It's no secret that smartphones have become thinner and less intrusive over the years. Screens are growing, the frames around them are shrinking. The boundaries between us and information - applications, contacts, etc. - gradually erode. Apple has sensed this trend and is strengthening it in . To make this transition smoother, the company has also introduced the 8 Plus.
These devices look familiar and interaction with them is familiar to most users. They can be called traditional. This is not a disadvantage, quite the opposite. Perhaps in the future all iPhones will look like the iPhone X, but for now the iPhone 8 is a safe choice with high quality assembly and high performance for those who are in no hurry to get into the future. Perhaps these are the last such traditional iPhone devices.
Like it or not, the iPhone X radically changes the way Apple approaches smartphones. The American company has shown how it sees the future of mobile devices, so it is not surprising that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus seem boring in comparison. This is not to say that they have poor design or build quality. Just appearance The iPhone has not changed for three years since the introduction of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and has become boring.
The rounded edges, the camera bump, the Lightning connector, and the volume control are in the same places as always. Again there is an IP67 water and dust protection standard, a capacitive button, stereo speakers and no headphone jack. The iPhone 8 is very familiar, which for some will be an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
That's not to say that the iPhone manufacturing formula hasn't changed at all. Updated color options have appeared, the cases are metal and wrapped in a strip of 7000 series aluminum. The back surface has become glass, which allows the signal to pass through for wireless charging. Some are concerned about the transition from metal to glass cases, and there is cause for concern. Surely everyone has seen at least one iPhone owner with cracks on the screen. Apple promises to solve this problem by using the most durable glass in the history of smartphones, and during a week of testing it did not fail. At least being in a bag with other items did not leave any scratches.
Another advantage of glass over metal is the passage of radio signals. As a result, the large antenna bands around the body have completely disappeared. When you look at the back of the iPhone 8, you see glimpses of the camera, the shining Apple logo and the iPhone lettering, the lettering has disappeared Designed by Apple. As a result, the iPhone's appearance is cleaner than ever before. Also, the glass surface leaves a pleasant feeling, although everyone may have different opinions. Glass is a little warmer than metal, but it glides across the table just the same.
All these elements are included in longer, thicker and heavier cases. iPhone 8 is as thick as iPhone 7 Plus iPhone Plus heavier than both of them. It would seem that the difference in weight is insignificant, but it is felt. Standard iPhone The 8 is still comfortable to hold for long periods of time, but the combination of weight and bezels makes the iPhone 8 Plus too large for one-handed use. For comparison, the Galaxy S8+ and LG V30 have even larger screens and at the same time feel more compact and convenient.
Smartphones have a lot of advantages inside. Apple abandoned the basic version with 32 GB of flash memory and now the countdown starts from 64 GB and ends at 256 GB. For the first time, Apple developed its own GPU, which runs side by side with the A11 Bionic processor. Naturally, there are no problems with speed and smoothness. The larger battery and improved dual camera are in favor of the Plus model, if you can handle the size of this device.
Screen and sound
You've already heard it all: the iPhone 8 has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1334 x 750, the Plus model has a 5.5-inch diagonal and 1080p resolution. All these parameters do not differ from the models of a year ago, and the similarities do not end there. A wider DCI-P3 color range is used, as on the iPhone 7, brightness and contrast have not increased compared to last year. Thus, the screens remained the same.
Apple has moved one of the useful features of tablets here iPad Pro. True Tone technology uses an ambient light sensor and changes color temperature screen so that white and other colors remain balanced. You can enable this feature during initial setup systems. Colors become less accurate, but eye strain is reduced.
Continuing the theme of colors, it is necessary to express concern about the lack of support for the standard. Services like Amazon Prime and Netflix are gradually making this richer video experience available, and users are becoming spoiled for screens on the Galaxy Note 8 and V30. The iPhone X has full HDR support, but for now you'll have to make do with the iPhone 8's color range. As with last year's models, this expanded color range gives certain images, like photos from better cameras, extra richness. For example, red and yellow colors become more noticeable, the blue appears deeper. Landscape shots benefit the most from the expanded color range, but many won't notice any of it.
What you definitely can't miss is the difference in sound quality. Smartphones now have more powerful stereo speakers; the developers promise a 25% increase in volume. It would be nice if the speakers were more immersive, like the four speakers on the iPad Pro. At least the in-ear speaker complements the capabilities of the bottom speaker.
Software
The iOS 11 operating system has begun rolling out to supported iPhone and iPad models. There are a lot of innovations here, but this review was written before distribution began and some functions were not tested, like payment system on P2P and AirPlay 2. Here we'll focus on what iOS 11 means for the iPhone 8.
At first, iOS appears to look normal. Upon closer inspection, this illusion begins to dissipate. Bet on thumbnail, which was made on Apple Music last year, is being distributed further, so you'll see big, rich app titles.
The control center also has a new look, going from a simple settings panel to a cluster of elements with toggles for new features like the True Tone screen and Do Not Disturb While Driving mode. The last switch is especially useful: in theory, the function should block notifications in a moving car, but the device cannot know whether you are the driver or the passenger. The new look of the control center cannot be called ideal, especially when you periodically accidentally change the screen brightness or volume when trying to close the panel. However, it will take a little time to get used to.
The classic Notification Center no longer exists. Swiping down from the top of the screen shows notifications on the lock screen. You can still use 3D Touch notifications to get an enhanced view, but it seemed like such a major update would bring improvements to the experience with more notifications. Removing all notifications with one gesture is simple action, but how difficult was it to group notifications into individual apps?
Apple's virtual assistant has received significant updates. The voice has become more natural, resulting in the feeling that you are communicating with a person. Siri is also smarter now. Language-to-language translations and pronunciation samples are available to help you learn languages. The assistant performs better on abstract requests like “Play sad music.”
It is worth noting that queries can now be typed on the keyboard, but this does not mean that you need to do so. This option is hidden in settings special features,typing queries takes longer than voice queries. It would be better if there was an easier way to switch between these interaction modes, or if they coexisted in the Siri interface.
The store has been significantly redesigned Apps Store, a heavy emphasis is placed on videos on application pages and daily editorial posts regarding new programs. Don't expect Apple's internal journalists to come up with any earth-shattering news, since the focus is mostly on advertising. Now that users have more storage space at their disposal, the new Files app should prove useful. Not all users need advanced file management on the iPhone, but it's nice to be able to drag and drop files in cloud storage iCloud Drive. The app also supports other services such as Dropbox and Google Drive, but such manipulations are not yet available there.
There are enough small useful additions in iOS 11. If you hold the volume down and the power button, the reboot will no longer occur - a version of the close window now appears with the option to call emergency services, and to access you need to use a PIN code to unlock.
This is a useful innovation for emergency situations, but the replacement for a forced reboot is quite frivolous: you need to press the volume control up and then quickly down, then hold the power button for about 10 seconds. Some users like to reset the device if it starts to work incorrectly, so over time this key combination will begin to irritate. There is also an option to turn off the smartphone from the settings menu.
Camera
The main rear cameras on the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the same, with a resolution of 12 megapixels. The developers claim that it has become faster and has deeper pixels for improved purity and color accuracy. You have to make allowances for the marketing exaggerations and boasts, but overall this is a great camera.
It seemed that compared to the camera on the iPhone 7, the new device conveys details better. For daylight, the detail is even higher than on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The difference was insignificant, but it was there.
These smartphones handle colors differently: the iPhone consistently produces more natural photos, while the Note 8's photos look more vibrant and idealized. The Samsung device seems to show the world as it should be, and not as it actually is. At the same time, the HDR option was enabled on both cameras; in the iPhone 8 it is active by default. In low light, the Note 8 without flash produces slightly brighter images, but Apple offers improved dual LED flash, which lights up quickly after a long exposure. Many people don't like to shoot with flash, but Apple's approach could change that prejudice. Considering the excellent cameras in Samsung devices, the fact that the iPhone is not inferior to them, and sometimes even surpasses them, is respectable.
The iPhone 8 Plus has a secondary telephoto rear camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels, which is not so impressive. It's not as good in low light as its aperture is f/2.8 compared to the wider f/1.8 on the main wide-angle camera. Having two cameras allows for some interesting tricks. Portrait mode is still available, but the quality has improved compared to last year. This time the subject can be within 2.5m of the camera and it can better recognize where to start blurring the edges behind the subject. The first version of the portrait mode did not perform well in low light, but now this problem is less severe, which is helped by the use of flash.
There is also a Portrait Lighting mode. It is only available on iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X and is still in beta testing. This becomes obvious within a few minutes of starting its use. Natural Light mode offers the same standard portrait photos described above. Studio Light brightens the subject's face. The next three modes may be more problematic. Contour Light is supposed to make faces stand out with more dramatic lighting, but instead tends to make them appear darker and more sinister. Stage Light and Stage Light Mono make everything behind the subject appear black and show how difficult it is to properly define the boundaries of the foreground and background. Many photos in these modes turned out simply terrible.
The video shooting has also been updated. There is 4K recording at 60 fps, and there is also 240 fps slow motion at 1080p resolution. When conditions are right, images are surprisingly clear and smooth, even in 4K.
