Until recently, it was difficult to imagine such an announcement that would excite the entire population of planet Earth. But for ten years now we have seen how one gadget gathers literally all people around it, regardless of their age and social status... The iPhone announcement is watched by millions to discuss it the next day, take out a loan or save money for a purchase. There are also people who keep repeating from year to year that Apple “is no longer a cake”.
Today we are on the test Apple iPhone 8 Plus, and you have to understand - is it a "cake" or is it still a "cake"? After all, most likely, the "cake" is the fresh iPhone X.
The iPhone 8 Plus has an updated sensor, but the resolution remains the same - 12 megapixels in both cameras. Equivalent focal length the two lenses have not changed either: 28mm and F1.8 for the main camera and 56mm and F2.8 for the zoom lens. Optical image stabilization has not gone anywhere, which shows itself well when shooting movies.
Let's briefly dwell on video filming. Here, it became possible to record videos in 4K resolution at 24, 30 and 60 frames per second. It also became possible to shoot slow-motion videos at 240 frames per second in Full HD resolution.
But the main features iPhone cameras 8 Plus are not in lenses or sensors. Paradoxically, the heart of the new camera is the A11 Bionic processor with machine learning technology. The fact is that a dedicated image processor was placed in the chip. This made it possible to improve the quality of images in low light conditions, since additional noise reduction algorithms began to be used.
Another "photographic" addition is related to iOS 11: in the new version operating system now it is possible to save files with high compression efficiency. There is a new format HEIC for photos and HEVC for videos. The HEIC extension allows you to make files about half the size of a JPEG. At the same time, the memory capacity of the iPhone 8/8 Plus increased to 64 and 256 GB. And to be honest, this compression method does not seem very justified to us. If you only use files on your smartphone, then everything is fine. If it is necessary to throw them into the computer memory, problems arise. Moreover, high compression efficiency is enabled by default in the new OS version - be careful.
Another significant event is associated with the new version of the system: portrait mode left the beta testing stage and is now fully present in the camera. And in the beta version there is a new feature - portrait lighting, which allows you to emulate different types of light.
The iPhone 8 Plus is, as always, the perfect Point-and-Shoot camera, where you just press a button to capture the moment. Manual settings and RAW are again available only with the help of third-party software.
Front-camera remained unchanged. Its resolution is 12 megapixels, and the wide-angle lens aperture is equal to F2.2.
What else is important to know about the new iPhone 8 Plus
Powerful new A11 Bionic processor with machine learning technology
3 GB RAM and 64 GB or 256 GB internal storage
5.5-inch IPS display with Full HD resolution and technology support True tone
Supports all modern communications, including Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0
There is no 3.5 mm headphone jack again, and it probably never will be
2691 mAh battery with support for fast (with special adapter) and wireless charging
Reinforced glass on both sides and metal
IPhone 8 Plus weighs 202 grams and 230 grams in a branded case
It's no secret that smartphones have become thinner and less intrusive over the years. The screens grow, the frames around them shrink. The boundaries between us and information - applications, contacts, etc. - gradually blurred. Apple has sensed this trend and is reinforcing it in. To make this transition smoother, the company introduced the 8 Plus as well.
These phones look familiar and the interaction with them is familiar to most users. They can be called traditional. This is not a disadvantage, quite the opposite. All iPhones may look like the iPhone X in the future, but for now the iPhone 8 is a safe choice with high build quality and high performance for those who are in no rush to get into the future. Perhaps these are the last such traditional iPhones.
Like it or not, the iPhone X is radically changing Apple's approach to smartphones. American company showed how it sees the future mobile devices so it comes as no surprise that the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus feel boring by comparison. This is not to say that they have poor design or build quality. It's just that the appearance of the iPhone has not changed for three years since the appearance of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and managed to get bored.
The rounded edges, camera bump, Lightning connector, volume control are where they always are. Again there is an IP67 water and dust resistance standard, a capacitive button, stereo speakers and there is no headphone jack. The iPhone 8 is very familiar, which for some would be a virtue rather than a flaw.
This is not to say that the iPhone production formula has not changed at all. There are updated color options, metal cases and wrapped in a 7000 series aluminum strip. The back surface is glass, which allows you to pass the signal for wireless charging. Some are worried about the transition from metal to glass cases and there is cause for excitement. 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, for a week of testing it did not disappoint. At least, being in the bag with other items did not leave any scratches.
Another advantage of glass over metal is radio transmission. As a result, the large antenna bands around the body have disappeared completely. When you look at the iPhone 8 from the back, you see the camera flashes, the shining Apple logo and the iPhone lettering, the lettering disappeared Designed by Apple... As a result, iPhone looks cleaner than ever before. Also the glass surface leaves a pleasant feeling, although everyone may have different opinions. Glass is slightly warmer than metal, but it glides on the table in the same way.
All of these elements are found in longer, thicker and heavier housings. 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. The stock iPhone 8 is still comfortable to hold in the hand for extended periods of time, but the combination of weight and bezel makes the iPhone 8 Plus too large for one-handed use. In comparison, the Galaxy S8 + and LG V30 have even larger screens and feel more compact and comfortable.
Smartphones have many virtues on the inside. Apple ditched the base version with 32GB of flash memory and now starts at 64GB and ends at 256GB. For the first time, Apple has developed its own graphics processor that works side-by-side with the A11 Bionic processor. Naturally, there are no problems with speed and smoothness. A larger battery and an improved dual camera favor the Plus model if you can keep up with the size of this device.
Screen and sound
You've heard all of this before: iPhone 8 has a 4.7-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1334 x 750, the Plus model has a 5.5-inch diagonal and a resolution of 1080p. All these parameters do not differ from the models of a year ago and the similarities do not end there. Utilizing a wider DCI-P3 color gamut, just like the iPhone 7, brightness and contrast have not improved over last year. Thus, the screens have remained the same.
