iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Should you upgrade to the new Apple’s iPhone 8?

13 Sept 2017

Should you upgrade to Apple's iPhone 8 or stick with the iPhone 7? Here's the definitive answer.

The iPhone 8 was unveiled on 12 September at Apple’s keynote event in Cupertino, California, at the new Steve Jobs theatre. The new iPhone hasn’t drastically changed from the iPhone 7 and isn’t as revolutionary as the new iPhone X. So, what does the new iPhone 8 bring to the table?

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Last year, Apple controversially removed the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7, opting for a Lightning-only connection, which meant you couldn’t listen to your music while charging – instead, Apple insisted on using wireless headphones, such as the AirPods.

The iPhone 8 finally brings wireless charging to an iPhone, and this completely changes things for iPhone owners and the industry. Prior to Apple adopting wireless Qi technology, many manufacturers tried pushing wireless charging – but despite its growth, nothing will compare to the new surge of people wanting to wirelessly charge their shiny new iPhone 8.

Buy the iPhone 8 now for £32 a month and £160 upfront with O2

In this article, we go through the key differences between the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7.

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Price and release date

The price is always the biggest talking point with Apple products. The new iPhone 8 isn’t cheap, starting at £669 for the 64GB model and going up to £819 for the 256GB model.

There’s some really great contracts on offer with Mobiles.co.uk, too. For the 64GB model, you’ll get 12GB of data with unlimited minutes and texts. That broken down is £32 a month and £160 upfront.

O2’s best contract for the 256GB iPhone is £49 a month and £75 upfront – you’ll get 20GB of data, unlimited minutes and texts.

The iPhone 7, on the other hand, has had a £50 price drop, since the release of the new iPhone 8. The iPhone 7 now starts at £549 for the 32GB model and is £649 for the 128GB model. The iPhone 7 is available right now through various retailers, including the Apple Store.

Winner: iPhone 7

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Colours

Personalisation is always a nice touch, and the iPhone 7 comes in five different colours: Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold.

The iPhone 8 on the other hand, comes in three colours: Silver, Gold and Space Grey. The Gold colour is a new unique colour that has a softer Rose Gold-tone.

Winner: iPhone 7

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Design and connectivity

When the iPhone 7 was released, most of us were a bit underwhelmed, to be honest. Sure, it was a good-looking handset, but it seemed to look almost identical to the iPhone 6s before it – minus a headphone jack, of course. Unfortunately, Apple hasn’t reinvented the wheel here. If you’re looking for a radical new iPhone, you should look for the iPhone X, which is vastly different from any iPhone that’s ever existed.

However, one major change is the use of an all-glass back. According to Apple, it’s the “most durable glass ever in an iPhone”. This give is it a unique look and should theoretically be a stronger phone. However, given our experiences with the Jet Black iPhone 7, I’d say it’ll still get scratched, attract fingerprints and could potentially look very ugly after a few months of heavy usage.

Both phones are IP67 water- and dust-resistant, which means they can be submerged up to 1m of water and survive for 30 minutes. Both phones support Apple Pay. The iPhone 8 has Bluetooth 5, as opposed to the iPhone 7’s v4.2.

The iPhone 8 is slightly thicker, at 7.3mm versus the iPhone 7’s 7.1mm.

Winner: iPhone 8

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Display

The 4.7in 750 x 1,334 IPS display has had a slight change. The new iPhone 8 still has 3D Touch and a wide colour gamut but is also now a True Tone display. The new iPhone 8’s display is very accurate, but now also adjusts to the environment around you, by adjusting the colour tone.

Winner: iPhone 8

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: iOS

The new iPhone 8 ships with iOS 11 out the box, but the iPhone 7 is upgradable to the latest version of iOS too. So, you’ll get all the benefits from Apple’s latest and greatest on your older device.

Winner: Tie

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Performance

Inside the iPhone 8 is Apple’s all new A11 Bionic chip, this is a 64-bit six-core processor that delivers 30% power efficiency and 50% performance over last year’s A10 chip, which was used in the iPhone 7.

From this, Apple claims that the iPhone 8 provides an extra two hours of battery life. We’ll have to get it in to see the real-world differences. One feature you might overlook is the ability of the iPhone 8 to charge from 0-50% in 30 minutes, a really useful tool that we’ve seen on Android for the past few years. This allows you to quickly get some juice quickly before heading out.

Winner: iPhone 8

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Camera

The new iPhone 8 features a single 12-megapixel f/1.8 camera, with 5x digital zoom and Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS). This is the same camera that’s found on the regular iPhone 7 – no improvements here, other than the quad-LED True Tone flash now has slow sync. Useful for low-light imagery.

Video recordings have been slightly improved, with the new iPhone 8 being able to capture 4K at 60fps, over the iPhone 7’s 30fps cap.

The selfie camera hasn’t changed either, it’s still a 7-megapixel f/2.2 camera with Retina flash.

Winner: Tie

iPhone 8 vs iPhone 7: Verdict

The iPhone 8 is a tough sell, at least to me. It brings wireless charging, a faster processor, and a True Tone display. But given the £150 price difference, it’s up to you to decide whether these features are a must-buy. If you’re in the market for a new iPhone, and you’re not looking to spend a ridiculous amount on the new iPhone X, get the iPhone 7 – you won’t be disappointed.