Does the new iPhone 8 have the X factor?
Apple iPhone 8 From€829 ★★★★★
Apple changed the mobile business forever in 1997 when it announced the iPhone and in July celebrated the billionth iPhone sold. However, companies such as Samsung and Huawei challenge Apple with every new product launch, and the California giant has struggled to keep pace with innovations from competitors. With the launch of the iPhone 8, Apple hopes to win back the hearts of those customers contemplating a move to Android.
I’m always slightly giddy unboxing an Apple product. The packaging, the way the product feels and the sleek aesthetics always promise that you’re getting a product of quality. The iPhone 8 is no different and the box also includes the charger, USB to Lightning cable, Apple EarPods and an adapter if you have headphones with a standard jack-plug.
You could always set up an iPhone quickly via Apple’s cloud service, me.com but with iOS 11 – if you have another iOS device – you can get going even quicker, using automatic set-up. The ‘quick start’ feature is wonderful, and just by holding the phones together, everything is transferred and ready to go in minutes.
Straight away the new glass back feels better. It makes wireless charging possible and it also makes the phone easier to hold. Now you’re unlikely to have that ‘slippery soap’ experience that aluminium phones can terrify you with. Part of the feeling is that the toughened glass adds a bit of weight to the phone. The weight is more noticeable on the larger 8 Plus, while iPhone 8 is beautifully balanced and easy to hold at just over five ounces (148 grams).
The 4.7in screen looks a little small these days, particularly given the large spaces above and below the screen. And the specification of the display isn’t spectacular. While it’s not full HD, Apple uses a clever technology called True Tone to improve the viewing experience. It allows the iPhone to determine the intensity and temperature of light to give the best display, and it really does work. If you look at the screen for long periods of time, you’ll find this phone less tiring on the eyes. The performance of the iPhone is delivered by Apple’s new A11 Bionic chip. This chip is a huge leap forward for Apple and the iPhone 8 copes with all sorts of tasks with blistering speed. Performance is so good that it’s even noticeable texting, opening or closing apps or reading emails. The iPhone cameras just get better and better. The two cameras, front and back, are excellent. The Facetime or selfie camera records in HD and the main camera is a joy to use. It can detect faces, shoots beautiful panoramas and enhances your photos better than ever before on an iPhone. It will film 4K video and the slow-motion feature is superb, and fun to use.
Overall, iPhone 8 is an impressive phone. The question is, who is this phone for? The iPhone X which arrives in November is the one Apple devotees will want while the iPhone 7 Plus remains the best value-for-feature smartphone available, and it was reduced in price. The iPhone 8 is sandwiched somewhere in between and while it may suit new Apple customers or those upgrading from iPhone 5 or 6, many people I suspect will be holding out for the magic number X.