Apple has brought one of the useful features here iPad tablets Pro. True Tone technology uses an ambient light sensor and changes the color temperature of the screen to keep white and other colors in balance. You can enable this feature during the initial system setup. The colors become less accurate, but the strain on the eyes is reduced.
Continuing with the color theme, there is concern about the lack of support for the standard. Services like Amazon Prime and Netflix are gradually making these richer videos available, and users are becoming spoiled for screens in Galaxy Note 8 and V30. The iPhone X has full HDR support, but you'll have to settle for the color gamut of the iPhone 8 for now. As with last year's models, this expanded color gamut adds saturation to certain images, such as photos from improved cameras. For example, reds and yellows become more prominent, blues appear deeper. Landscape shots benefit the most from the wider color range, but many won't notice.
What's definitely not to be missed is the difference in sound quality. Smartphones have received more powerful stereo speakers, the developers promise a 25% increase in volume. It would be great if the speakers brought a more immersive experience, like the four speakers on the iPad Pro. At least a speaker inside the auricle complements the capabilities of the lower 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 and some features were not tested, like payment system on P2P and AirPlay 2. In this case, let's focus on what iOS 11 means for the iPhone 8.
At first, it seems like iOS looks like it always does. Upon closer inspection, this illusion begins to dissipate. Apple Music's focus on bold text last year extends further, so you'll see big, rich app titles.
The Control Center also looks new, from a simple settings panel to a cluster of toggles for new features like the True Tone screen and Do Not Disturb While Driving. The last switch is especially useful: in theory, the function should block notifications in a moving car, but the device cannot know if you are a driver or a passenger. The new look of the control center is not ideal, especially when you occasionally accidentally change the screen brightness or volume when trying to close the panel. However, it will take a little time to get used to it.
The classic Action Center no longer exists. A downward swipe from the top of the screen reveals notifications on the lock screen. You can still use 3D Touch notifications for an enhanced viewing experience, but such a major update seemed to bring better user experience. large quantity notifications. Deleting all notifications with one swipe is a simple step, 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, as a result of which there is a 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 is better at handling abstract queries like "Play sad music."
It is worth noting that requests can now be typed on the keyboard, but this does not mean that you need to do this. This option is hidden in the accessibility settings, prompts take longer than voice prompts. It would be better if there was an easier way to switch between these interaction modes, or for them to coexist in the Siri interface.
The app store has been significantly redesigned App Store There is a lot of emphasis on video on the app pages and daily editorial posts for new programs. Don't expect Apple's internal reporters to break out some terrific news, as the focus is mostly on advertising. Now that users have more disk space at their disposal, the new Files app should be useful. Not all users need advanced file management on their iPhone, but it's nice to be able to drag and drop files to cloud storage iCloud Drive. The app also supports other services like Dropbox and Google drive, but such manipulations are not yet available there.
IOS 11 lacks small useful additions. If you hold down the volume control and the power button, the restart will no longer happen - now a version of the closing window appears with the ability to call emergency services, while you need to use the unlock pin to access.
This is a useful innovation for emergencies, but replacing a forced reboot is rather 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 keyboard shortcut will become annoying. 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 at 12MP. The developers claim that it is faster and has deeper pixels for improved clarity and color accuracy. Allowance must be made for marketing exaggeration to brag, but overall this is a great camera.
Compared to the camera on the iPhone 7, it seemed to capture details better. For daylight, the detail is even higher than on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The difference was insignificant, but there was.
These smartphones handle colors differently: iPhones consistently produce more natural photos, while on the Note 8 they look brighter and more idealized. Samsung's device seems to show the world as it should be, and not as it really 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 does slightly brighter images without flash, but Apple offers an improved dual-LED flash that quickly lights up after long exposures. Many people hate to shoot with flash, but Apple's approach could change that prejudice. Given the excellent cameras in Samsung's devices, the fact that iPhones are on par, and sometimes even superior, commands respect.
The iPhone 8 Plus has a 12MP telephoto secondary camera on the back, which isn't nearly as impressive. It is not as good in low light as it has an aperture of f / 2.8 compared to the wider f / 1.8 on the main wide-angle camera. Having two cameras makes some interesting tricks available. Portrait mode is still available, but the quality has improved over last year. This time, the subject can be within 2.5m of the camera and it is better at recognizing where to start blurring the edges behind the subject. The first version of portrait mode did not perform well in low light, but now this problem is not so acute, which is helped by the use of flash.
There is also a Portrait Lighting mode. It is only available on the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, while it can be said to be in beta testing. This becomes obvious within a few minutes after the start of its application. The Natural Light mode offers the standard portrait photographs described above. Studio Light brightens the subject's face. The next three modes can be more problematic. Contour Light is supposed to make faces stand out with more dramatic lighting, but instead is able to make them darker and more sinister. Stage Light and Stage Light Mono make everything behind the subject black and show how difficult it is to correctly define the boundaries of the foreground and background. A lot of the photos in these modes turned out to be just awful.
Video shooting has also been updated. There is 4K recording at 60fps, and there is also 240fps slow-motion at 1080p. 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 run very smoothly and quickly. However, this is the case with all new iPhone models. More impressive is the architecture's ability to improve performance when needed. If you are switching to new devices from the iPhone 7, you will not see a significant difference when launching applications or scrolling through interfaces.
There are certain situations in which the devices cope without any problems with the help of their four economical cores. When the load grows, when starting games or when many applications are open at once, two powerful cores come into play. Each time smartphones use a different combination of these cores to keep the speed high and the power consumption and heating as low as possible. iPhone 8 Plus is better adapted for multitasking work, since the amount of RAM 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 Machines game. There were no problems in their work. It was interesting to see how applications on the Apple ARKit framework would perform versus Google Tango software and the hardware capabilities of devices with it. So far, the implementation is impressive. The iPhone 8 also renders virtual objects well in physical space, and these objects tend to stick to surfaces better than Tango apps. The two unfinished sentences do not allow a reliable judgment on the future of this technology, but they inspire cautious optimism.