Performance and battery life
This section can be kept relatively short: thanks to the new 6-core Apple A11 Bionic processor, the devices operate very smoothly and quickly. However, this happens with all new iPhone models. What's more impressive is the architecture's ability to boost performance when needed. If you're upgrading from an iPhone 7, you won't see a significant difference when launching apps or scrolling through interfaces.
There are certain situations in which the devices cope without problems with the help of their four economical cores. When the load increases, when running games or when many applications are open at once, two powerful cores come into play. Each time, smartphones use different combinations of these cores to keep speed high and power consumption and heat as low as possible. The iPhone 8 Plus is better suited for multitasking because the volume random access memory it has 3 GB versus 2 GB in the iPhone 8.
The extra power comes in handy when you're running augmented reality apps. In this testing, two such applications were considered, both were not in the final version: Ikea Place and the game Machines. There were no problems in their work. It was interesting to see how apps running on Apple's ARKit framework would perform compared to Google's Tango software and the hardware capabilities of devices running it. So far the implementation is impressive. The iPhone 8 also renders virtual objects well in physical space, and those objects tend to stick to surfaces better than in Tango apps. Two unfinished proposals do not allow us to reliably judge the future of this technology, but they inspire cautious optimism.
I was also concerned about the duration battery life, given rumors about the reduction in battery sizes compared to last year. As a result, the duration remained at the same level. In a video test at HD resolution and 50% brightness, the iPhone 8 clocked in at 12 hours 2 minutes, a minute less than the iPhone 7. The iPhone Plus clocked in at 14 hours 26 minutes, which is faster. With everyday using iPhone 8 is able to work a full day without problems and still have some left the next morning. The iPhone 8 Plus lasts for about a day and a half, and if you don’t load it, then even two.
The package does not include adapters for fast charging, but the smartphones support the Qi standard. In addition, wireless charging works when smartphone cases are worn. No slowdown in speed was noticed.
Conclusion
When we first met the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, it seemed that they were no different from the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The impression turned out to be wrong: they have new advantages, it’s just that the design is no longer as impressive as before. If the internal contents are more important to you, the new devices take a significant step forward. The amount of flash memory has increased, cameras and software have been improved, and performance has become higher than ever. It may not have the sleek styling of the iPhone X, but it's still a great smartphone for those looking to stay in or join Apple's mobile ecosystem for the first time.
pros
- Impressive performance
- Excellent build quality
- Great cameras
- Wireless charging
- Long battery life (on iPhone 8 Plus)
- The first augmented reality applications inspire optimism
- Looks too familiar
- The camera bump is back
- Missing dual camera (iPhone 8)
- Difficult to hold (iPhone 8 Plus)
- No water and dust protection IP68
Last year, the iPhone X was in the spotlight, and we didn’t ignore it: read our articles and. In addition, we told you about the compact model. But next to these two new products, the iPhone 8 Plus has faded into the background, which seems to be not quite a flagship, but at the same time cannot boast of being compact and attractive. at the price of an iPhone 8. However, it would be wrong to completely discount him. Therefore, we decided to use the iPhone 8 Plus in real life and talk about our impressions of it - both in comparison with the iPhone X and with. But, of course, you will also find traditional test results in the article.
Let's take a look at the characteristics of the new product.
Technical specifications of Apple iPhone 8 Plus
- SoC Apple A11 Bionic (6 cores, 2 of which are high-performance and operate at 2.1 GHz, and 4 are energy-efficient)
- Apple A11 Bionic GPU
- Apple M11 motion coprocessor including barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope and compass
- RAM 3 GB
- Flash memory 64 / 256 GB
- No memory card support
- operating room iOS system 11
- IPS touch display, 5.5″, 1920×1080 (401 ppi), capacitive, multi-touch, support for 3D Touch technologies and Taptic Engine response
- Cameras: front (7 MP, video 1080p 30 fps, 720p 240 fps) and rear with two lenses (12 MP, optical zoom 2×, video shooting 4K 60 fps)
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz; MIMO support)
- Cellular: UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz); GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), LTE Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, LTE Advanced support
- Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP LE
- Touch ID fingerprint scanner version 3
- NFC (Apple Pay only)
- Universal Lightning Connector
- Supports Qi wireless charging
- Li-polymer battery 2675 mAh, non-removable
- GPS / A-GPS, Glonass
- Dimensions 158×78×7.5 mm
- Weight 202 g
For clarity, let’s compare them with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 Plus to understand, firstly, how the two generations of larger Apple smartphones differ, and secondly, whether there is a difference between the two new generation models (besides the size, of course).
| Apple iPhone 8Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Apple iPhone 8 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi | 4.7″, IPS, 1334×750, 326 ppi | |
| SoC (processor) | Apple A10 Fusion (4 cores, 2+2) | SoC Apple A11 Bionic (6 cores, 2+4) | |
| Flash memory | 64/256 GB | 32/128/256 GB | 64/256 GB |
| Connectors | universal lightning connector | universal lightning connector | |
| Memory card support | No | No | No |
| RAM | 3 GB | 3 GB | 2 GB |
| Cameras | main (12 MP; video 4K 60 fps) with two lenses and front (7 MP; shooting and transmitting Full HD video) | main (12 MP; video 4K 30 fps) with two lenses and front (7 MP; shooting and transmitting Full HD video) | main (12 MP; video 4K 60 fps) and front (7 MP; shooting and transmitting Full HD video) |
| User identification sensors | Fingerprint's scanner | Fingerprint's scanner | Fingerprint's scanner |
| Housing protection | IP67 (water and dust protection) | IP67 (water and dust protection) | IP67 (water and dust protection) |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2675 | 2900 | 1821 |
| operating system | Apple iOS 11 | Apple iOS 10 (upgrade to iOS 11 available) | Apple iOS 11 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 158×78×7.5 | 158×78×7.3 | 138×67×7.3 |
| Weight (g) | 202 | 189 | 148 |
| Average price (for version with minimum flash memory) | |||
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus (64GB) Retail Deals | |||
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus (256GB) Retail Deals | |||
The main difference between the larger new iPhone and its younger brother (besides the size and display area, of course) is 3 GB of RAM instead of 2 GB. We'll talk about how this affects performance further. As for the comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus, it’s worth paying attention to the new 4K 60 fps video shooting mode (the “seven” only had 4K 30 fps), as well as the slightly reduced battery capacity. However, it is too early to draw any conclusions from this - we need to look at it in practice.
Well, let's get acquainted with the smartphone live.
Packaging and accessories
The iPhone 8 Plus is completely identical to its younger brother, the only difference is in size. And in size, it, in turn, is completely identical to the iPhone 7 Plus - so much so that even the cases will fit.
However, using a case with the iPhone 8 Plus is a dubious idea, because you won’t feel like you’ve upgraded to a new iPhone if you previously had an iPhone 7 Plus. Of course, the main innovation in terms of design is the glass back surface.
It must be said that in addition to the obvious aesthetic advantages, it also has an important practical advantage: it is much less scratched than the Jet Black coating on the iPhone 7 Plus. In less than a year of use, our iPhone 7 Plus Jet Black is already covered in scratches, although the smartphone was in a case for the vast majority of this period. In the case of the iPhone 8 Plus, after a month of equally active use in everyday life, no visible damage appeared - not even the smallest scratch, although it was not always in a case.
At the same time, it is quite obvious that the case reduces the likelihood of breaking the smartphone and allows it to maintain its “marketable” appearance longer. So the question of whether to use a case or not remains open. By the way, Apple has also released new cases for the new iPhones: in the photo below there is an iPhone 8 Plus in a charcoal gray leather case.
As for the colors of the smartphone itself, as you know, the iPhone 8/8 Plus is sold in three color options - silver, gold and space gray. Pink is no longer in the assortment, as well as Jet Black. But the gold version that we used gives a noticeable pinkish tint. This is an amateurish effect, although a very interesting one. The other two colors are more versatile.
There's another benefit to the glass back (or at least that's what Apple claims): the new iPhones support wireless charging. We mentioned this in our review of the iPhone 8, but now we decided to check how this works in practice.
Wireless charging iPhone 8 Plus
Unfortunately, Apple has not yet released a proprietary AirPower charging station, so you have to use third-party solutions.
The iPhone 8 Plus (as well as the iPhone 8 and iPhone X) support the Qi standard. This is the most popular wireless charging standard, so if you see a wireless charger in a store, it will most likely be a suitable option.
As it turns out, finding inexpensive wireless chargers in retail is not easy. The author entered into a number of major chain stores at the central stations of the Moscow metro and everywhere I encountered bewilderment from sellers. At first they did not understand what wireless charging was in principle, then some of them recalled that “it seems we have it, but only for Samsung phones” (they had to explain that it would also work for the iPhone), but in the end it turned out that the only option costs about 4,000 rubles, and the desire to buy it immediately disappeared.
However, if we go to the websites of the same stores, we can easily find many more attractive offers. Prices start from 1000 rubles. True, the charger really needs to be ordered - either for delivery by courier, or for pickup from some store. Apparently they are not in enough demand to put them on the shelves.
So, we decided to try one of the cheapest options - Buro Q5 - and measured how long it takes to charge the iPhone 8 Plus.
