When we ran Geekbench 4, the iPhone 8 managed a single core score of 4,270 and a multi core score of 10,259, compared to the Galaxy S8 which managed 1,762 single core, and 5,723 multi core, and the HTC U11 which hit 1,926 single core and 6,493 multi core.
Running the AnTuTu benchmarking tool, the iPhone 8 scored 214,492. That compares to 155,253 for the Galaxy S8 and 175, 748 for the HTC U11.
Apple has put an extra 1GB of RAM in its larger iPhones, but the iPhone 8 gets by just fine on 2GB of RAM as far as we can tell. It’s not directly comparable with Android phones, which tend to have a lot more RAM, because the operating systems deal with memory management very differently.
The only time we felt any strain was during a session of augmented-reality gaming. There was no stutter or lag, but games like The Machines and Zombie Gunship Revenant AR chewed through the battery quickly and made the glass back very warm to the touch.
There’s lot of fun to be had here. The kids loved the virtual pet game, AR Dragon, and we enjoyed using the Magicplan app to create an accurate floor plan of our home. While AR is available on older devices, as long as they run iOS 11, the extra power in the iPhone 8 is likely to tell more over time and we expect to see AR hit new heights in the near future.
In general, iOS 11 is a pleasure to use. Swipe up from the bottom to
access the control center for all your quick toggles and sliders. Swipe
down from the top for notifications. The only irritation coming from
Android is the big dump of app icons on your home screen and its general
lack of customization options.
There’s no doubt that iOS 11 is a slick operating system that’s very easy to get to grips with. There’s a high level of polish to everything, from the zoom as you jump in and out of apps, to the TouchID purchase animation. It feels coherent and looks stylish. The only slight issue we encountered was an automatic refresh in the App Store which made it impossible to search. After turning the iPhone 8 off and on again, the problem was gone and it hasn’t returned yet.
If you want to delve deeper into the platform, then read our iOS 11 review.
The iPhone 8 has a 12-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and HDR. It’s designed to be easy to use; just point and shoot and more often than not, you’ll get a pleasing photo. We tried it out in a variety of different lighting conditions, indoor and out, and can confidently say it takes great shots.
HDR is on all the time now and Apple has definitely tweaked colors to increase the saturation compared to the iPhone 7, though they’re still a lot more realistic and natural than something like the Galaxy S8. Low-light performance is improved, but it’s one of the few areas where the iPhone 8 can be outclassed. You will find noise and exposure issues in some low-light photos.
Smartphone cameras have improved so much in the last couple of years, but Apple remains on par with the best competitors can offer. We love the cameras in the HTC U11 and Google Pixel, but the iPhone 8 matches them in most situations, surpassing in some and falling short in others.
It’s a shame that you don’t get Portrait Mode on the iPhone 8, or the snazzy new Portrait Lighting feature that the iPhone 8 Plus has, but we don’t think most people will really miss them.
The iPhone 8 can also record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second and 1080p video at up to 240fps, which makes it more capable than the vast majority of flagships. There’s a 7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture to round things out and it will serve just fine for FaceTime calls and selfies.
Sadly, the smile may be quickly wiped from your face when you realize
that the charger in the box is the same old 5W/1A affair that shipped
with last year’s iPhone. If you actually want to enjoy fast charging
then you have to pay an extra $35 for a USB-C to Lightning cable and
you’ll need an Apple 29W, 61W, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter. If you don’t
have one of those – they come with some iPads and MacBooks — then you’ll
have to buy that too. They start from $50 for the 29W version.
Having to pay an extra $85 on top of the $700 you already paid for the iPhone 8 is ridiculous to get a feature that’s standard on every other smartphone at this price and many that are far cheaper. Apple should be providing fast charging kit in the box.
We’d like more time with the iPhone 8 before making definitive battery statements, but so far it has required at least daily charging.
We found that the AR games we played were a particular drain, easily consuming 30 percent in just half an hour or so of game time. On the other hand, our iPhone 8 lasted a day and night out on the town with plenty of camera use and, by turning on low-power mode, we got home to an outlet the next day before it completely died.
The iPhone 8 comes with 64GB for $700 or with 256GB of storage for $850. You can buy it unlocked directly from the Apple Store, or pick one up from any of the major U.S. carriers.