Battery life was also worrisome given rumors of smaller battery sizes compared to last year. As a result, the duration remained the same. In testing with video playback at HD resolution and 50% brightness, the iPhone 8 achieved 12 hours and 2 minutes, one minute less than the iPhone 7. The iPhone Plus achieved 14 hours and 26 minutes, which is better. Everyday using iPhone 8 is able to work a full day without problems and will still remain the next morning. iPhone 8 Plus lasts about a day and a half, and if you do not load it, then all two.
The package does not include adapters for fast charging, but smartphones support the Qi standard. In addition, wireless charging works when smartphones are wearing cases. No slowdowns were noticed.
Conclusion
Upon first acquaintance with 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 it used to be. If content matters to you, the new devices take a significant step forward. Increased flash memory, improved cameras, software, productivity is better than ever. While the sleek styling of the iPhone X isn't here, they are still great smartphones for those looking to stay in or join Apple's mobile ecosystem for the first time.
pros
- Impressive performance
- excellent quality assemblies
- Lovely cameras
- Wireless charging
- Long battery life (on iPhone 8 Plus)
- First augmented reality apps inspire optimism
- Too familiar appearance
- Came back protrusion
- Missing dual camera (on iPhone 8)
- Difficult to hold (iPhone 8 Plus)
- No IP68 water and dust protection
- iOS 11
- Body colors - gold, silver, "space gray"
- 64 or 256 GB memory
- 64-bit A11 Bionic processor, M11 embedded motion coprocessor, 6 ARMv8-A cores
- RAM 3 GB
- Screen 5.5 inches, IPS, 1920x1080 pixels, 401 ppi, contrast ratio 1300: 1, brightness 625 cd / m2, True Tone
- Li-Ion battery 2675 mAh, fast charging (requires a separate adapter), Qi wireless charging, Internet time up to 13 hours, in video mode - up to 14 hours
- nanoSIM
- IP67 water proof
- 7MP front camera, 1080p video recording, f / 2.2, BSI, continuous shooting, HDR, backlit screen instead of flash
- Dual main camera, 12 megapixels, wide-angle (f / 1.8) and telephoto (f / 2.8), portrait mode, stage lighting (beta), optical zoom x2, tone-corrected flash, optical stabilization for wide-angle lens, HDR , burst shooting, JPEG and HEIF image formats
- 4K 60fps video recording, 240fps slow motion video for FullHD
- H.264 and HEVC video format
- Fingerprint sensor embedded in the Home button
- Sensors - barometer, three-axis gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
- Apple Pay
- NFC (Apple Pay only)
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b / n / g / ac, dual-band, Bluetooth 5.0
- Digital compass
- GPS / GLONASS
- Dimensions - 158.4x78.1x7.5 mm, weight - 202 grams
Contents of delivery
- Smartphone
- Charger with Lightning cable
- A clip for removing the SIM card
- Wired headphones
- Lightning to 3.5mm headphone out adapter
- Instructions
Positioning
Until 2017, everything was simple and clear at Apple: once a year, two models came out - a regular iPhone and a phablet with the Plus prefix, which was considered a flagship because of the price, although in many ways it was a copy of the younger device. The target audience did not have any doubts about what to buy. If you like a smaller device - you take a regular iPhone, if you want it more expensive, or big screen- then your choice is Plus. And after that, for the next year, you can forget about the agony of choice, exactly until the release of the new iPhone. This has changed since 2017 as Apple decided to expand the lineup and, in addition to two traditional iPhone 8/8 Plus, they also showed at the presentation the iPhone X, which was shifted at the start of sales by a month and a half.
The release of the third model is a response to the fact that Samsung is actively eating away Apple's market share in almost all countries of the world, having released a successful 8th series. In fact, in the iPhone X, Apple created a competitor to the Galaxy S8, not any other model. But the appearance of a smartphone like the X in Apple's lineup instantly changed the positioning of the iPhone 8 Plus, it turned from a flagship into an intermediate model. And in the absence of visible and significant differences from the previous iPhone 7 Plus, this device becomes a passable one. Part of the audience, which has always chosen Plus for the price, now focuses on buying the iPhone X (smaller body, larger screen), the other part chooses the old model, which is cheaper, but no worse.
Apple has definitely outplayed itself, since the three models and the confusion in their positioning negatively affected the sales of the "eights", this is a fact that has already happened. To some extent, we can say that the iPhone 8 Plus is the last or penultimate model in this form factor from Apple. The company will abandon the outdated case and such ergonomics and switch to devices in the style of the iPhone X, as required by the evolution of the market (but the younger model will live happily ever after in the coming years).
So who is the iPhone 8 Plus for then? The answer is obvious, these are primarily users of previous generations of Plus, for example, the iPhone 6 Plus. These are those who are used to the form factor, iOS, and just want to update their device. The owners of the iPhone 7 Plus do not see much point in updating their devices, part of the audience comes from ordinary iPhones, the cost, which is lower than that of the X, plays a role here, plus the availability of installment plans and loans (as well as subsidies from operators in the USA and Europe). In the first year of sales, the iPhone 8 Plus becomes the most unsuccessful device from Apple in terms of sales, it cannot overtake the usual G8, as well as falls short of the demand for the iPhone X. For people existing outside the Apple ecosystem, the purchase of the iPhone 8 Plus not obvious, there are few such potential buyers. All in all, we get pretty mediocre sales and perception of the model, which many have already called boring, but let's figure it out together if this is so.