The result was not very happy: in half an hour, a heavily discharged iPhone is charged by about 12%. In total, the process will take at least four hours. Here, however, it should be noted that the current strength of the Buro Q5 is 1 A. Of course, there are 2 A wireless chargers on sale, but there are much fewer of them than single-amp ones, and their price starts from 2,000 rubles.
In general, if you want to use third-party wireless charging, you can do it, and there should be no problems, but be prepared for slow charging, or look for two-amp charging and pay much more for it.
Screen
The screen parameters of the iPhone 8 Plus are no different from those of the iPhone 7 Plus: 5.5-inch diagonal, IPS matrix with a resolution of 1920×1080. By modern standards, these are far from record parameters. However, as we know, screen quality is not determined by resolution alone. On top of that, the manufacturer has introduced a number of interesting technologies into new generation screens.
The editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections will tell you about the quality of the display. Alexey Kudryavtsev .
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Apple iPhone 8 Plus, then they can be distinguished by size):
The screen of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus is slightly darker (brightness according to photographs is 104 versus 113 for the Nexus 7). The ghosting of reflected objects in the screen of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, much like the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control and when the white field was displayed in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 580 cd/m², the minimum was 2.7 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, screen readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a good level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by the light sensor (it is located above the front speaker slot), which is turned on by default. IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider - the user uses it to set the desired brightness level for the current conditions. If you don’t change anything, then in complete darkness the brightness drops to 3.0 cd/m² (very dark), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 550 lux) the screen brightness is set to 100-160 cd/m² (acceptable), and in in a very bright environment (corresponding to the lighting of a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) rises to 670 cd/m² (even higher than with manual adjustment). We were not entirely satisfied with the result, so in the dark we slightly moved the brightness slider to the right and for the three conditions indicated above we received 15, 120 and 670 cd/m² (ideal). It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately, and it is possible to adjust the nature of the brightness change to suit the user's requirements. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.
IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is used. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can familiarize yourself with those used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and Nexus 7, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 TO.
There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.
And a test picture:
Color balance varies slightly, color saturation is normal. Let us remind you that the photograph cannot serve as a reliable source of information about the quality of color rendering and is provided only for conditional visual illustration. In this case, apparently due to the peculiarities of the emission spectrum of the screen, the color balance and brightness of colors in photographs of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus screen are somewhat different from what is visible to the eye and determined by a spectrophotometer.
Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors did not change much on both screens and the contrast remained at a high level.
And a white field:
The brightness at an angle of the screens decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Apple iPhone 8 Plus the drop in brightness is less. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened to a medium degree and acquires a purple tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:
The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1270:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 26 ms (14 ms on + 12 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 34 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The power function fit exponent is 1.81, which is lower than the standard value of 2.2, so the image is slightly brightened. In this case, the real gamma curve noticeably deviates from the power-law dependence:
Color gamut is sRGB:
Let's look at the spectra:
Such spectra are found in top mobile devices Sony and other manufacturers. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Yes, and the red phosphor apparently uses so-called quantum dots. For a consumer device, a wide color gamut is not an advantage, but a significant disadvantage, since as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. However, in this case, the color gamut is carefully adjusted to the sRGB boundaries and, as a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation.
This applies to those images that have an sRGB profile or no profile at all. However, today's top-end Apple devices are native to the Display P3 color space, with slightly richer greens and reds. The Display P3 space is based on SMPTE DCI-P3, but has a D65 white point and a gamma curve of approximately 2.2. In addition, the manufacturer states that starting with iOS 9.3, color management is supported at the system level, which makes it easier for iOS applications to correctly display images with a specified color profile. Indeed, by adding test images ( JPG files and PNG) with the Display P3 profile, we got a wider color gamut than sRGB (output in Safari):
Note that the coordinates of the primary colors coincide almost exactly with those specified for the DCI-P3 standard. Let's look at the spectra in the case of test images with the Display P3 profile:
It can be seen that in this case no cross-mixing of components occurs, that is, this color space is native to the Apple iPhone 8 Plus screen.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. The nature of the change in values from hue to hue indirectly shows that software color correction is used. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
This Apple device has a feature Night Shift, which makes the picture warmer at night (the user specifies how much warmer). A description of why such a correction may be useful is given in. In any case, when having fun with a tablet or smartphone at night, it is better to reduce the screen brightness to a minimum, but still comfortable level, and only then, to calm your own paranoia, turn the screen yellow with the Night Shift setting.
The smartphone also has a function True Tone, which, when turned on, adjusts the color balance to environmental conditions. For example, we activated it by placing the smartphone under cool white LED lights, and ended up with values of 6.6 for ΔE and 6900 K for color temperature. Under a halogen incandescent lamp (warm light), the same parameters turned out to be 4.0 and 6100 K, that is, the color temperature became lower. The function works as expected. Note that the current standard is to calibrate display devices to a white point of 6500 K, but in principle, correction to the color temperature of external light can be useful if you want to achieve a better match between the image on the screen and what is visible on paper (or any other media). , on which colors are formed due to the reflection of incident light) under current conditions.
Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages of the screen include an effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flickering, good black stability to deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane, high contrast, and support color gamut sRGB (with the participation of the OS) and good color balance. There are no significant shortcomings. At the moment this is probably one of the best displays among all smartphones.
Performance
Like the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, the iPhone 8 Plus runs on the Apple A11 Bionic. This is a 64-bit SoC that includes 6 cores, of which two are high-performance and the other four are energy-efficient. Moreover, at maximum load, all six cores can work simultaneously.
As before, the difference between the iPhone and the Plus prefix in the name is 3 GB of RAM instead of 2 GB for its younger brother. Let's see how this affects performance!
Let's start with browser tests: SunSpider 1.0.2, Octane Benchmark, Kraken Benchmark and . Used Safari browser. Especially for a more clear comparison, we ran new performance tests on the iPhone 7 Plus, updating the smartphone OS to the latest version.
As you would expect, the iPhone 8 Plus outperforms the iPhone 7 Plus, and quite confidently. But there is no superiority over the iPhone 8; in these browser tests, the difference in total memory does not affect it.
Now let's see how the iPhone 8 Plus performs in the AnTuTu and Geekbench 4 comprehensive benchmarks.
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus (Apple A11) |
Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Apple A10) |
Apple iPhone 8 (Apple A11) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu (more is better) |
191207 points | 171329 points | 211416 points |
| Geekbench 4 Single-Core Score (more is better) |
4245 points | 3539 points | 4266 points |
| Geekbench 4 Multi-Core Score (more is better) |
10378 points | 5995 points | 10299 points |
| Geekbench 4 Metal Score (more is better) |
15668 points | 12712 points | — |
Again, it confidently outperforms its predecessor, especially evident in Geekbench tests that measure CPU and RAM performance. But there is no noticeable lead over the iPhone 8, and in AnTuTu the larger model even lost. Apparently, the increased amount of RAM does not provide a clear benefit in these tests.
The last group of benchmarks is dedicated to testing GPU performance. We used 3DMark, GFXBenchmark Metal, as well as Basemark Metal Pro, which is designed specifically for Metal-enabled devices.
Let us remind you that Offscreen tests involve displaying images in 1080p, regardless of the actual screen resolution. And Onscreen tests mean displaying a picture in the resolution that matches the device screen resolution. That is, the “off-screen” tests are indicative from the point of view of the abstract performance of the SoC, and the remaining tests are indicative from the point of view of the comfort of the game on a specific device.
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus (Apple A11) |
Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Apple A10) |
Apple iPhone 8 (Apple A11) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.3.1 (1440р) | 28.5 fps | 24.2 fps | 22.2 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.1 | 45.1 fps | 43.0 fps | 75.9 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan 3.1, off screen | 44.5 fps | 41.0 fps | 36.9 fps |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan | 64.7 fps | 57.6 fps | 94.9 fps |
| GFXBenchmark 1080p Manhattan, off screen | 67.2 fps | 58.3 fps | 47.5 fps |
Judging by GFXBenchmark, the iPhone 8 Plus does not have such a huge advantage over the iPhone 7 Plus, and it lags behind the iPhone 8. But this is quite logical: the lower the screen resolution, the more frames per second the device can display. However, in all tests with a fixed resolution, the iPhone 8 Plus is the leader, and this is already strange - what ensures such a clear victory over the iPhone 8?
Once again, the iPhone 8 Plus outperforms the iPhone 7 Plus, much more significantly than in GFXBenchmark. But the difference with the iPhone 8 already falls within the range of possible measurement errors.
Finally - Basemark Metal Pro.
And here the leader is already the iPhone 8, for the same reason as in the GFXBenchmark onscreen tests. However, the difference between the devices is not so great, and the advantage of the new products over the iPhone 7 Plus is quite modest (although undeniable).
In general, the iPhone 8 Plus performed at approximately the same level as the iPhone 8; we did not detect a significant effect from increasing the amount of RAM in the tests. As for the difference with the iPhone 7 Plus, it certainly exists, but it manifests itself differently in different modes.
Cameras
As before, the difference in cameras between the two iPhones of the same generation is that the Plus has a second lens that provides optical zoom capabilities. As for comparison with a smartphone of the same size, but of the previous generation, here it is worth paying attention to the appearance of a 4K 60 fps video shooting mode (the “seven” had only 30 fps).
