The new (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhone 8 won’t start arriving until Friday, but one lucky YouTuber has received an early unit from Apple. Popular YouTuber Marques Brownlee was gifted a pre-release RED iPhone 8 Plus, and has posted an unboxing video online.
Brownlee’s take on the “seriously red” iPhone? That it’s pretty darn great — and the palette swap from white to red frontage, compared with last year’s iPhone, is much appreciated. Check out his video below.
Apple’s decision to have popular YouTubers provide the first public glimpse of products is something the company has been doing for a while now. It’s a smart way of controlling the narrative and short-circuiting the traditional media machine. It also helps appeal to younger audiences who are more likely to watch YouTube vloggers than read, say, the New York Times.
Brownlee’s review doesn’t break any major news about the new iPhone, although it does confirm that this is definitely an attractive handset.
As part of the video, he notes that he would like to see an iPhone X come in the (PRODUCT)RED colors, but notes that the Apple rep he was in touch wit, “wouldn’t say if they would do it or not.” (My guess is that we’ll have to wait until next year when all the new iPhones look like the iPhone X.)
Everything you need to know about the new RED iPhone
Prices for the new (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhone 8 start at $699 for a 64GB iPhone 8 and $749 for a 64GB iPhone 8 Plus. Both models also come in a 256GB storage option priced at $849 and $949 respectively.
While Apple isn’t initially selling a RED version of the iPhone X, there is a RED version of its leather folio case. This is priced at $99, and is available to preorder now ahead of its official debut on Friday.
A percentage of all RED sales goes to The Global Fund, which finances programs to fight AIDS and HIV around the world. Helped by its customers, Apple has contributed more than $160 million to the project since it was founded in 2006.
Will you be buying one of the new (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition iPhones? Let us know in the comments below.
