Following the release of the 2018 and 2019 iOS devices, you would expect the iPhone 8 Plus to be completely overshadowed by the more premium and powerful handsets. However, it has remained in Apple’s lineup of affordable handsets and a preferred option for people on a budget. It is the last model featuring the old iPhone design, which includes the presence of thick bezels and a home button.
It is quite challenging to instantly differentiate the iPhone 8 Plus's front from the 7 Plus's, which looks like the 6S Plus, which in turn looks like the 6 Plus. Luckily, one of the things that help you notice a difference is the addition of a glass back and the two-tone effect it creates. The iPhone 8 Plus price varies as a result of the presence of new, pre-owned, and refurbished models. You can get one for around 166,990 Naira in Nigeria.
What You Will Learn
- The iPhone 8 Plus remains a strong contender in Apple's budget lineup.
- It features a distinct design with a glass back and a traditional home button.
- The phone is equipped with solid specifications, including the A11 Bionic chipset.
- Camera performance has notable improvements, especially in low-light conditions.
Overview
These are the major pros and cons of this device.
The good
- It has a great display for an LCD panel.
- The handset has a fantastic ecosystem.
- It supports wireless charging.
The bad
- It requires an extra adapter for fast charging.
- This phone does not have display resolution improvements.
- It still comes with the 2014 design.
- No front camera improvements compared to its predecessor.
iPhone 8 Plus specs
- iPhone 8 Plus release date: September 2017
- Build material: Front/back glass, aluminum frame
- Size: 5.5 inches, 83.4 cm2 (~67.4% screen-to-body ratio)
- Weight: 202 g (7.13 oz)
- Dimensions: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm (6.24 x 3.07 x 0.30 in)
- Colors: Silver, Gold, Space Gray, and Red
- Display: Retina IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
- Display resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~401 ppi density)
- SIM card: Single
- SIM type: Nano-SIM
- Expandable memory: None
- Operating system: iOS 11, upgradable to iOS 13.3
- Chipset: Apple A11 Bionic (10 nm)
- GPU: Apple GPU (three-core graphics)
- CPU: Hexa-core (2x Monsoon + 4x Mistral)
- Internal memory: 64GB 3GB RAM, 256GB 3GB RAM
- Rear camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, 28mm (wide), PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.8, 57mm (telephoto), PDAF, 2x optical zoom
- Rear camera video: 2160p@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps
- Selfie camera: 7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard)
- Selfie camera video: 1080p@30fps
- Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 2691 mAh battery (10.28 Wh)
- Sensors: Barometer, proximity, fingerprint, accelerometer, three-axis gyro, and ambient light
- Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE
- WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot
- USB: 2.0, proprietary reversible connector
- Price: Around 166,990 Naira
Hardware
The iPhone 8 Plus features a number of amazing hardware properties.
Design
This sleek device is made of Gorilla Glass, which gives the phone a different feel from its predecessor, the iPhone 7 Plus, which has an all-metal build. Besides the glass, it is nearly identical to its predecessor as the camera bump on the back is still present, and so are the rather large bezels on the front.
Its build is IP67 certified for dust and water resistance of up to one meter as expected from a premium device. The phone is available in a variety of colors, namely Gold, Space Gray, Red, and Silver.
Display
It comes with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD with 401 PPI density. The resolution is the same as its predecessor’s with 1080 x 1920 pixels and a 16:9 ratio. While not OLED like the iPhone X or 11 Pro, the screen leads in the LCD category in terms of brightness and sunlight legibility.
Color representation is fantastic as it has one of the lowest deviations present in an LCD. True Tone display detects the color of ambient light and automatically adjusts the screen colors, making the display look accurate regardless of the available lighting.
Processor, storage, and performance
Under the hood is an A11 Bionic chipset, alongside 3GB of RAM as the iPhone 8 Plus memory capacity. This processor facilitates better power efficiency than the A10 found in its predecessor. One area in which the A11 chipset significantly outperforms the A10 is in machine learning and executing complex tasks such as recognizing objects and faces in photos.
This handset comes with either 64GB or 256GB of ROM, ensuring ample storage for apps, photos, and videos.
Battery performance
The non-removable Li-Ion 2691mAh battery on this handset is smaller than its 7 Plus's 2900mAh battery. Unfortunately, the regular charger only fills up 20% of the battery after 30 minutes. Luckily, it offers fast charging support, allowing for quicker top-ups.
One significant upgrade from the 7 Plus is the inclusion of Qi wireless charging, which is made possible by the phone’s glass back. It is pretty convenient but slower than the regular charger as it only fills up 17% of the battery within half an hour.
Speaker and call quality
The stereo speakers that come with the iPhone 8 Plus are excellent and well balanced. The call quality is also great, ensuring clear conversations whether you are on a call or listening to media.
Software and Features
Here is an in-depth look into the phone’s impressive software.
Operating system & features
It was released featuring iOS 11, but users are guaranteed to get the latest iOS updates as soon as they come out. This is a nice step forward to refine the phone’s interface. However, it is not possible to change the UI theme and icons.
Compared to the 7 Plus, the notification center is different. You can see the most important notifications as if you are looking at your lock screen, even complete with the respective wallpaper. The control center slides out from the bottom to give you all your toggles and quick shortcuts on a single page.
Camera quality and performance
The primary camera specs on this device are similar to those of the iPhone 7 Plus. You get an f/1.8 wide-angle camera and f/2.8 telephoto lens