Editor of the “Digital Photo” section Anton Soloviev commented on the pictures taken on the iPhone 8 Plus and tested the smartphone's camera on our test bench.
The camera copes well with shooting even in the evening cloudy day and into the wind. The program manages to select the exposure in such a way that the fluttering foliage is not blurred, but small parts were not eaten up by noise.
The smartphone has two cameras, like the previous generation Plus. In fact, they differ not only in focal length. In addition, in the G8, Apple decided to remove the dubious zoom and give cameras different functions: The wide-angle camera is suggested to be used for regular photography, and the telephoto camera for portraiture. It's hard to disagree with this move, but we'll still compare the two cameras under the same conditions.
| 29 mm | 57 mm |
|---|---|
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It is noticeable that the portrait camera works a little worse: it is a little soapy in places, a little more noisy and generally creates a “soft portrait image”. However, for a telephoto lens in this form factor this is quite acceptable - they will probably someday be brought to a good level, as has already been done with wide-angle ones.
Here's a portrait camera doing its usual thing, albeit in difficult conditions:
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With insufficient lighting, of course, it is difficult to reveal its advantages, but still the camera does a good job. And since a wide-angle lens won't give you such good geometry in such a close-up, the camera will come in handy. By the way, many modes have been added to it for different portrait shooting scenarios. In particular, the program itself can edit out the portrait, as in the third photo. For a smartphone, this result looks quite decent.
And a few more shots showing the capabilities and effects of portrait mode.
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It is impossible to say unequivocally that the “deep pixels” promised to us make a tangible contribution to the quality of the picture, so we will check this in laboratory conditions.
| 29 mm | 57 mm |
|---|---|
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| Lighting ≈3200 lux | |
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| Lighting ≈1400 lux | |
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| Lighting ≈130 lux | |
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| Lighting ≈130 lux + flash | |
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| Illumination ≈1 lux + flash | |
The maximum effective resolution of the sensor remains at the same level as a couple of years ago. But the programmers managed to tame the noise, and now even in very low light the camera practically does not lose detail, which is surprising. The camera actually does an equally good job of capturing measurements in different light conditions. And this can be extrapolated with good reliability to ordinary subjects not in laboratory conditions. The portrait camera looks more modest - however, we could already notice this when comparing them and shooting portraits.
As a result, we can say that the wide-angle camera turned out to be excellent; it is well suited for various scenes. The portrait camera is rather ordinary; it does not match the quality of images with a wide-angle one (I would like it to), but it works well in itself and is quite suitable for creating avatars.
Autonomous operation and heating
As noted at the beginning of the article, we used the iPhone 8 Plus for a month in real life as our only smartphone. And these are calls via cellular communications and instant messengers (Telegram, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp) on average an hour and a half a day, communicating in instant messengers, regularly updating the FB feed, reading sites, mail with push notifications and a flow of letters in the region of 30-50 per day, less regularly - intensive use of the camera and voice recorder. Almost all iPhone time was connected via Bluetooth to the watch Apple Watch and about half an hour a day - to Apple headphones AirPods.
In the described mode, the smartphone lived for two days, that is, it had to be charged every other night. Let's say you use it on Monday and Tuesday, put it on charge at night; Wednesday morning you have 100% and you use it without recharging until the night from Thursday to Friday...
In general, this is a good result, roughly comparable to the iPhone 7 Plus, especially for very intensive use. Of course, if you play games or watch movies or online videos (we didn’t do any of this while getting to know the device), the result will be different. But we believe that for the majority of potential owners of the iPhone 8 Plus, our scenario is quite relevant.
Of the minuses, we note that the battery discharges unevenly. So, at the end of the first day you usually have about 65% charge left, and at the end of the second day the charge is already running low (it is obvious that the smartphone hardly loses charge overnight - a maximum of one or two percent).
Of course, we also conducted traditional testing of battery life in several modes.
| Playing videos from YouTube | Offline playback of HD movie from iTunes Store | 3D Gaming Mode (GFX Benchmark Metal, Manhattan 3.1 Battery Test) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus | 9 hours 5 minutes | 10 hours | 2 hours 24 minutes |
| Apple iPhone 7 Plus | — | 12 hours | 2 hours 13 minutes |
| Apple iPhone 8 | 6 hours 55 minutes | 18 hours 15 minutes | 2 hours 10 minutes |
Below is a thermal image rear surface obtained after two consecutive runs (about 10 minutes of work) of the Basemark Metal test:
The heating is highly localized in the upper right part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 41 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees). The heating in this test is the same.
conclusions
Upgrading to iPhone 8 Plus from iPhone 7 Plus Doesn't Feel Like big step forward. The only good thing is the rear glass surface, if you use the smartphone without a case, and the possibility of using wireless charging (although the latter is more relevant for those who are ready to wait for the release of Apple AirPower).
If we compare the experience of using it with the iPhone X, then, of course, the iPhone 8 Plus is perceived as a more bulky and less impressive device in appearance, but it lasts a little longer on a single battery charge. In addition, the presence of a Home button is more convenient for conservatives, although, as we have seen, the transition to Face ID and full gesture control in the iPhone X is very smooth and fast.
The above, however, does not mean that the iPhone 8 Plus is bad. On the contrary, the smartphone is good for absolutely everyone; it has no serious shortcomings. The screen, battery life, performance - everything is great. But there is still no “wow” effect. Why? Probably because the “wow effect” is reserved for the main new product: the iPhone X. But, for a moment, it is 15 thousand rubles more expensive. Significant difference!
We can say that the iPhone 8 Plus is not an option “for show-off” and not for tech geeks, but for real everyday use. Of course, there is no particular point in switching to it from the iPhone 7 Plus; the 2016 model remains more than relevant. And even owners of the iPhone 6s Plus can hold off on the upgrade. But if you haven't iPhone latest two generations and the question arose about buying a model with a large screen, but you are not ready to overpay for the innovations of the iPhone X, then the iPhone 8 Plus is the most logical option. Moreover, the price difference with the iPhone 7 Plus is 12 thousand rubles, but the minimum amount of memory is larger: 64 GB versus 32 GB.
New from Apple in 2017 - smartphone iPhone 8 Plus turned out to be controversial both in terms of technical components and user reviews. It would be most logical to compare it directly with its closest brothers - the 7 Plus models and simply with the eight.
By the way, a few words about the name. According to traditional Apple logic, the next after the 7 Plus should be the 7s Plus, but the iPhone 8 Plus was born. It turns out that the smartphone has jumped one generation. This decision can be justified by two factors. The first is a purely marketing move, and we all know how much the Cupertino company loves such gestures. Secondly, there were so many innovations that it was more logical to present customers with a completely new gadget. In this review, we'll look at the main features of the new iPhone.
Specifications
For clarity, we present a complete and detailed table indicating all the technical characteristics of the three smartphone models.
| Apple iPhone 8 Plus | Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Apple iPhone 8 | |
| Display | 5.5″, IPS, 1920×1080, 401 ppi | 4.7″, IPS, 1334×750, 326 ppi | |
| CPU | Apple A10 Fusion (4 cores, 2+2) | SoC Apple A11 Bionic (6 cores, 2+4) | |
| Built-in flash memory | 64/256 GB | 32/128/256 GB | 64/256 GB |
| Connector | universal lightning connector | universal lightning connector | |
| Additional memory cards | No | No | No |
| RAM (GB) | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Main camera | 12 MP; 4K 30 fps video with two lenses | 12 MP; 4K 60 fps video with two lenses | |
| Front-camera | 7 MP; shooting and transmitting Full HD video | 7 MP; shooting and transmitting Full HD video | |
| Owner identification | By fingerprint | By fingerprint | By fingerprint |
| Housing protection degree | IP67 (water and dust protection) | IP67 (water and dust protection) | IP67 (water and dust protection) |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2675 | 2900 | 1821 |
| OS | iOS 11 | iOS 10 with the ability to upgrade to iOS 11 | iOS 11 |
| Dimensions (mm) | 158×78×7.5 | 158×78×7.3 | 138×67×7.3 |
| Weight (g) | 202 | 189 | 148 |
The main difference between the new Apple iPhone 8 Plus and the younger regular iPhone 8 (besides the dimensions and weight) is the RAM increased to three gigabytes (versus two gigabytes for its predecessor). How this affected performance, as well as what else is different about the new iPhone, can only be understood after testing in the field.
Equipment
Apple’s boundless greed is known to everyone; with the release of the new model, nothing has changed - the complete package, if exaggerated, looks like “here’s the iPhone itself, buy the rest yourself.” The manufacturers also did not experiment with the box. We are offered a standard rectangular cardboard, which is painted in the color of the body.
iPhone 8 Plus box
On the front of the package is the iPhone itself, on the back is a description of the device, and in a separate line is the amount of built-in memory. The complete set looks like this:
- iPhone 8+ itself;
- wireless EarPods headphones for the Lighting connector;
- Lightning\mini jack adapter;
- a paperclip to open the SIM slot;
- Charger;
- documentation.
