Friends+Design
- Exceptional build quality
- The design remains similar to the iPhone 7
Display
- Excellent display, slightly improved from the iPhone 7 - adds 'True Tone' support - a color warmth-adjusting ambient effect that the iPad Pro added last year - it makes the display seem less harsh in everyday reading
Software
- iOS 11 continues to be a highly refined and intuitive user interface, and is a solid update over iOS 10, with big and small improvements all over
- The most amazing thing you can do with iOS 11 is augmented reality (will be supported iPhone 6s onwards) - Apple's ARKit works by fusing cameras and motion sensors to track the real world and layer virtual things on top of it, using your phone, promising immersive experiences without wearing any headsets or glasses - the initial apps are all pretty impressive - for instance in SkyGuide, you aim the phone at the daytime skyline and a night sky fades in, with superimposed constellations and star names - and the level of graphic detail in these apps is stunning - it feels richer than VR, even if in a sense it is less immersive
Performance
- Breathtaking, lightning-fast performance powered by Apple's new chip - A11 Bionic - the benchmark numbers are close to what MacBooks with Core i5 processors can achieve - on paper, they blow away the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chip that's in most competing top-end phones, including those from Samsung, LG and OnePlus
Camera
- Small but solid upgrades to the already very good iPhone 7 camera - thanks to an all-new image sensor, photo quality has improved in low light, as has video quality - this is arguably the best single rear camera setup on a phone
- The camera is great, and arguably the best among the single-rear-camera phones, but the top of the camera phone pack is now led by the dual-rear-camera phones like the iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and the Android flagships - which provide the DSLR like 'bokeh' effect
- Additionally with the iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X, you also you get the amazing new Portrait Lighting Mode
Audio
- The speakers also get a small but solid upgrade - they sound nice and loud, and now get a bit beefier with some bass - it's nice when you're sharing TV, movies or YouTube videos with friends, or even just using the iPhone for music at home
- The missing 3.5mm headphone jack is still an issue if you like to use your own headphones instead of the Apple's bundled ones
Battery
- The battery life is good, and about the same as the iPhone 7
- Added support for wireless charging, that works with the existing Qi wireless charging standard
More
- On the whole, the 8 is an incremental upgrade - last year's design with this year's technology - it feels familiar, and it's a safe pick for fans who want a blend of classic Apple style and top-tier performance
- On the whole, if you already have an iPhone 7, you'll find the faster speed, better screen and better camera on the iPhone 8 "nice to have, " but short of "must-buy" territory
