works with Qi chargers)
- 67x138x7.3mm
- 148g
- IP67 water resistance
Author: Marie Black, Editor In Chief
Marie has been writing about tech for 15 years. Our resident Xiaomi expert and a follower of all upcoming phones, she is also the go-to for charging tech.