The charger that comes in the kit (power 1 ampere) deserves special mention and “gratitude”. The owner of an iPhone will have to buy a more powerful memory. Another point that irritates users is the lack of a Lightning to USB C adapter in the complete package, which you will also have to purchase yourself.
Design and appearance
Among the main advantages why Apple gadgets are so loved is their appearance. The iPhone 8 is still just as cute, however, the front panel has remained unchanged since the “Seven”. A relative novelty can be considered the rear glass panel, which is equipped both simply with the “eight” and in the 8 Plus. For several generations of Apple smartphones, Apple preferred exclusively metal back surfaces; the last time such a solution was tried was on the iPhone 5C.
By iPhone sizes The 8 Plus is identical to the 7 Plus, giving you the option of using your old case rather than buying a new one. True, there is one nuance. The thickness of the new iPhone is 7.5 mm, which is already too much in modern realities. If you also put a cover on this case, the device will become too “bloated”.
Glass was chosen because it would be impossible to implement wireless charging with metal. As for the strength of the front and back glass, according to the manufacturer, it is 50% higher than that of the iPhone 7 Plus model. Based on user reviews, the material is actually quite strong, but you shouldn’t expect any miracles from it. If it falls out of your hands, you can count on a “50 to 50” chance, that is, “either it will break or not,” which is already better compared to previous, more fragile models, in which a fall would damage the glass with a 100% probability.
The same applies to abrasions and scratches on the case - even after three months of wear without a case, such defects did not appear. Both glasses have a good oleophobic coating, which practically does not leave fingerprints, which can also be considered a plus. By the way, it is recommended to buy black models - scratches on them are not so visible.
The frame of the Athos 8 Plus is reinforced with 7000 series aluminum - the same material used in the aerospace industry. In this case, the frame is painted to match the body itself. Painted in six layers to achieve maximum color depth. A few words about color solutions. You can purchase a smartphone in only two tones:
- Space Gray “space gray” (as close as possible to black);
- Silver "silver" and Gold "gold".
There is also a limited edition of phones with a red casing. The saddest thing is that there is no all-black model.
Color solutions Apple cases iPhone 8 Plus
Interesting note. The most popular in Russia is the iPhone 8 in a gold case. It is preferred by both women and men. Previously, the stronger sex traditionally preferred black models.
Now about the iPhone controls. Their location remains the same as in the previous model:
- at the bottom of the front part there is a “Home” button (by the way, it will disappear only in the X version of the smartphone);
- at the top - front camera and stereo speaker;
- rear - dual camera and flash;
- the bottom edge is a microphone, a second stereo speaker and a Lightning connector;
- the right side is the on/off button and the SIM card tray (traditionally, you can only use one SIM card);
- left side - buttons for adjusting volume and turning on silent mode;
- upper limit - nothing.
Dimensions of iPhone 8 Plus in a woman's palm
The dimensions of the iPhone are 158.4x78.1x7.5 mm, weight - 202 grams. In fact, the 5.5-inch screen turned out to be too large; you can see how it looks in the palm of your hand in the photo above. Many users noted that the iPhone 8 is not very convenient to carry in your pocket and is difficult to transport. To be fair, it must be said that in this case it was necessary to buy the “younger brother” iPhone without the Plus prefix. Its 4.7 diagonal will be more convenient, especially for people with small palms.
The iPhone 8 case meets the IP67 protection standard - the same standard as the previous iPhone. It’s worth mentioning right away that the smartphone is only waterproof, not waterproof, that is, it is not recommended to completely immerse it in water.
Display
The new iPhone 8 has a 5.5-inch Retina HD LCD screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, 401 ppi and an aspect ratio of 16:9. It occupies 67.63% of the front area of the phone. The characteristics cannot be called record-breaking even for 2017, in addition, they are identical to the 7 plus model. However, there are also innovations, the main one of which is the True Tone technology for full color temperature adaptation. The smartphone is equipped with a four-channel ambient light sensor, thanks to which the equipment can automatically adjust the white balance. The image on the screen will be closer to the “paper” version, not the “digital” one.
True Tone technology on iPhone screen 8
As a result, the iPhone 8’s automation adjusts the image so that it looks as natural as possible and does not strain your eyesight, regardless of the level of illumination around. This technology first appeared in the iPod Pro, as in the iPhone, it can be disabled in the settings.
The maximum display brightness is 625 cd/m² - the same as in the “seven”. This is completely enough to comfortably view images in bright sunlight. Among the distinctive characteristics, it is worth noting the best color rendition. The picture looks juicier and brighter. It uses dual-domain pixel technology, which gives the screen a wide viewing angle. Traditionally good quality The olephobic coating is also different, which prevents the appearance of stains and fingerprints on the screen.
Summing up the display, we can safely say that the iPhone 8 is better than its predecessor. The reason for this is the unique True Tone technology. No other smartphone can provide this level of color reproduction.
Wireless charger
The main reason why back panel made entirely of glass - the desire to equip the iPhone 8 with wireless charging function. Apple did not reinvent the wheel and used the Qi standard. The market offers a large number of such chargers. You can find a replacement for the weak original memory from the basic package.
Another option is to purchase a docking station for your iPhone. The device is made in the form of a stand on which the iPhone 8 is installed. At the bottom of the station there is a Lightning port (it is responsible for recharging), there are also ports for connecting to a PC or power supply, plus a mini jack for connecting speakers or headphones. This gadget has several advantages - the phone will not “fly” off the table due to careless movement, you can charge your smartphone and listen to music at the same time.
Another charger from Apple is AirPower. A special feature is the simultaneous charging of up to three devices. For example - iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch. However, the device has not yet been released.
Another feature of the iPhone 8 is the function of fast charging the device from 0 to 50% in just half an hour. The only condition is that you will have to purchase an adapter to USB-C with a power of 87 W. As we remember, it is not included in the main package.
Sound
The sound quality of the iPhone 8 has become noticeably better compared to its predecessor, and we are talking about both stereo speakers and the quality of music in headphones (although in the second case a lot depends on the external device). The speakers became noticeably louder, the sound was full and rich, bass was better transmitted, no squeaking or grinding was noticed even at maximum volume levels. Excellent bass should appeal to those who like to watch videos on iPhone - in addition to the large screen, there is now high-quality sound.
According to the developers, the volume level in the iPhone 8 Plus is 25% higher than that of the iPhone 7 Plus. According to the personal feelings of users, the company, as always, lied. Yes, the volume has been increased, but it would be more fair to talk about 10-15%, although this is a significant increase - considering that the quality has also become better.
The only relative disadvantage of the iPhone is that it is not possible to directly connect ordinary wired headphones, which were left over, say, from a previous gadget. The new smartphone is only compatible with wireless devices that have a Lightning port, and their selection, quality and price are often incomparable with their wired counterparts. However, even the package includes an adapter from Lightning to a classic mini jack, and therefore the problem is solved.
Cameras
The iPhone 8 series is equipped with two main cameras:
- wide-angle lens with 6 blades and f\1.8 aperture;
- telephoto lens with f\2.8 aperture.
It is noteworthy that only the wide-angle has an optical stabilization function. Both cameras have a resolution of 12 megapixels. Despite the identical camera performance (compared to the seventh model), the quality of photographs has become an order of magnitude better. Apple has decided to abandon the dubious digital zoom. A wide-angle lens is used for classic photography, and a telephoto lens is used for portraits. Below is an example of photos from an iPhone in equal lighting conditions.
Focal length: 29 mm
Focal length: 57mm
A portrait lens slightly blurs the image, gives softer pastel colors, and you can see a slight noise. Yes, wide angle is better in terms of image quality, but it’s worth remembering what specific tasks different lenses are used for. All the disadvantages of a portrait camera, if it is used specifically for portraits, become its advantages.
Portrait on iPhone 8
The lenses also perform well in low light conditions.
iPhone 8 camera at night
And in daylight conditions.
iPhone 8 camera during the day
In the settings of the iPhone 8, by default, shooting with HDR effects is set - you can turn it off if you wish. This mainly applies to close-up and mid-range portraits. This solution (two lenses with different tasks) is the main reason why buyers paid attention to the iPhone 8.
It's also worth mentioning the software portrait mode, which can be enabled in the settings. It has been completely redesigned, now the background blurs more naturally, and the detail of the main object has become higher. In the dark, the lens also produces a good image without graininess. In addition, when you turn on Portrait mode on your iPhone, you can now use the flash and HDR mode. The good news is that you can set portrait lighting with one touch; the options are “day”, “studio”, “contour”, “stage” and “mono stage”. We strongly recommend experimenting with the settings, taking pictures in different conditions (outdoors and indoors) and under different lighting conditions - this is the only way to determine the optimal shooting parameters.
Concerning front camera, then you can’t expect any revolutionary solutions here - it completely replicates the iPhone 7 and 7 plus models. True, the manufacturer announced new feature Slow Sync, which appeared on the True Tone Quad-LED flash, improves the quality of selfies at night. Thus, the technology involves illuminating the face, and not the face and background, as a result, the subject appears clearer. It is still not recommended to take selfies in the dark - there will definitely be noise or blurring due to the long shutter speed.