Design, dimensions, controls
Unfortunately, Apple is trying not to experiment with the look of the iPhone, so for the fourth year in a row the front panel is the same for all devices. Just by a few little things and only by looking closely, you can guess which phone is in front of you.
The main change in the iPhone 8/8 Plus was the glass backs, since the devices added wireless chargers, and they do not work through metal. I like the glass of the case, quite interesting, candy colors and play in the light. So, for example, my phone is gold in color, and it looks more like rose gold, it looks quite nice in different lighting conditions.
A total of three colors are available - gold, space gray and silver.
The most popular color in Russia is space gray, followed by gold and then silver. It is curious that I often see golden devices in the hands of not only women, but also men. I don’t have gender statistics, but before, men in Russia didn’t like gold devices, but now something has changed.
There are no complaints about the quality of the glass, it hardly scratches and retains its appearance for a long time. Not fragile, and the phone is likely to survive in the event of a fall, the reliability is on par with the same Note 8 from Samsung. The glass supplier is the same Corning, but this is not Gorilla Glass, and custom-made glass for Apple.
Of course, handprints remain on the glass, but there are no differences from any device of this class, they all blurt out, and this is normal, they have not yet invented a persistent and eternal oleophobic coating. Another thing is that the processing of the glass is such that a finger glides over the display without difficulty, this is a very pleasant feeling.
The disadvantage of the design can be attributed to the fact that the dual camera module on the back panel protrudes, in a pocket it always hurts for something. There is only one way out - to use a cover that removes the protrusion and the device acquires the same thickness.
But given the dimensions of the phone at 158.4x78.1x7.5 mm and the weight of 202 grams, I don't really want to add a cover here, it turns out to be a monstrous design, especially for those who carry their smartphones in their pockets. It's a pity, but Apple initially did Plus series rather poor in terms of ergonomics, the ratio of the screen to the body in them has always been worse than that of all competitors. For example, in the iPhone 6 Plus this parameter was 67.9%, and in the iPhone 8 Plus it is exactly the same. At the same time, the iPhone 8 Plus weighs 30 grams more, that is, ergonomics, which were already far from ideal, suffers even more here.
The main complaint about the iPhone 8 Plus is its ridiculously large size for 2018. And here you can not even compare with competitors, which offer a screen of not 5.5 inches, but 6.3 inches in a comparable-sized case, it is enough to compare with the iPhone X, in which, with a noticeably smaller size, the screen is 5.7 inches. The idea is simple and obvious: three years have passed since 2014, when the first Plus was introduced, but Apple simply did not invest any effort in fixing the initially not very successful ergonomics. It is clear that you can get used to anything, and many consider the Plus to be successful, but as soon as you pick up your competitors, you realize that no one has worked on ergonomics in the iPhone (there are no corners of the case for a better grip, nothing has been done to work with with one hand - the keyboard and the sliding screen are ridiculous and not very useful). And if the same Note 8 can be used with one hand, then with the iPhone 8 Plus this will lead to the fact that you will begin to drop it, this is a device for working with two hands and with ergonomics from the distant past of the smartphone market.
The controls are located in a typical way, on the left side there are two volume control buttons, as well as a lever for switching to silent mode, which is convenient. On the right side there is an on / off button, as well as a slot for one nanoSIM card.
On the bottom end- holes behind which one speaker is hidden. For some reason, they write all the time about stereo speakers, although this can be easily verified. When you listen to music, cover the right openings and hear the sound leave. If you do the same on the left, you will find that nothing is happening.
The Lightning connector is located in the center, there are no changes here, and there shouldn't be any. On the front panel there is a "Home" button; in fact, it is just a contact pad with a built-in vibration motor (Taptic engine). The idea is great, the implementation is gorgeous - no moving parts, and you get the feeling that you have a mechanical key in front of you. Moreover, you can customize how it will react to pressing, adjust vibration. In the same button, the fingerprint sensor works quickly and reliably.
The phone has water protection, IP67 standard. You can drop the device into water, and with a high degree of probability nothing will happen to it. The build quality is traditionally good, there are no complaints.
It remains to be said that there is a proximity sensor above the screen, as well as a front camera.
Display
If you look at the description of the screen for the iPhone 7 Plus and for the new model, you will find that, by and large, nothing has changed, it is exactly the same display. Here are the quick specs from Apple's website:
- Retina HD
- 5.5-inch (diagonal) widescreen LCD Multi-Touch with IPS technology
- 1920x1080-pixel resolution at 401 ppi
- Contrast 1300: 1 (typical)
- True Tone display
- Wide color display (P3)
- 3D Touch
- Brightness up to 625 cd / m2 (typical)
- Dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles
- Oleophobic, anti-fingerprint coating
The only difference from the iPhone 7 Plus is True Tone technology, which adjusts the white balance on the screen based on ambient light. Initially, this technology appeared in the iPad Pro, then it was extended to other devices, including the iPhone 8 Plus. You can turn on True Tone in the settings.
The idea for True Tone came from the professional monitor market, where ambient light is assessed and the white balance is corrected accordingly. Outside light often affects how we perceive colors on the screen. Most of the flagships of other companies have similar technologies, there is no advantage of the iPhone, the same Note 8 is equipped with two RGB light sensors, on the front and rear panels, to set the screen brightness and white balance more accurately. When the Night Shift function is working, True Tone does not work for obvious reasons (since the screen displays a different color and the white balance does not play any role here, this contradicts the very idea of the device). In the sun, the True Tone screen allows for better readability of the text at exactly the same brightness.
Just like in the iPhone 7 Plus, the screen can be called good, for an IPS matrix it is completely different, accurate and high-quality color reproduction. Low resolution does not allow using the screen in VR glasses, and this is not necessary while the VR theme for iPhone is dead, as if this piece of the market does not exist for fans of iOS.
