The new iPhones look identical to last year's iPhones. This means that almost no one would know you have the “freshest“ Apple device unless you make an effort to show off the glass back of the iPhone 8. Indeed, this year's iPhones sport an all-glass design which Apple says comprises the “most durable glass ever, a new steel substructure, and an aluminium band for reinforcement“.
Now, we aren't foolhardy enough to drop a brand new iPhone just to test its break-ability, but we would still recommend that you invest in a protective cover either silicone or leather at the time you put down the moolah for the device.
It should be noted here, that the all-new glass back is not a mere aesthetic decision. It includes an embedded charging system that lets you juice up the device's battery by simply placing the handset on charging mats that support Qi (pronounced `Chi'), an open standard created by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).
Qi chargers work with most protective coverings that don't include metal in their fabrication. Still, we recommend you err on the side of caution, and opt for a covercasing that Apple recommends.
The funny thing though is that the new iPhones use a slower version of Qi charging. The existing standard 1.2 can deliver up to 15W power, whereas both these handsets according to the WPC certification support a 5W `Basic Power Profile'. For faster charging, you will have to buy Apple's ` AirPower mat' that will be launched in 2018. Till then, you will have to make do with wireless chargers from brands like Belkin and Mophie. Like last year, the new iPhones carry an IP67 rating making them dust and water resistant. This means both these devices will survive one-metre under water for upto 30 minutes. In our review, we didn't push these limits but suffice to say both handsets survived a dunk in H2O with zero damage.
DISPLAY & TOUCHSCREEN
The iPhone 8 comes with a 4.7-inch HD display while the larger iPhone 8 Plus is fronted by a 5.5-inch Full HD screen. The visuals and text on both , handsets are rendered sharply , and with little artificial colour saturation. Also, both displays are now equipped with proprietary `True Tone' technology that uses a sensor to detect the colour temperature of the light around you to adjust the white balance on the screen. The result is a natural-looking display with accurate renditions of colour and images.
Both devices are receptive to touches and swipes, and you also get `3D Touch', which made its debut in the 6s series of iPhones. This technology senses pressure on the touchscreen to activate contextsensitive menu options; for better screen sensitivity in sketching apps, and even previewing contents of an email without opening it. Of course, like in earlier iPhones, this feature works as promised.
PROCESSORS
Whichever way you look at it, the new iPhones' A11 Bionic chip is the fastest smartphone processor today . Its CPU comprises two “performance cores“ and four “high-efficiency cores“, while its three-core GPU is fine-tuned to handle 3D games as well as Augmented Reality (AR) applications. Apple says its new CPU can harness all six cores simultaneously whenever applications demand extra processing power. This is a clear improvement over last year's quad-core A10 Fusion chip where only two cores could be active at any given point of time.
Needless to say , in benchmark tests, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus outperformed the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, and also bested the scores posted by each and every Android handset we have reviewed this year, including the OnePlus 5 and the Samsung Note 8.
The devices can record and edit 4K videos at 60fps without any stutter, while demanding 3D games, and AR apps don't pose a challenge either. The new chip also allows for better camera performances, whether it's while recording videos, or applying effects to clips. Theoretically , if the iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus cannot handle any particular present-day smartphone task, no other device would be able to either.
USER INTERFACE
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus comes preinstalled with iOS 11 (this operating system update is also available for older iPhones). Here, you get a customisable Control Centre, which can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom of the screen for quick access to network settings (airplane mode, Wi-Fi and Blue tooth), display brightness, audio volume, night mode, camera and flashlight. You can add more apps to this screen via the Settings app.
iOS 11 also comes with a new `Do Not Disturb' mode that detects when you are driving, and sends customised responses to the people you specify . You can easily disable this mode from the DND pop-up notification if you are not at the wheel yourself.
Like always, iOS 11 comes with preinstalled apps such as Health (to monitor physical wellbeing), GarageBand (to compose music), Keynote (for presentations), Numbers (for spreadsheets), Pages (for documents), iMovie (for video-editing), iTunes Store (for movies and music), and iTunes U (for educational content). On the downside, Apple's Maps app is still not detailed enough for India to help you navigate from one place to another.