Example of a night selfie on iPhone 8
Example of a daytime selfie on iPhone 8
Video shooting
The new iPhone 8 and its big brother attracted not only photographers, but also videographers. The device can now shoot videos at a frequency of 60 frames per second, versus 30 for the previous model, and do it in 4K resolution. I would like to make a reservation right away. If you take an iPhone specifically for shooting video, it is recommended to buy a device with a built-in memory of 256 gigabytes. The rollers weigh a lot, but add additional card memory will not work.
Optical stabilization works great, eliminating the slightest hand shake, while the image does not twitch, as happens even with Android flagships. The stabilization turns out to be lively and soft - it’s clear that it was filmed handheld, but the picture comes out excellent. By the way, about picture quality - the iPhone has proven itself well for both daytime and nighttime video shooting. It is also worth praising the unit for its ability to make slow-motion video with a frequency of 249 fps and a resolution of 1920x1080 - at the time of the release of this phone, no rival could boast of such indicators. Some disadvantages can be called high frequency stream of slow-motion videos at 109 Mbit/s, which causes difficulties with their installation - you will have to get a powerful computer.
Technical equipment
The first thing you want to pay attention to when talking about the internal filling of the iPhone is the six-core A11 Bionic chipset, which leaves far behind all its rivals like Qualcomm, HiSilicon and MediaTek. Now comes the most interesting part. The smartphone simply does not need such power. The fact is that the previous iPhone model, even in 2017, remained the most powerful smartphone in the world, which was 70% more powerful than competitors (with four cores) or 30% (with two). And here comes a device that is ahead of even these indicators (the chipset is 30% faster than in the “seven”). Not the “heaviest” mobile game, not even the much-hyped AR augmented reality requires such power. For clarity, here is a test using the Geekbench 4 benchmark.
A11 Bionic supports Metal 2 graphics technology, which is used to create VR and AR applications, which has become an incentive for developers to develop more demanding and more complex games.
Now about RAM. iPhone 8 is equipped with 3 gigabytes. This may cause some skepticism among some users, because even Chinese crafts for $200 are equipped with 6 GB modules, but the point is not in quantity, but in quality. Tests have shown that the gadget can easily withstand 45-50 simultaneously open applications, while none of them go into reboot, and this did not affect the performance of the iPhone in any way. So we can safely say that Phone 8 Plus is the fastest and most powerful smartphone 2017.
operating system
One small clarification that you need to know about if you are moving from iOS 10 to version 11. The new system does not support 32-bit applications; they are not in the store and cannot be installed. Most people will not notice this, since in fact the transition to 64-bit utilities began back in 2013 and now there is no shortage of software, but information is never superfluous.
Regarding the operating system. iPhone users noted that it was very buggy and sluggish. It was also called “the crudest Apple product in the field.” software" Well, this is really true - the first iOS version 11 was indeed unstable and worked disgustingly. What can we say if two updates were released in just the first week.
However, gradually the situation changed. As of the end of 2018, no serious problems is not observed with the OS. The main thing is not to prevent it from being completely updated after turning on the iPhone for the first time.
In general, this is a convenient human-oriented operating system. Even for a user who has never picked up a smartphone before, a day will be enough to figure everything out. It’s not for nothing that Apple has always put usability at the core of its products.
Autonomous operation and heating of the device
Despite the fact that the battery capacity of model 8 is slightly lower than that of model 7 (2675 versus 2900 mAh), the battery life is approximately the same. The official documents provide the following figures:
- 21 hours of talking;
- 60 hours of listening to music;
- 14 hours of video viewing;
- 13 hours of surfing the Internet.
Due to the resource-saving Apple A11 Bionic chipset, there was no need to maintain the full battery capacity. According to reviews from iPhone users, the battery charge in medium intensity mode (web surfing, photo and video shooting, receiving calls and messages) is enough for about plus or minus two full days. For intense workloads (games, shooting a lot of videos in 4K, a lot of conversations) - completely for the working day.
As for heating, it is the same as with the previous iPhone seventh series - the back panel heats up, but not critically. Here is a snapshot obtained after two 10-minute runs of the Basemark Metal test.
TestBasemark MetaloniPhone 8 Plus
So low heat can be considered a plus. The highest temperature is in the upper left part, this is due to the location of the SoC chips.
Results. To buy or not
Let's start with the pros:
- iPhone 8 Plus is the most powerful smartphone of 2017, and even in the realities of 2019, its power will be enough to run the most demanding games;
- good iPhone performance despite the small amount of RAM;
- cameras - the best at the time the iPhone was released;
- wireless charging and headphones (with reservations).
Now the cons:
- the design has refused to change for many years;
- stingy basic iPhone equipment;
- not very comfortable to use due to too big screen(with reservations);
- there is no design in a completely black case;
- price.
However, the main disadvantage of the iPhone is the lack of any breakthrough changes compared to the seventh model. Part of the reason for this is that all the innovation is reserved for the X Series.
Who to buy? If you have the sixth iPhone model or lower, and want a modern device, buy it. If you value high-quality photos and videos and know how to take correct setting lenses - definitely buy.
Who shouldn't buy an iPhone? Everyone else. It would be more logical to overpay and buy the tenth version of the gadget, since this one did not have any very noticeable advantages (except for those described above).
Smartphone Apple iPhone 8 Plus: review and specifications
Apple's latest announcement, which introduced three devices at once - iPhone 8/8 Plus and iPhone X - somewhat puzzled analysts and Apple fans. Firstly, everyone is accustomed to the fact that in even-numbered years the model number is updated and a noticeable update of the iPhone occurs, and in odd-numbered years the letter S is added to the current number, and the update is of a “minor” nature. On the one hand, this is exactly what happened.
The changes to the iPhone 8/8 Plus were clearly of an evolutionary nature, but at the same time, the conceptually new iPhone X was also presented at the presentation. There was general chaos with the numbering of iPhones this year. The letter S disappeared without a trace and an incomprehensible X appeared.
However, Apple's marketing efforts are not of much importance from the point of view of the average consumer. The only important thing is that iPhone 8/8 Plus appeared in official Russian retail at a price of 57-77 thousand rubles. It is also important to note that the iPhone X, according to Apple, will go on sale on November 3, although some experts (or ill-wishers) believe that the “ten” may reach Russia much later.
Changes within
Equally important is that upon closer examination, the iPhone 8, and especially the iPhone 8 Plus, turned out to be not as simple as it seemed on September 12 at the presentation at the Steve Jobs Theater.
When you look at the iPhone 8 Plus for the first time, you immediately remember the joke that Apple made a mistake with the numbering, and it was necessary to call new smartphone iPhone 7S Plus. It is absolutely impossible to distinguish the “seven” from the “eight” by looking at the front panel.
iPhone 7 Plus (left) and iPhone 8 Plus / Dmitry Bevza
Everything changes if you turn the smartphone over or just take it in your hand - the glass back panel greatly changes its appearance, and the smartphone itself feels completely different in your hand. The back panel is made of impact-resistant glass, which is generally a trend in the mobile industry. Glass and ceramics are clearly replacing aluminum as the primary material for premium smartphones. This is partly a fashion, partly a technological requirement for implementing wireless charging.
Interestingly, the glass for the screen and back panel of the iPhone 8/8 Plus is not Corning Gorilla Glass 5, as in all top smartphones of 2017, and a composite material exclusively developed for Apple. Apple claims it is the strongest glass ever used in a smartphone.
However, the first crash tests conducted with the iPhone 8/8 Plus showed that the new glass can be broken if desired, and now in the event of an incident, not only the screen, but also the back panel will most likely have to be replaced.
If external iPhone changes 8/8 Plus are more decorative in nature, while the changes that affected the hardware are much more serious. The two main ones are the processor and the camera.
iPhone 8/8 Plus is equipped with a new 6-core A11 Bionic processor, which runs 25-70% (depending on the task) faster than last year's A10 Fusion, and its graphics core has become 30% more productive. A11 Bionic is essentially comparable in performance to new desktop processors.
Why is such power needed? In all likelihood, for use in augmented reality (AR) mode, which Apple was so interested in. There are still few AR applications, and even fewer smart ones, but the main thing is that developers, seeing AR support in iOS, will rush to this clearing. There is competition there compared to the conventional market mobile applications and there are not too many games yet, and there is a chance to make good money.
The only place where we have already noticed increased power on the iPhone 8 Plus is in the camera performance and 4K video conversion.
The camera is perhaps the most interesting thing about the iPhone 8 Plus. At first glance, this is still the same dual 12-megapixel Sony module, but that's not true.
Firstly, the camera has new fast lenses. Secondly, a new larger matrix with “deeper pixels”, that is, with improved isolation between pixels, a new ISP, a new True Tone Quad LED flash with the Slow Sync function. Now the background and foreground of the scene are illuminated more evenly. The flash combines a long shutter speed with a short pause between flash pulses. In evening and night shooting conditions, the subject is illuminated without darkening the background. The new camera is also specially calibrated to work with AR applications.
We also note the ability to shoot 4K video at 60 fps, slow-motion HD video at up to 240 fps, the possibility of time-lapse shooting and excellent image stabilization.
By the way, in addition to the hardware upgrade of the camera in the iPhone 8 Plus, the software and image processing algorithms were updated, which affects the quality of photos and videos almost more than pumping up hardware.