Our Take This is an incremental update over the iPhone 7 and, as good as it is, we’re not convinced it merits a jump of $50 in the starting price. If Apple could have put a 5-inch OLED with a 1080p resolution into this body, it would have been easy to recommend the iPhone 8, but with the iPhone X looming, it’s a much tougher sell.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes. If you’re set on an iPhone, then you should really check out the iPhone X. It sports an exciting new design, a much larger and sharper OLED screen, a superior dual-camera, and all-new facial tracking features that we’ve never seen before, all in a package that isn’t much bigger than the iPhone 8.
If you’re not fussy about sticking with iOS, then you should take a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S8. If you’re willing to go a bit bigger, the HTC U11 or LG V30 both have a lot to offer. If you can wait a short while, Google’s next Pixel is due to be unveiled in October and it’s very likely to be a real iPhone contender.
How long will it last?
If you do opt for the iPhone 8, we think it will last you a good long while. Apple will continue to update it for years to come and the cutting-edge processing power definitely offers some future-proofing. You could easily use the iPhone 8 for up to four years, or use it for two or three years and then sell it for a decent price. It is IP67 rated, so the odd dunk won’t be a problem, but we would advise a case to guard against scratches and cracks.
Should you buy it?
If you still love your iPhone 6 or 6S and you want to upgrade without spending too much, or you want a smaller phone without compromising on power, then the iPhone 8 is going to tick all your boxes. But if you want the best iPhone, wait for the iPhone X.
Running the AnTuTu benchmarking tool, the iPhone 8 scored 214,492. That compares to 155,253 for the Galaxy S8 and 175, 748 for the HTC U11.
Whatever way you slice it, the iPhone 8 is one of the most powerful phones around.
Whatever way you slice it, the iPhone 8 is one of the most powerful
phones around. In fact, it has the same chip as the iPhone 8 Plus and
the forthcoming iPhone X, so there is no compromise on performance here.
Whether you’ll feel any real benefit is harder to say, because we never
had any problems with the performance of the iPhone 7, or with Android
phones like the HTC U11. The iPhone 8 will probably age more gracefully,
but right now we think you’ll struggle to find ways to take advantage
of all that raw power.Apple has put an extra 1GB of RAM in its larger iPhones, but the iPhone 8 gets by just fine on 2GB of RAM as far as we can tell. It’s not directly comparable with Android phones, which tend to have a lot more RAM, because the operating systems deal with memory management very differently.
The only time we felt any strain was during a session of augmented-reality gaming. There was no stutter or lag, but games like The Machines and Zombie Gunship Revenant AR chewed through the battery quickly and made the glass back very warm to the touch.
Solid software with iOS 11
Just as the iPhone 8 brings refinements to a familiar design, so does Apple’s latest platform update, iOS 11. Perhaps the biggest addition comes via ARKit, which is a developer framework for augmented-reality apps and games. These employ your iPhone’s camera to overlay game elements, furniture, and more on your living room floor.There’s lot of fun to be had here. The kids loved the virtual pet game, AR Dragon, and we enjoyed using the Magicplan app to create an accurate floor plan of our home. While AR is available on older devices, as long as they run iOS 11, the extra power in the iPhone 8 is likely to tell more over time and we expect to see AR hit new heights in the near future.
There’s no doubt that iOS 11 is a slick operating system that’s very easy to get to grips with. There’s a high level of polish to everything, from the zoom as you jump in and out of apps, to the TouchID purchase animation. It feels coherent and looks stylish. The only slight issue we encountered was an automatic refresh in the App Store which made it impossible to search. After turning the iPhone 8 off and on again, the problem was gone and it hasn’t returned yet.
If you want to delve deeper into the platform, then read our iOS 11 review.
Class-leading camera
We were excited to take the iPhone 8 camera out for a spin. Although the iPhone 8 lacks the dual-camera set-up that you’ll find in the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, it’s still one of the best cameras we’ve used.The iPhone 8 has a 12-megapixel main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization, and HDR. It’s designed to be easy to use; just point and shoot and more often than not, you’ll get a pleasing photo. We tried it out in a variety of different lighting conditions, indoor and out, and can confidently say it takes great shots.
HDR is on all the time now and Apple has definitely tweaked colors to increase the saturation compared to the iPhone 7, though they’re still a lot more realistic and natural than something like the Galaxy S8. Low-light performance is improved, but it’s one of the few areas where the iPhone 8 can be outclassed. You will find noise and exposure issues in some low-light photos.