The maximum brightness of 625 nits is achievable with manual adjustment, in automatic mode this is 725 nits, which is still a little (other flagships issue 800-900 nits, and the best devices - up to 1200 nits!).
I like the screen in the iPhone 8 Plus, but in difficult lighting conditions, in the bright sun, although it remains readable, it does not give a realistic picture, which other devices have already learned. This is the previous generation of the screen, which was added an external improved sensor, and nothing more. Good, but he is very far from the best.
Battery
Built-in Li-Ion 2675 mAh battery, fast charging (requires a separate adapter), Qi wireless charging, Internet browsing time - up to 13 hours, in video viewing mode - up to 14 hours.
A standard 5 W adapter from the kit, it charges the device for 180 minutes! That is, it is a kind of anti-record among all devices of this generation, it does not happen slower anywhere. The 29W fast charge, which must be purchased separately (RUB 5,500 plus), fully charges the battery in 120 minutes. Faster, but not as fast as other manufacturers.
Time iPhone work 8 Plus is typical of these machines and depends on your scenarios. On average, my device worked up to two days with moderate use (the system aggressively closes all background processes, mainly using data transfer). But in two days I used the screen for about 1.5 hours. At active use this is approximately one full daylight hours, taking into account the screen operation at the level of 4-5 hours (the backlight is about half). For most people, the selected and implemented scenarios of work in the iPhone 8 Plus are suitable, as they extend the operating time of the device. But those who use smartphones very actively will have to charge the device quite often.
Memory, RAM, performance
Apple has installed the A11 Bionic processor in the latest generation of phones, the Bionic prefix means that AI algorithms are supported, which is almost the same as what we saw in the Snapdragon 835 and similar chipsets. In 2018, the mention of AI for processors will become a commonplace, this is a kind of marketing from the manufacturers, it is enough to recall Huawei's Kirin 955.
Just like the iPhone X, there is 3GB of RAM, which is enough for most tasks. You just need to remember that memory management in iOS is implemented very aggressively, many applications are unloaded in order to be launched again later. This leads to the fact that you cannot hold many open tabs in a browser (but you may not need to). For those who want to quickly switch between different applications while keeping up-to-date information in them, iOS is not the best choice(there are very few such people in the world).
Traditionally, in synthetic tests, the iPhone demonstrates one of the highest results.
Another thing is that in real life iOS is forced to work on both new and old devices, so the interface and scrolling speed are underestimated, all the capabilities of new processors in this area are not used, otherwise the old iPhones will have a jerky interface. The flagships on Android in terms of interface speed, as well as often opening menus and applications, have long caught up with the iPhone, and in some ways they even perform better.
In terms of memory capacity, the device exists in two versions - 64 and 256 GB. For such a model, it would be logical to buy an older model, since the younger one will be of interest only to those who call more.
Communication capabilities
Aggregation of LTE frequencies is supported, their number is maximum for each model (travel the world without problems). Bluetooth version 5.0, but simultaneous connection is supported only with one headset or another audio device, and the Bluetooth operation is not always ideal, sometimes the device does not immediately connect to the hands-free kit in the car (Range Rover, Mercedes, Lexus).
The presence of NFC does not play any role, here the technology is used only for Apple Pay.
Camera
There is nothing to say about the front-facing 7-megapixel camera, it does not take a special photo quality, it does not stand out in anything significant, they taught the camera to blur the background, which is not bad. But some crazy beautiful portraits it doesn't create. Flagships from other companies tend to have a better camera.
The dual camera does not have optical stabilization (in Plus they spared money for this, but in X it is), plus the second lens is slightly better in aperture, which in practice has no effect. For comparison, I will give pictures on the iPhone 8 Plus and Note 8, in the second the camera has a different focal length (the same x2 zoom, but the picture enlarges, as well as better macro, as well as a number of other modes).
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And here are some more examples of photos.
There is also a portrait mode with different settings (beta), sometimes it cuts off the head or parts of the face with high quality. You can use it, but it doesn't make much sense.
The latest announcement from Apple, where three devices were presented at once - the iPhone 8/8 Plus and the iPhone X - somewhat puzzled analysts and Apple fans. Firstly, everyone is accustomed to the fact that the model number is updated in even years and a noticeable iPhone update, and on odd numbers the letter S is added to the current number, and the update is of a "minor" character. On the one hand, this is exactly what happened.
The changes in the iPhone 8/8 Plus were clearly an evolutionary plan, but at the same time, the conceptually new iPhone X was also presented at the presentation.With the numbering of iPhones this year, chaos was generally created. The letter S disappeared without a trace and an incomprehensible X appeared.
However, Apple’s marketing dithers from the point of view of the average consumer do not matter much. It is only important that the iPhone 8/8 Plus appeared in the official Russian retail at a price of 57-77 thousand rubles. It is also important to note that, according to Apple's assurances, the iPhone X will be on sale on November 3, although some experts (or ill-wishers) believe that the “ten” may reach Russia much later.
Change within
It is equally important 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 name a new one iPhone smartphone 7S Plus. It is absolutely impossible to distinguish the "seven" from the "eight", 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 the hand. The back panel is made of shock-resistant glass, which is generally a trend in the mobile industry. Glass and ceramics are clearly replacing aluminum as the main material for premium smartphones... This is partly a fashion, partly a technological requirement for the implementation of wireless charging.
Interestingly, the glass for the screen and the back of the iPhone 8/8 Plus is not Corning Gorilla Glass 5, as in all top smartphones of 2017, but a composite material exclusively developed by Apple's order. Apple claims it is the toughest glass ever used in a smartphone.
Nevertheless, 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 changed.