This is how the iPhone 8 Plus camera shoots during the day. It is worth paying attention to the fact that the frame was taken without post-processing, in cloudy weather, when the pictures turn out boring, inexpressive and you have to artificially enliven them with the help of filters. The second photo was taken in good lighting.
Photos taken on iPhone 8 Plus (collage) / Dmitry Bevza
But the main “bomb” of the new camera software is the new portrait mode, or rather portrait light. It works like this - the smartphone understands where the face is in the frame and where the background is, separates and darkens the background, programmatically “lights” the face and then assembles everything into the final picture - and all this in real time. The new option is still in beta mode, but its excellent potential is already visible.
Portrait iPhone mode 8 Plus / Dmitry Bevza
In addition to the camera and processor, as already mentioned, the iPhone 8/8 Plus has support for wireless charging using the QI standard, and you can charge the new smartphone from third-party wireless chargers. Apple will have its own charger in 2018.
Who needs iPhone 8
All of the above can be partly regarded as an answer to the popular question: “What’s new in the iPhone 8, besides glass?”
Upon closer examination, there was a lot that was new in it, which of course does not remove the answer to the popular question “is it worth buying?” This is a difficult question and requires a detailed answer with numerous “ifs”.
If you like iPhones, if you like bold and unusual technological solutions, if you are patient enough to wait until November (and according to unverified rumors - December), and if you are wealthy enough to shell out 80-92 thousand rubles for an iPhone X — perhaps it’s worth holding off on purchasing and waiting for the “ten” to come out.
If you are practical and economical, and you already have an iPhone 7/7 Plus, and if you have somewhere to spend money, then it’s worth living with the “seven” for at least another year.
This is still a relevant device, and with all our love for new iPhones, it’s too early to write off the iPhone 7/7 Plus as scrap.
But the difference between the new iPhone and iPhone 6s/6s Plus and older models is already quite large. There is different performance here, and a big difference in camera performance, and battery life, which becomes noticeably worse in a two-year-old smartphone. In general, we can recommend that owners of rare iPhones take a closer look at the iPhone 8/8 Plus.
What's up with competitors?
All of the above applies primarily to users of Apple technology, for whom the operation of a smartphone on the Android OS is terrifying. There's no doubt that the iPhone 8 Plus is now best smartphone Apple. However, even this company does not exist in a vacuum. There is a huge army of Android users and it will not be easy to fight Android vendors for their Apple wallets.
Of course, the iPhone 8 Plus can now be recommended to all enthusiasts mobile video and mobile photography, regardless of their preferences. The fact that the iPhone 8 Plus has one of the best, if not the best mobile camera in the world, there is no doubt.
At the same time, it is worth noting that this year a whole series of excellent smartphones were released, which in their own way technical specifications They are not much inferior to the iPhone 8/8 Plus, and in some respects they are superior to it. Of course, Samsung immediately comes to mind with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.
The Galaxy S8/8+, released six months ago, is still relevant - it has best screen(Super AMOLED with Quad HD resolution), spectacular frameless design and the ability to turn your smartphone into a computer using DEX docking stations. Plus, it is much cheaper than the iPhone 8/8 Plus - 36 thousand rubles. from “gray” sellers or 49 thousand rubles. from officials with various bonuses and gifts. Yes, Galaxy S8/8+ are inferior new iPhone in terms of ergonomics and the lack of a telephoto lens in the camera, but the difference in price is very large.
The new Galaxy Note 8 is sold in Russia at a price of 60-70 thousand rubles. versus 65 thousand rubles. for iPhone 8 Plus. It has worse ergonomics, slightly less performance, but it has a great dual camera, a built-in electronic pen, a gorgeous noticeably larger screen, support for a DEX dock, an edge-to-edge design, and it just looks more impressive than the new iPhone.
Of course, we cannot ignore the innovative frameless Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 in a ceramic case, which costs one and a half times less than the iPhone 8 Plus and was just presented Google Pixel 2 XL, whose camera the experts from DXOMARK rated even higher iPhone cameras 8Plus. And Huawei Mate 10 is coming with a new Hisilicon Kirin 970 processor, module machine learning, Leica camera and other technological bells and whistles.
To summarize, we can say that if for Apple users the iPhone 8/8 Plus is the undisputed favorite, then for users of Android smartphones the new Apple product is no longer so clearly attractive, since competition in the premium smartphone market has reached unprecedented levels in the last 2-3 years .
The appearance of the iPhone 8 in the first weeks caused confusion: the design of previous models, no revolutionary changes, no wireless charging. Why take it? But after leaving and iPhone testing X the true purpose of the G8 became clear. New software, functions, and non-standard features were added to the familiar body, thereby continuing the tradition of the SE series.
“You won’t understand until you hold it” is an unspoken saying among iPhone lovers. So only a detailed review of the iPhone 8 and 8 plus will allow us to draw conclusions about the advisability of purchasing a smartphone in 2018.
Market positioning
2017 is Apple's anniversary year. 10 years ago, on a hot June day, the first iPhone 5 went on sale, captivating and exciting the whole world. This was followed by annual premieres of the next line. Soon everyone got used to the traditional autumn presentations: the public was offered a choice: a standard model or a smartphone with big screen and additional features.
The company marked its ten-year history with the release of not two, but three models at once: iPhone 8, 8 plus and X. And if earlier, the extended version was considered the flagship, since there was no choice, now the “ten” has become the cornerstone.
Buyers expecting to spend a lot of money on an advanced smartphone bought the iPhone 10. Apple Company I made a mistake; due to incomprehensible PR, sales of the G8 failed.
After 3-4 months, iPhone 8 found its buyer. This is the latest model in the usual design, starting with the “ten” the form factor from Apple is being modernized. New smartphones will have a different design, OS and content that meets the requirements of the modern market.
Equipment and first impressions
Opening a box with a new iPhone is an event in itself. The expectation of a miracle does not leave us even in the period of maturity. But to the disappointment of users, the contents of the package are the same as those for iPhone 7 and 7 plus.
The package includes:
- Charger with a 5 W Lightning cable. The smartphone supports wireless charging, but the docking station will have to be purchased separately. Devices that support the Qi standard are suitable.
- EarPods headphones in classic white color, adapter for converting from a 3.5 mm jack to Lightning.
- A clip for removing the SIM card.
- Instructions in several languages.
Impressions of what the iPhone 8 looks like are mixed. The design has not changed, the size of the display, the lines of the body, the location of the camera and the speaker are one to one, like on the “seven”. The only significant innovation is glass back cover, here Apple decided to return to its roots, namely the 5s model. The glass in the panel is pleasant to the touch, the iPhone 8 lies confidently in the hand, but it slides on a smooth surface, it is better not to leave it on the edge of the table or buy a case. The dimensions allow you to use cases from the previous model, but then you will not feel the pleasant coolness from the glass base.
New in design
The opinion about what iPhone 8 and 8 plus looks like was formed immediately after the presentation of the model. Everyone decided that the 2018 smartphone is an exact copy of the Seven. But this statement is only partly true; there are changes, but not impressive.
Review of iPhone 8 plus from a design point of view:
- The color palette of the models is smaller compared to last year's options. “Silver”, “Golden”, “ Gray space" A little later, in April 2018, the iPhone 8 plus RED series was released in support of charitable foundation. The red model turned out to be bright and memorable. Many were captivated by the iPhone 8 plus space gray 64gb, the deep gray color is combined with a smooth, glossy surface.
- Glass back panel. It is worth noting that the glass on the back is scratch resistant. The “Seven” caused negativity due to its unstable hull mechanical stress, in the new model this problem is not so relevant. The reason for replacing plastic with glass, the developers called the appearance of the wireless charging function. You should be careful with the panel, from a height of 1 m, but on a concrete or stone floor, the cover will shatter into pieces. Replacement will cost $350. But according to the developers, owners can safely carry the smartphone in their back pocket without a case. It will not be scratched by buttons or iron buttons.
- The screen size remains the same - 4.7 inches, the frames on the edges are from the “seven”, but the camera continues to protrude. For some reason, this fact irritates the owners. But there is nothing to do, you will have to wait for the next model.
Conclusions: Reviews about the protective glass for the iPhone 8 are mostly positive; no one wanted to go back to plastic panels. Some ladies were upset by the lack of a pink solution for the iPhone, although the “Golden” color is diluted with a pleasant golden tint. The smartphone has become 10-15 grams heavier, making the iPhone 8 much more comfortable to hold in your hands. The repetition of the “Seven” design was disappointing only at first; the real changes affected the software and functionality of the smartphone.
True tone screen
It’s already been said about the iPhone 8 in the hand, it remains to find out what good Apple has prepared for our eyes. All three new products of 2017 received True tone technology. The essence of the function is the presence of four-channel ambient light sensors that monitor the nature of lighting and automatically adjust the white color level on the screen.
Benefits of using True tone:
- White balance is close to natural. It does not dazzle in the dark, and is gentle on the eyes in the light.
- The device automatically monitors the white level, you don't need to adjust anything manually.
- Correctly selected light transmission intensity reduces eye strain.
- The text on the display is better perceived and it has become more convenient to read.
