Here I am going to write a little bit about the last three iPhones that Apple released all within a very short time amongst them. It was certainly a strange marketing idea, there’s no doubt about that. I’m still not sure what Apple was thinking in doing so. But maybe it was to give people like me something to write about and compare. Let’s get right into the comparisons among the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X.
Design
First, let’s talk about the design. I got all Space Gray editions for all three. On the sides, you have the aluminum bands which is traditional from the iPhone 6 and up. The iPhone X has a charcoal gray finish on the sides that looks very good. Keep in mind that the white versions are very prone to scratching. So far, the Space Gray hasn’t had any issues.
Battery performance
Moving along to battery performance the iPhone 8 Plus is the clear winner. It can literally last up to 2 days of usage. It’s the high-endurance champ. Next would be the iPhone X, it has the biggest battery of the three and also has the highest pixel density count for the display quality. That being said, the iPhone X can last up to a day with medium usage. Last is the iPhone 8. It makes a big turn around from the iPhone 7 as the iPhone 8 gets about an hour more of usage.
Front-facing cameras
Comparing the front-facing cameras on all three they all have 7MP sensors with the same 2.2 aperture, retina flash, and 1080p HD video recording. However, the iPhone X takes it up a notch with portrait mode, portrait lighting, and animojies. The animojies can be cool at first but there are seriously almost zero practical reasons to have them unless you’re a female playing on Instagram or Snapchat. The portrait mode on the front-facing camera for the iPhone X is a joke. The Google Pixel 2 is much better suited for that scenario.
Rear cameras
Now focusing on the rear cameras. The iPhone X and 8 Plus both have dual camera systems. The Phone X does have image stabilization on both lenses, while the 8 Plus only has it n the main lens. Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 keeps things really simple with a single 12-megapixel shooter with iOS. Keep in mind these are all 12MP cameras. On paper, the iPhone X may seem like the best camera in the bunch, but I disagree. There is a clear hardware flaw on the iPhone X and let me tell you why. The quad-LED flash is way too close to the lens and it causes white and reds eyes in low-light while using the flash system.
Best overall camera
So which one has the best overall camera? I would have to say the iPhone 8 Plus serves me just fine. It’s basically the same experience as the iPhone X without the flaws. You don’t get any red or white eyes during low-light usage.
Software experience
Let’s talk about the software experience a bit. All of these are running iOS 11.2.5, which is much more stable than the launch version of iOS 11. For the classic iPhone user out there, you’re going to want to stick with the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus that offers a very familiar experience that we are all used to. On the other hand, if you’ve been using iOS for a long time and you’re just looking for a change, then the iPhone X is your baby. It offers a completely new way to interact with the device because of its gesture-based system and no Home Button. Keep in mind there are some bumps in the road with the iPhone X’s gesture-based system.
Best one-handed
Which one is the best one-handed using iPhone? I’d say the iPhone 8. it’s comfortable in your hand and the ergonomics are just really nice. Some would say that the 8 and 8 Plus are outdated, but it’s a design that has been tried and trued.
Next, the runner-up is the iPhone X. It does have that long 18:9 aspect ratio that can be hard to reach. If you have large hands you should be able to reach the Control Center. The least comfortable to use one-handed is the 8 Plus, it’s just really big and hard to make some of the reaches, especially if you have smaller hands. however, you may really love the wide 16:9 aspect ratio of the 8 Plus. It gives you more productivity space for multimedia.
Biometrics
Biometrics. Both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus uses a second-generation Touch ID sensor which is really fast, and the iPhone X uses Face ID. It’s an OK option considering it’s only in its first-generation form, but it’s not as good as Touch ID, yet.
Displays
Getting into display performance, the iPhone uses a 5.8″ OLED panel with HDR. It has a pixel density count of 458 PPI. The biggest con for me is on the iPhone X‘s display is PWM, that stands for Pulse Width Modulation. It’s a tech term used when talking about the dimming process of the OLED panels. Basically, in short, when it’s using its dimming feature the frame rates of the OLED panels are very bothersome to people with sensitive eyes. It’s not something you can see without a slow-motion type of camera, but your brain definitely feels it when using it a lot. It causes headaches and eye-strain.
Getting back to the 8 Plus, it uses a 1920 x 1080p panel with 401 PPI and it looks really nice. The iPhone 8 has a 4.7″ LCD panel with 326PPI, and even in zoom mode you cannot see the pixels. I prefer the 8 Plus for the larger screen and it’s PWM free.
If you work on or watch a lot of videos on landscape mode than you’ll love the iPhone 8 Plus’s size. it kind of gives you an iPad mini experience.
Speaker
Call quality is pretty standard amongst the three in terms of general usage. The earpiece is bigger on the 8 Plus, and the speakerphone is a bit louder as well. The same thing can be said about the 8 Plus’s speakers. They sound louder, deeper and crisper. In general all three sound really good.
Summary
Here are some key factors amongst the three phones. For the traveler, I prefer the iPhone 8 Plus because of its big 16:9 aspect ratio and super long battery life. You can never have too much battery when traveling. The iPhone X is more of a status symbol in many regards. If you are a fairly average consumer that doesn’t really care about OLED panels and high PPI counts, and this encompasses most of us users, then the iPhone 8 is a great choice. It is the cheapest out of the bunch at $699, and it offers a really good iOS experience. The main limitation here is the 2GB of RAM.
I hope this quick comparison helps the readers and researchers out there make a better informed decision on their next big smartphone purchase.