If the external changes in the iPhone 8/8 Plus are more decorative in nature, then 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 the new 6-core A11 Bionic processor, which is 25-70% faster (depending on the task) than last year's A10 Fusion, and its graphics core is 30% faster. The A11 Bionic is in fact already comparable in performance to the new desktop processors.
What is this power for? In all likelihood, for use in the augmented reality (AR) mode, which is so interested in Apple. While there are still few AR applications, and there are even fewer sensible ones, but the main thing is that developers, seeing AR support in iOS, will rush into this clearing. The competition there, in comparison with the market for conventional mobile applications and games, is still not too high, and there is a chance to make good money.
The only time we've already noticed the increased power of the iPhone 8 Plus is the camera 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 12MP Sony module, but it is not.
First, the camera has new high-aperture lenses. Secondly, a new enlarged matrix with deeper pixels, that is, with improved isolation between pixels, a new ISP, a new True Tone Quad LED flash with Slow Sync function. The background and foreground of the scene are now more evenly lit. The flash combines a slow shutter speed with a short pause between flash pulses. In the conditions of evening and night shooting, the subject is illuminated without darkening the background. Also, the new camera is specially calibrated to work with AR applications.
We also note the ability to shoot 4K 60 fps video, HD slow-motion video at up to 240 fps, the ability to shoot time-lapse 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 iron.
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 are boring, inexpressive and you have to artificially revive them using filters. The second shot was taken in good light.
Pictures taken with iPhone 8 Plus (collage) / Dmitry Bevza
But the main "bomb" of the new camera software is a new portrait mode, or rather portrait light. It works like this - the smartphone understands where the face is in the frame and where is the background, separates and darkens the background, programmatically “illuminates” the face and then collects everything into the final picture - and all this in real time. The new option is still in beta mode, but its great potential is already visible.
Portrait mode iPhone 8 Plus / Dmitry Bevza
In addition to the camera and processor, as already mentioned, the iPhone 8/8 Plus has support for wireless charging according to the QI standard, and you can charge new smartphone and from third party wireless chargers. Apple will have its own charger in 2018.
Who needs an iPhone 8
All of the above can be partly regarded as an answer to the popular question: "What's new in the iPhone 8, apart from glass?"
On closer inspection, it turned out to be a lot of new things, 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 for November (and according to unverified rumors - and December), and if you are wealthy enough to shell out 80-92 thousand rubles for the iPhone X - it may be worth postponing the purchase and waiting for the release of the “ten”.
If you are practical and economical, and you already have an iPhone 7/7 Plus, and if you have something to spend money on, then it is worth at least another year to live with the “seven”.
This is still an up-to-date device, and for all our love for new iPhones, it's too early to write off the iPhone 7/7 Plus.
But the difference between the new "iPhone" and iPhone 6s / 6s Plus and older models is already quite large. There is a different performance, and a big difference in the camera, and the battery life, which is noticeably worse for a smartphone two years ago. In general, we can recommend owners of rare iPhone to take a closer look at the iPhone 8/8 Plus.
What competitors have
All of the above applies primarily to users of Apple technology, for whom the operation of a smartphone on Android OS is terrifying. There is no doubt that the iPhone 8 Plus is the best right now Apple smartphone... However, even this company does not exist in an airless space. There is a huge army Android users and fighting Android vendors for their Apple wallets won't be easy.
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 is one of the best, if not the best mobile camera in the world is beyond doubt.
At the same time, it is worth noting that a whole series of excellent smartphones came out this year, which, in their own technical specifications they are not much inferior to the iPhone 8/8 Plus, and in some respects they surpass it. Of course, Samsung is immediately remembered with its Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note 8.
The Galaxy S8 / 8 + released six months ago is still relevant - it has better screen(Super AMOLED with Quad HD resolution), eye-catching bezel-less design and the ability to turn your smartphone into a computer via the DEX docking station. Plus, it is much cheaper than the iPhone 8/8 Plus - 36 thousand rubles. from "gray" sellers or 49 thousand rubles. from officials with different bonuses and gifts. Yes, the Galaxy S8 / 8 + is inferior to the new iPhone in terms of ergonomics and lack of a telephoto lens in the camera, but the price difference is very large.
The new Galaxy Note 8 is sold in Russia at a price of 60-70 thousand rubles. against 65 thousand rubles. for the iPhone 8 Plus. It has the worst ergonomics, slightly less performance, but at the same time it has an excellent dual camera, a built-in electronic pen, a great screen of a noticeably larger size, support for a DEX docking station, a frameless design, and it looks just 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 just presented Google pixel 2 XL, whose camera the experts at DXOMARK put even higher than the iPhone 8 Plus. And on the way Huawei mate 10 with the new Hisilicon Kirin 970 processor, machine learning module, Leica camera and other technological bells and whistles.
Summing up, we can say that if for Apple users the iPhone 8/8 Plus is an unconditional favorite, then for smartphone users on Android new Apple is no longer so uniquely attractive, as competition in the premium smartphone market has reached unprecedented proportions in the last 2-3 years.
More recently, Apple held its own, which featured three new iPhone models, updated version smart watch Apple Watch Series 3 and TV Apple prefix TV 4K.
Price for the junior version with 64 GB internal memory at the start of sales in the USA - $799 ... For a smartphone with 256 GB you will have to pay $869 ... It is expected that in the CIS countries - the iPhone 8 Plus will initially be sold with a significant margin ~$950 (64 GB) and ~$1330 (256 GB).