To enable the function on iPhone 8 black plus, go to “Settings” → “Display and Brightness” → turn on the True tone button. Or swipe from the bottom of the screen and call up Control Center. Here, with a little force, click on the brightness level slider and activate the True tone icon.
This feature is not very impressive right away. The operation of the application will become noticeable if after 1-2 weeks you decide to disable the treasured button. The difference between True tone mode and normal mode will be striking. White color sets the mood for other shades, which is why its balance is so important on digital devices. The advantage of technology is excellent optimization. When the function is turned on, the energy consumed is exactly the same as without the use of external sensors.
The quick access panel has changed. Now you need to swipe on the bottom screen and the main elements will come out. They are also easy to manage, the icons are located on one screen and work using 3D Touch.
Battery
The first reviews of the iPhone 8 64gb confirmed the information about the reduction in volume battery. This caused bewilderment and indignation; the issue of fast discharge of Apple smartphones is still acute and often discussed.
The facts are:
- The battery capacity of the iPhone 8 is 1821 mAh versus 1960 mAh on the “seven”.
- The extended version received a 2675 mAh battery, less than all plus ones released in previous years.
The company was forced to take this step. The glass back panel and the appearance of the wireless charging function took up precious millimeters of the case. At the presentation, a very decent time for using the smartphone was announced:
- Talk time – up to 14 hours.
- When playing music – 40 hours.
- The iPhone 8 plus has 21 and 60 hours, respectively.
The test results surprised even pessimists. Despite the modest battery size, the smartphone confidently holds a charge. With intensive use, and this is the Internet, applications, social media and games, iPhone 8 and 8 plus lasts for 8-11 hours! This is proven by the company’s statement about improving the optimization of the operating system. Now the software analyzes the habits of its “owner” and configures saving modes itself.
Question about charging
The developers indicated the charging time for the gadget to 100%: wireless charging– 30 (!) minutes, with the standard – 2 hours 30 minutes. “Trust, but verify” is a favorite saying among bloggers and ordinary users who specialize in Apple technology. 2-3 days after the smartphone went on sale, hundreds of reviews were published about testing the battery of iPhone 8 and 8 plus.
General conclusions about the capabilities of the smartphone:
- WITH wireless installation in 30 minutes, the iPhone 8 was charged to 51%, during the same time with regular charging at 5W up to 21%. So this function is suitable for those who are not used to waiting.
- But wireless and standard charging reached the full battery level almost simultaneously. The device for rapid energy storage operates in high mode only up to 50%, after this value the speed automatically decreases. These are safety measures, since such a rapid exchange of energy generates a lot of heat, which threatens equipment failure.
But don’t give up right away new technology. It is relevant and really works. The only thing that stops me is the cost of the wireless docking station, for now you will have to spend 7-8 thousand rubles. It might be worth waiting for a cheaper device to come out. Buying Chinese analogues via the Internet is highly discouraged; it would be a pity if a smartphone costing 50 thousand gets damaged due to a low-quality device. But with licensed chargers supporting the Qi standard, the gadget works flawlessly.
RAM test
One can only be amazed at how our gadgets become smarter and faster every year. Today, comparisons are made with smartphones from other manufacturers, and devices of other categories are also used for performance testing: laptops, tablets.
The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have also been linked to processors based on ARM cores or Intel Core i5. You will find out about the test results below, while the dry facts about operating system A11 Bionic:
- Bit size is 64 bits.
- 6 cores, 2 of them are responsible for performance, 4 for energy efficiency. All cores are capable of working simultaneously.
- The iPhone 8 has 2 GB of RAM, the iPhone 8 plus has 3 GB.
RAM testing was carried out using different directions. It was important to understand three points: the speed of information processing, the presence of lags when loading applications or opening files, and the power of the OS.
Test results of A11 Bionic on iPhone 8 and 8 plus:
- In terms of speed of opening pages, files and applications, both models are ahead of their main competitor Samsung Galaxy S8. Time opening PDF– 0.9 s, web pages – 0.2 s. Such indicators are the merit not only of powerful software, but of the well-established interaction between the OS and the hardware component.
- On browser Apple tests The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus confidently left the 7s behind. In Octane Benchmark, the models scored 36,004 and 35,170 points versus 29,801 points for the “seven,” and in Kraken Benchmark they completed the same tasks in an average of 260 ms. faster.
Moreover different meaning RAM on iPhone 8 and 8 plus is imperceptible. In both versions the performance indicators are approximately the same. But the fact of superiority over the previous model is obvious and never ceases to please. The A11 Bionic processor was announced as the first to have a built-in neural system, that is, the ability of the machine to learn while working. The fact is confirmed by tests, the system adapts to the specified parameters, analyzes and selects the optimal ways to solve problems.
Cameras and portrait lighting
iPhone 8 features include advanced shooting features. If the frontal shooting is not impressive with the changes, then the main camera has received some cool features. As in the “seven”, there is a 12 megapixel module with a telephoto lens with aperture - f/2.8, and a wide-angle lens – f/ 1.8. But despite the similar parameters, the pictures are different.
- developers have changed lens systems;
- the matrix has increased in size, therefore it absorbs more light;
- New photo processing algorithms have been developed.
The iPhone 8 has finally improved the Blurred Background mode. On the "sevens" there were problems with this function; the program "blurred" the wrong objects or lost the object. In the "eight" the OS has become smarter, it selects the desired item for processing. Experts compared the result with filming using a professional camera. The photo is saved instantly and quickly opened for adjustments.
On iPhone 8, the texture effect has been noticeably improved. The photographs even show grooves on the skin or engraving on the ring.
- “Daylight”, the person and face in the foreground are clearly visible, the lighting does not change, the background is blurred.
- “Studio face”, bright lighting on the face, as if from spotlights.
- “Contour light”, the main feature is the expressiveness of halftones.
- "Stage light", the background turns black, the light falls on the person.
- “Stage light – mono”, similar to effect 4, in black and white.
Controlled by " Portrait lighting» in Portrait mode by swiping left and right. To get to the desired effect, spin the carousel at the bottom of the screen. If you don't like the photo, you can return it to previous state even from the Gallery. The memory issue has also been fixed. New formats have appeared for converting photo and video files: for images HEIF, which takes 2 times less than JPEG, for video the HEVC codec.
Video
Starting with the iPhone 7, Apple continues to confidently follow the path of creating a smartphone that shoots video no worse than professional cameras. To some extent, this trend has already been reflected in life; some videos on YouTube were shot on an iPhone.
Characteristics of the video mode on the G8:
- Video recording in 4K, HD 1080p and 720p.
- Frame rate 24, 30 or 60 fps depending on the shooting mode.
- Optical image stabilization eliminates the effect of shaking hands.
- Supports slow motion mode.
- Shooting using the Time-lapse technique, that is, moving photography.
- While recording in 4K format, 8 MP photos can be taken.
- Enlarge video during playback.
The Slow-slow mo function or video slowdown effect deserves special attention. Only with the advent of the A11 Bionic chip did it become possible to shoot Full HD 1920 × 1080 pixels at a speed of 240 fps. Previously, by default, recording on all devices was in 140 fps mode. Videos without loss of time-lapse quality can be viewed on another device that supports the A11 processor.
Speakers
In reviews in Russian, iPhone 8 and 8 plus stereo speakers earned a positive rating. When tested with the Galaxy Note 8 and LG V30, Apple's brainchild received the highest score, 2-3 steps ahead of its opponent.
What changed:
- The iPhone 8 managed to get rid of the broken sound, balancing was carried out, the melody sounds smooth and does not hurt the ear.
- The bass sounds loud, but clear and without wheezing.
- The sound in the headphones is soft and punchy.
The company is famous for its meticulous attention to detail. It took months of effort for the developers to fit speakers with this kind of content into a thin body without compromising the rest of the components.
What video reviews tell us
What does a consumer do when planning to buy an iPhone 8? That's right, go read reviews about it and watch video reviews. Spend 50-60 thousand rubles at once on a shiny rectangle without remote acquaintance with an expensive gadget. It is usually not difficult to guess the mood of such videos. In the first months after the presentation, bloggers look for flaws in the next model or criticize Apple for its unwillingness to listen to the opinions of users.
But in 2017, the tradition was broken. Every video review about the iPhone 8 and 8 plus came out, if not with praise, then certainly in a positive way. A review of such videos gives an idea of the pros and cons of the “eights”.
Disadvantages from a blogger's point of view:
- old design;
- lack of wireless headphones;
- the need to independently purchase a docking station for wireless charging.
Advantages:
- improved performance;
- new camera features;
- wireless charging support;
- learning OS;
- glass body;
- improved interface;
- light adjustment functions;
- volume increase by 25%;
- cool augmented reality app.
Long before the announcement of the iPhone 8 plus and speculation about what it would look like, the model was doomed to a supporting role. And if the iPhone 8 started confidently in its price category and immediately became in demand, the extended version was a failure, fans Apple products We've been waiting for the iPhone X smartphone for decades.
After a year of testing both models, users come to the conclusion that both the iPhone 8 and 8 plus were undervalued from the very beginning due to the hype around the “ten”. They have the same things as the 2017-2018 flagship, but are 10-15 thousand cheaper and have a familiar design.
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