iPhone 8

It's never fun being the second child, is it? That's how the iPhone 8 must be feeling after the release of the iPhone X.

The iPhone 8 is basically the iPhone 7S, coming with a slight upgrade to the internals and some improved hardware on the outside to make it the affordable upgrade for those coming from the iPhone 6S – or those who held onto the iPhone 6 as long as they could.

The upgrades are fairly minimal compared to the iPhone X, but there's still enough here to warrant an upgrade if it's time. Let's take a look and see what's changed.

iPhone 8 release date and price

The iPhone 8 is going to be a far more palatable choice for those looking to spend a 'normal' amount on a phone, with the price not rising much from last year. The iPhone 8 price starts at $699 / £699 / AU$1,079 for the 64GB variant, while the larger, 256GB version is $849 / £849 / $1,329.

In terms of the iPhone 8 release date, we're looking at it being available for pre-order from September 15 around the world, with an actual on-shelf date of September 22.

Faster innards

One of the main upgrades for the iPhone 8 is the new A11 Bionic chip inside, which is rumored to have been manufactured using a new 10nm process.

If that doesn't mean much to you, it basically means the chip can run more efficiently, so the battery life can be increased and/or the power improved, allowing you to take advantage of new higher-power apps and extending the life of the battery over previous iterations.

That's not going to make a big difference from last year's phone, simply because we're already seeing iPhones becoming a little more powerful than is needed for most apps, but it'll keep things running smoother for longer.

The chip is incredibly powerful for a phone of this size – and basically is used to push the AR experience.

It seems a little like overkill for this handset, given it doesn't really have the higher-power camera, but the battery should be made more efficient as a result.

Wireless charging and glass back

The design of the iPhone 8 isn't that dissimilar to the iPhone 7, which is a bit of a shame when the world is always clamoring for a new design (and doesn't want to spend hugely on the iPhone X), but at least there's a glass back on this phone.

That means that you can now charge this device wirelessly, with the new functionality coming to all the new iPhones launched at the 2017 event. It'll use the Qi standard, which looks to be the de facto way of charging phones in the future.

It's hard to say more about this, other than you'll plop the phone on the charging pad and go. It won't be as rapid as plugging in a cable, but far more convenient (especially if you have a newer car with the capability built in).

The glass back gives the phone a slightly lighter feel, with the 4.7-inch display taking up less space in the hand and it's easy to tap the Touch ID button on the bottom without jiggling it around in the hand.

The overall design is very similar to before, but you do feel this is a slight improvement - and the new gold color is attractive with the two-tone effect.

iPhone 8 screen

The screen has been given an upgrade over the iPhone 7, which is the least we'd expect given it's jumped a whole number forward. 

This is one of the most noticeable changes to this phone, with the 4.7-inch screen now coming with a Retina (Full) HD display, making it look sharper and more clear throughout your app use and web browsing.

Once again, this LCD screen is clear and bright to look at, with the new Retina display giving a nice-looking visage to peer at.

However, compared to the OLED of the iPhone X, it pales in comparison, and definitely could do with being a touch brighter to be a real flagship phone these days.

It's got the True Tone technology we've enjoyed from the iPad Pro - and it does make a difference to the color of the display - however, in the demo area it was hard to see if there was a massive change.

Improved camera

Apple's gone for a slight boost in the camera again, although it's sticking with its tried-and-tested 12MP sensor in the back.

It's – rather disappointingly – still the single sensor we saw on the iPhone 7 last year. That's the same 12MP from the previous iteration. It's not terrible, as the phone was capable of taking some great pictures, but we'd hoped for two sensors this year.

That's a feeling exacerbated by the move to an iPhone 8 name. We'd have assumed that it wouldn't just be a minor camera upgrade.

The overall quality of the pictures is still superb though - you're unlikely to feel any disdain for what's taken, and zooming into the snaps shows that things are still clear, bright and crisp.

Early verdict

The iPhone 8 is a surprising name for this phone, given Apple hasn't really changed a whole heap – that's been saved for the iPhone X.

There are the expected updates on board, mostly centered around the faster chipset (which Apple claims will lead to extended battery life), but on the whole this pales in comparison to its impressive X-based brother.

The screen is higher-res, which is welcome, and looks a touch sharper and brighter in the hand.

However, it's a lot more accessible cost-wise, so if you're looking for a more affordable iPhone (relatively speaking – it's still a jolly expensive flagship phone like most out there), this is the one to go for.

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