Smartphone cameras have improved so much in the last couple of years, but Apple remains on par with the best competitors can offer. We love the cameras in the HTC U11 and Google Pixel, but the iPhone 8 matches them in most situations, surpassing in some and falling short in others.
Just point and shoot and more often than not, you’ll get a pleasing photo.
Checking in with independent photography experts, DxOMark,
we find that the previous joint top phones – the Pixel and the U11 on
scores of 90 – have been knocked off the top spot by the iPhone 8, which scored 92.
The only phone that ranks higher is the iPhone 8 Plus on 94 and that’s
entirely down to the zoom capability and strong bokeh effect afforded by
its dual camera.It’s a shame that you don’t get Portrait Mode on the iPhone 8, or the snazzy new Portrait Lighting feature that the iPhone 8 Plus has, but we don’t think most people will really miss them.
The iPhone 8 can also record 4K video at up to 60 frames per second and 1080p video at up to 240fps, which makes it more capable than the vast majority of flagships. There’s a 7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture to round things out and it will serve just fine for FaceTime calls and selfies.
Daily charging made easier
Battery life is an area where Apple really needed to play catch up, so it’s disappointing to find that the iPhone 8 has an even smaller battery than its predecessor at 1,821 mAh. Thankfully, that disappointment is mitigated by the fact that Apple has added fast-charging support, so you can charge up 50 percent of the battery in 30 minutes. There’s also wireless charging support through the Qi standard, made possible by the new glass back.
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Having to pay an extra $85 on top of the $700 you already paid for the iPhone 8 is ridiculous to get a feature that’s standard on every other smartphone at this price and many that are far cheaper. Apple should be providing fast charging kit in the box.
Having to pay an extra $85 on top of the $700 you already paid for the iPhone 8 is ridiculous.
We were pleased to find that the Qi wireless charging works just fine with our array of wireless charging pads.
If you don’t have one, you’ll be glad to learn that you can get a
decent one for less than an Apple power adapter. Being able to place
your iPhone 8 on a pad on the nightstand or in your car and have it
charge, albeit slowly, is very convenient. Although it can only draw 5W
right now, Apple is planning to enable up to 7.5W via an update later
this year.We’d like more time with the iPhone 8 before making definitive battery statements, but so far it has required at least daily charging.
We found that the AR games we played were a particular drain, easily consuming 30 percent in just half an hour or so of game time. On the other hand, our iPhone 8 lasted a day and night out on the town with plenty of camera use and, by turning on low-power mode, we got home to an outlet the next day before it completely died.
Warranty information
You get a standard one-year warranty from Apple, starting from the date of purchase, that covers the iPhone 8 for manufacturing defects. It does not cover you for any accidental damage or liquid damage. For $130 you can take out AppleCare+ which extends the warranty for an additional year and reduces two incidents of accidental damage to a nominal fee. For example, a cracked screen will cost $30 to replace instead of $150.The iPhone 8 comes with 64GB for $700 or with 256GB of storage for $850. You can buy it unlocked directly from the Apple Store, or pick one up from any of the major U.S. carriers.
Our Take This is an incremental update over the iPhone 7 and, as good as it is, we’re not convinced it merits a jump of $50 in the starting price. If Apple could have put a 5-inch OLED with a 1080p resolution into this body, it would have been easy to recommend the iPhone 8, but with the iPhone X looming, it’s a much tougher sell.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes. If you’re set on an iPhone, then you should really check out the iPhone X. It sports an exciting new design, a much larger and sharper OLED screen, a superior dual-camera, and all-new facial tracking features that we’ve never seen before, all in a package that isn’t much bigger than the iPhone 8.
If you’re not fussy about sticking with iOS, then you should take a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S8. If you’re willing to go a bit bigger, the HTC U11 or LG V30 both have a lot to offer. If you can wait a short while, Google’s next Pixel is due to be unveiled in October and it’s very likely to be a real iPhone contender.
How long will it last?
If you do opt for the iPhone 8, we think it will last you a good long while. Apple will continue to update it for years to come and the cutting-edge processing power definitely offers some future-proofing. You could easily use the iPhone 8 for up to four years, or use it for two or three years and then sell it for a decent price. It is IP67 rated, so the odd dunk won’t be a problem, but we would advise a case to guard against scratches and cracks.
Should you buy it?
If you still love your iPhone 6 or 6S and you want to upgrade without spending too much, or you want a smaller phone without compromising on power, then the iPhone 8 is going to tick all your boxes. But if you want the best iPhone, wait for the iPhone X.
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