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Specifications:
| Pre-installed OS | iOS 11 |
| Screen | Screen: IPS, 5.5 ″, Retina HD, 1920 × 1080, 401 ppi, True Tone, capacitive, multitouch, 3D Touch |
| CPU | 6-core Apple A11 Bionic, M11 motion coprocessor |
| Graphics accelerator | Integrated triple-core Apple GPU |
| RAM | 3 GB |
| Built-in memory | 64/256 GB (No memory card support) |
| Main camera | Two lenses with 12 megapixel matrices and optical stabilization, wide-angle lens - ƒ / 1.8, telephoto lens - ƒ / 2.8, flash, autofocus Focus Pixels |
| Front-camera | 7 MP, ƒ / 2.2, Retina Flash on-screen flash |
| Net | 4G LTE |
| Wireless interfaces | WiFi 802.11 b / g / n / ac (MIMO), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC |
| Navigation: | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| Dust and moisture protection: | IP67 |
| Sensors: | illumination, movement, microgyroscope, accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint |
| Battery | 2675 mAh non-removable, support for fast charging and Qi wireless charging |
| Dimensions (edit) | 158.4x78.1x7.5 mm |
| Number of SIM-cards | 1, Nano-SIM |
There are not many changes as expected, and some of them are highly controversial. The single-chip system has been updated, which now contains six cores, including still two "large" ones, as well as a new graphics subsystem of Apple's own development, about which there is nothing to say yet.
The hardware component for photo / video has remained the same, the battery capacity has decreased for some reason, the weight and dimensions, on the contrary, have increased. In general, there are not as many changes in the hardware as we would like.
Equipment
You can immediately complain about the packaging: for some reason, the cardboard and the dimensional accuracy have deteriorated. If earlier it was difficult to pull out a pallet made of dense material with sharp corners, now it "falls out" into hands without any problems.
The design remains the same, with the same array of legal and trade information on the back.
The complete set has practically not changed. It consists of the following accessories:
- Charger;
- Wired stereo headset;
- Lightning cord;
- Lightning adapter -> 3.5 mm;
- Documentation.
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Those users who watched the presentation may have noticed that now new models of smartphones support fast charging and wireless.
The only problem is that the set includes a "classic" power supply unit with the usual 1A at 5V. New iPhones can be quickly charged with a separate purchase of the USB-C Power Adapter, available in 29W, 61W or 87W versions. priced at $ 49, $ 69 and $ 79 respectively.
And, of course, there is no headphone jack, so an adapter is included. But it too may soon disappear from the standard set, being offered at inhumane prices.
Appearance
It's no secret that the iPhone 8 Plus received roughly the same design as its predecessor, the iPhone 7 Plus. Yes, the back panel is now glass, but this, firstly, was done to implement wireless charging, and secondly, it increased the thickness of the smartphone from 7.3 to 7.5 mm.
And it should be noted that it is very difficult to distinguish a new product from the previous three (!) Generations from the front side.
The glass on the back made it possible to completely abandon the plastic inserts for the antennas, which undoubtedly benefited the gadget. However, it has now become easier to break the device, especially since rather fragile 2.5D glass is used, which is very vulnerable at the edges.
In addition to the gray version, there are also the usual gold and silver.
But the fragility of glass does not mean the fragility of the entire structure. Indeed, the glass breaks when dropped, but there are no complaints about the strength of the case to the Apple iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8.
Despite the matte paint, it has become more difficult to hold the device; when heated, the smartphone becomes more slippery than its brothers, so it makes sense to get a case. How true, then letting others know that you have the G8 in your hands is an open question.
It's even boring to talk about the design, we saw all this earlier, and there is nothing new except for the glass on the back. All the same shape and size of buttons, the same metal profile, the same arrangement of elements.
The volume buttons are on the left, the screen lock button is on the right, next to the SIM card tray.
Below is one of the speakers, a Lightning connector, and a microphone. A classic layout that hasn't changed for a long time. The camera block has not changed compared to its predecessor. These are the same two cameras with dual flash. Significant differences are promised only in.
The metal edging of the cameras looks foreign on the plane of the glass. Although it received a slight bevel, it was implemented more elegantly on the iPhone 7/7 Plus. In addition, now the protective glass noticeably protrudes beyond this edging, which unfavorably distinguishes the new product from its predecessor. Why this was done is not clear.
It is not surprising that when dropped, the glass either immediately breaks or crumbles, which was not observed in the case of models of previous generations.
Photo: iPhones.ru Build quality is excellent overall. The only thing you can find fault with is the plastic inserts for the antennas on the sidewalls. Previously, they were soldered so skillfully that they did not feel tactile.
(!) If you pay your closest attention to the fact that visually in front of us is still the same iPhone design 6 Plus:
The same huge bezels around the screen, the same proportions of the display and bezels, the same uncomfortable slippery profile of the case and dubious aesthetics, which the manufacturer has been trying to sell for the fourth year in a row.
Back in 2014 design iPhone 6 Plus looked outdated in comparison with competitors, and even after so many years, even more so. Yes, not all manufacturers of Android smartphones have switched to “frameless” design in their flagships, but the price of the product is completely different there.
Screen
Speaking of the display, it is impossible to avoid another comparison with its predecessor (and not only last year, to be honest): the same IPS with Retina resolution, but in fact - Full HD 1920 × 1080. The picture is high-quality and juicy, the colors are saturated and natural, the viewing angles are maximum - in general, if the display has been improved, then quite a bit, "for show".
One fundamental innovation - the mode True tone, which slightly changes the color tone of the display depending on the ambient light. The function works, in different rooms the shade really changes gradually, but its usefulness remains in question.
With the exception of the True Tone switch, the display settings remain the same.
Interface
iPhone 8 Plus out of the box is equipped with latest version proprietary operating system -. The first launch of the system is long - there are many windows with information and initial settings, twice you have to wait “several minutes”. But you can bring the iPhone 8 Plus to your any old device from Apple, and it will automatically sync: log in, connect to a Wi-Fi point, install the necessary applications.
The home screen is not much different from the "dozens", except that some icons have been updated: App Store, iTunes Store, calculator and a few more.