Apple has also baked QR code-recognition into the camera app, so now you can point the device at a code, and you will see a context sensitive popup that will offer to open a webpage in Safari, or add phone numbers and email addresses to Contacts.
For security, you get a PIN as well as a fingerprint sensor that's embedded in the button at the bottom of the screen. The latter works as promised and unlocks the device promptly . And, of course, Siri, Apple's digital voice-based assistant works well with Indian accents and can be used to access apps, initiate searches, and play music with voice commands.
AUDIO
Again, this year, Apple has ditched the 3.5mm headphone port. Instead, audio is routed to earphones via the Lightning port that also works to charge the device. In the box, you get Earpods with the Lightning connector. These deliver crisp sound across the lows, mids and highs, with a very good sound stage. Our only grouse is that these earphones come with feeble cables. From the looks of it, most users would be lucky to get two-three months out of them before having to shop for another pair.
You also get a Lightning-to-3.5mm earphone jack adapter that allows you to use your own headphones with the device. Audio quality during calls are clear, and the bottom-facing speakers are loud enough to watch a video at home.
CAMERA
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus comes with a 7MP front camera where you get a soft flash that uses the screen's brightness to illuminate snapshots. Before taking a selfie, you can choose between 10 colour filters, set a timer for delayed snaphots, and even shoot Live photos (where the camera captures a few frames after the shutter-release button is pressed to create a GIF-like animation). This shooter also allows you to record time-lapse clips.
The camera, which can shoot Full HD videos at 60fps, is backed by Auto HDR, which means even the darkest areas of a scene are illuminated to capture details, and you also get auto image stabilisation to reduce blur and shakes in photos and videos.
The images captured by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus front cameras are above average in quality , and pack in a lot of detail. In low light and indoors, you will detect some softening, but this is not a deal breaker.
When it comes to rear cameras, the iPhone 8 comes with a 12MP camera and digital zoom of up to 5x. The iPhone 8 Plus, on the other hand, is equipped with dual 12MP cameras a wide angle and a telephoto, 2x optical and 10x digital zoom.
The rear cameras on both devices have a larger sensor than what was available on the iPhone 7s. It allows for Full HD slow-motion videos at up to 240fps and even 4K videos at up to 60fps.
The dual cameras on the 8 Plus and this is the biggest differentiator between both iPhone models allows for a `Portrait' mode where foreground subjects are captured in sharp focus, while the background appears diffused to create a depth-of-field effect.
In the `Plus', you also get a `Portrait Lighting' feature that is currently in the beta stage. This allows you to apply five effects: `Natural' where the subject's face is in sharp focus against a blurred background, `Studio' for a brightly lit-up subject, `Contour' for dramatic highlights and lowlights, `Stage' where the subject is spot-lit against a black background, and `Stage mono' which is similar to Stage, but in black-and-white. Mastering these modes to get the desired effect will take some practise; besides, two modes Stage and Stage Mono are hit-or-miss affairs, but then, we expect Apple to work on it some more before they roll out a final version. Overall, the cameras on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are arguably the best on smartphones today . Also, their high-dynamic range captures the darkest areas with great details. When it comes to focussing and depth of field, however, we have seen better results on the Samsung Note 8 and the OnePlus 5, but there is no denying that the video captures on these new handsets--with clear audio pickup--are best in class, and enough to shoot quality 4K videos without investing in high-end camera gear.
VERDICT
Apple fans, if you use an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you don't need to buy the new iPhones. If you run anything older, an upgrade to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus could be worth your while: you get a waterproof build, the fastest processor in the market today , and best-in-class cameras. Those who shoot lots of video content, might want to seriously consider these new iPhones. Of course, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus also come with wireless charging, but given the slower speeds that Apple uses for these devices, it is not a compelling reason to upgrade yet.
Android users looking to switch to iOS are prom ised a fast phone and the best curated content in apps, movies, music and podcasts. But this is at the cost of the freedom that Android offers when it comes to copying files to and from your device.
Overall, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the most powerful handsets in the market today , just make sure you pick a solid protective casing for your `all-glass' device.
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