IPhone 8 vs iPhone 8 Plus

Our review concentrates on the iPhone 8 Plus, but you may be wondering whether the plain iPhone 8 is a better choice for you. Here’s a rundown of how the two compare.

Display This is the biggest difference between the two models. Both feature an IPS display with True Tone technology, but the iPhone 8 has a 4.7in 1,334 x 750 resolution (326ppi) against the iPhone 8 Plus’ 5.5in, 1,920 x 1,080 screen (401ppi).

Design Due to that smaller screen, the iPhone 8 is significantly more compact than the iPhone 8 Plus (they’re the same dimensions as the 7 and 7 Plus respectively). The smaller phone weighs 148g, so 54g lighter, and is also fractionally slimmer: 7.3mm against 7.5mm. It’s 20mm shorter and 11mm narrower too. They share the same design cues, however, with glass backs for Qi wireless charging and a choice of three colours (Gold, Silver, Space Grey).

Cameras The iPhone 8 has a single camera at the rear compared to two for the iPhone 8 Plus. This means you miss out on the optical zoom effect, but otherwise the results they produce will be near-identical. You still get optical image stabilisation for video as well. The 7-megapixle front-facing camera is identical.

Specification The iPhone 8 scores almost exactly the same as the iPhone 8 Plus in benchmarks because they share a nigh-on identical specification; the only difference is that the Plus has 3GB of RAM to the iPhone 8’s 2GB.

Battery We expect the iPhone 8 to offer fractionally less battery life than the iPhone 8 Plus, with Apple claiming the larger phone offers an hour more battery life when playing videos. This is despite the iPhone 8 having a 1,821mAh battery compared to the 2,691mAh of the Plus. Both support quick-charging, with up to 50% charge in half an hour.

Price The 64GB iPhone 8 model costs £100 less than the 8 Plus, so a still chunky £699 inc VAT. If you want 256GB, you’ll be paying £849 versus £949.