But the developers have done a lot of work on the functionality. The control panel is now what it should have been from the start - customizable.
You cannot go directly from the panel to its settings, as well as by long / strong pressing on any icon - to the settings of the corresponding function. However, pressing hard (or long on displays without Force Touch) opens the extended menu, which is sometimes useful.
Disconnection wireless interfaces through the control panel, the corresponding type of communication is cut off, but the operation of the chip can be completely interrupted only in the settings menu. Also, in the control panel, you should look for a few more new ones. iOS functions 11: Screen recording and Do not disturb while driving.
The keyboard remains unchanged, but can now be pressed against the edges of the display for easy one-handed typing. There is a separate small panel at the bottom for stickers. The dialer has not undergone significant changes either - the appearance of the numeric keypad has only slightly changed.
Finally, screenshots can now be edited immediately after they have been taken, add a handwritten note and send - one by one or in bulk.
More photos of IOS 11 interface:
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Most people on the Internet talk about the poor performance of devices running iOS 11. This applies to both new products and updated models. The problem is that this is true:
Once the applications do not want to start, then they freeze during animation, then the application does not want to be installed from the store without rebooting ... the impression is that this is not the "apple" system of the latest build, but the beta version of Android 2.3. We'll have to wait for an update for normal work what can you do.
Performance
Apple has traditionally updated its chipset, and now the heart of the company's top gadgets is the six-core A11 Bionic with an M11 motion coprocessor and an integrated GPU of its own design. It was adapted to work with neural networks and machine learning, although, unlike the iPhone X, there is no separate chip for these purposes in the 8 and 8 Plus.
The performance of the two cores is expected to increase by 25%, and the four energy-efficient cores are 70% more efficient than the two cores in the Apple A10 Fusion.
RAM in iPhone 8 Plus - 3 GB Both versions come with either 64GB or 256GB of internal storage to choose from. The system takes ~ 10 GB, how to dispose of the rest is up to the user (as always, there is nowhere to insert a memory card).
Synthetic tests:
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Any games can be easily launched at maximum settings:
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World of Tanks Blitz: tanks fly at maximum speed, delivering stable 60 fps
Asphalt 8: Airborne: loading locations fast, high detail, dynamic image
Indeed, productivity has increased significantly. True, the question remains about how much the level of autonomy has suffered and whether it has suffered at all.
Camera
The iPhone 8 Plus has a dual rear camera that is more functional than the single camera in the iPhone 8, but slightly simpler than the upcoming iPhone X.
The camera is equipped with two lenses with 12 MP matrices and optical stabilization, a wide-angle lens - ƒ / 1.8, a telephoto lens - ƒ / 2.8, flash, Focus Pixels autofocus. Optical stabilization equipped only one of the two lenses.
Daytime scenes the camera plays as expected on the highest level, we can separately note the excellent color rendering.
Examples of photos:
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A special feature of Apple iPhone new generations with dual cameras - portrait mode. Now it not only makes the bokeh effect, but also allows you to adjust the lighting features and remove the background altogether.
This can be done both during shooting and after the fact. Portrait mode is far from perfect, and the main problem is with the hair. But let's not forget that it is still in beta status, and machine learning is responsible for processing photos, which needs a large amount of data to adjust the algorithms.
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Daylight - Focus on the subject's face, blurred background
Stage light - the user's face is lit by a spotlight and the background is deep black
Daylight - the background blurred and focus is clearly on the face
Contour Light - Uses expressive midtones with light and dark areas Studio Light - The subject's face is brightly lit and the image is as clear as possible.
The portrait modes are in order: Daylight, Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light, and Stage Light - Mono. The main mode that makes bokeh is daytime, and for good reason: at night the detail drops sharply, the orange light behind a person makes it difficult to separate him from the background.
Photos on the front-end show that if it has become better than in the 7 Plus, it is imperceptible, and from this point of view, the novelty loses in advance to the iPhone X with all its sensors.
The camera app now supports scanning QR codes (it can be turned off in the settings). Now you can save the last shooting mode and the filter used - the program will remember how you shot the last time, and after restarting you will not need to set everything up again.
Speaker, sound quality
The stereo speakers of iPhone 8 Plus deliver great sound, including bass - when playing music, the vibration of the case and especially the display is well felt. Headphones included - standard EarPods with Lightning connector.
We should also praise the wide range of vibration signals: from minimal ones, meaning, for example, updating a page in Chrome or switching camera modes, to strong ones - for a call. The Taptic Engine runs smoothly and efficiently.
Battery
IPhone 8 Plus has a non-removable battery 2675 mAh- even less than the iPhone 7 Plus (2900 mAh). Considering the increased power consumption of the new operating system that runs the smartphone, its autonomy raises serious concerns.
In economical mode of use (one and a half hours of music, 40 minutes of photo and video shooting, a little talk, social networks and instant messengers, no games) battery lost 91% of charge in 16 hours.
Neither one nor the other is included in the package, for fast charging you will have to buy a power adapter for the Macbook Pro and a USB cable with a higher bandwidth, for wireless - a Qi standard pad.
If you believe foreign sources of fast charging, then the efficiency of Apple's fast charging is comparable to Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, which is not bad.
Communication and Internet
iPhone 8 Plus is capable of working in Wi-Fi networks via b / g / n / ac protocols. Both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequency bands are supported. In addition, the Bluetooth protocol has been updated from 4.2 to 5.0. Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS. cellular stable, including VoLTE, mobile Internet works as expected.
What's really nice is the introduction of USB 3.0 behind the Lightning mask. Surprisingly, until now, Apple's flagships have been content with just USB 2.0 speeds.
Competitors
Have Samsung there are two competitors for the iPhone 8 Plus at once, this and. True, both of them are more likely to compete with the iPhone X.
