The iPhone 8 was always going to be stuck in a tough spot: It’s a marginal upgrade that lands the same year that Apple introduced the iPhone X, the biggest refresh since 2014’s iPhone 6.
Now that review embargoes have lifted, Apple’s favorite tech journalists are busting out their iPhone 8 reviews. Are the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus worth shelling out for? Check out our iPhone 8 review roundup below.
This week, leap into fall with a new iPhone or MacBook! We found deals on iPhones (including the new iPhone 8), plus a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.
This week on The CultCast: iPhone 8 reviews are in! We’ll tell you what everyone loves about the 8, and why you should get one over the X (but probably won’t). Plus: We round up reviews for Apple Watch series 3, and argue over which model is best. And stick around for what we don’t like about iPhone X; Apple’s A11 chip hits a surprising benchmark; tests show iPhone 8 wireless charging is abysmally slow; Apple quietly hikes their iDevice prices; and we’ll tell you all the best AR apps you need to try.
The iPhone’s camera is good enough that it can be most people’s only camera — including professional photographers. The iPhone is a multi-purpose computer, though, not just a camera, so it can sometimes do with a little help when it comes to ergonomics, or to adding a little extra reach with a telephoto lens. These are the iPhone 8 camera gizmos you should buy:
Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit to the Apple store in Palo Alto this morning to celebrate the launch of the iPhone 8.
Despite seeing modest lines for the device’s launch around the country, Cook told reporters today he’s “thrilled” with the response to both the iPhone 8 and the Apple Watch Series 3. Many stores across the globe have sold out of the new watch and according to Cook, the iPhone 8 is out of stock in some places too.
The iPhone 8 isn’t getting as hyped a reception from fans as previous models, but Apple’s making a hard push to lure in customers with its latest video.
Apple’s newest commercial gives people 8 things to love about the new iPhone 8, from durable glass front and back to its insanely fast A11 processor. Most fans are holding out for the iPhone X, however, you might be convinced to upgrade earlier after watching the new 47-second spot.
Apple’s new iPhones are its most beautiful yet. And as such, they deserve to be docked in nothing but the finest cradles ever crafted.
Find the perfect dock can be a bit of challenge considering there are a dizzying array of options to choose from. Not all docks are created equal though, so we’ve rounded up the best options for users of all budgets.
These are the docks you should buy:
The new iPhone 8 isn’t just the most beautiful phone Apple has ever made. It’s also one of the toughest ever.
iPhone 8 buyers have already put the new device through a number of torture tests after it went on sale across the globe this morning. Even though the new design sports glass in the front back, early stress tests have shown its more durable than the iPhone 7 in bend test.
Check it out:
Even the giant plus-sized iPhones run out of juice eventually, and that goes for the new iPhone 8 as much as any iPhone before it. You could carry a charger with you and spend the day hunting for available wall-sockets, but these days that’s as lame as using dodgy free Wi-Fi instead of reliable and fast LTE. Instead, you should take some backup power with you. There are two options: battery cases, great for really heavy phone users who always run out of power before lunch, and a spare battery with a USB cable that can charge your iPhone, or any device, but stays in the bottom of your bag until it’s needed.
Let’s take a look at the options. There’s also one very cool surprise feature in one of our picks that “wireless” charging fans are going to love.
Fans queuing for the latest iPhone is something customary for new launches, but according to reports from across the globe, demand isn’t what it has been in previous years.
Interest in the new handset seems to be muted, with Apple stores seeing a fraction of the lines that have greeted previous iPhone launches. At Apple stores in New York City, where typically hundreds of fans are queued up for hours to buy the iPhone, the entire line was gone within the first hour of the store opening.
The cameras onboard the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are the “best-performing” smartphone cameras ever tested, according to a report by DxOMark Labs.
Both iPhones surpassed what DxO once declared the best, the Google Pixel. The 8 Plus scored a 94, two points higher than its single-camera sibling. The Pixel and the HTC U11 both rated a 90 while the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7 scored an 88 and 85 respectively.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus may cost as much as the top-end iPhone X, but that certainly doesn’t mean you don’t want to protect your new iPhone.
You’ll find a range of cases on the market. Ultra-thin “skins” will to protect your iPhone 8 from scratches without changing its appearance much. Heavy-duty armor will save it from concrete smashes. And wallet-style cases let get organized. Here are our top picks for the iPhone 8/8 Plus cases you need to know about.
Most people haven’t even laid their hands on one yet, but the good folks at iFixit have already gotten hold of a new iPhone device and cracked it open to see what its insides look like.
While the new handset is very similar to the existing iPhone 7, it does include a few notable differences, which can be described as follows:
Apple has begun shipping early orders for iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K.
All three devices make their official debut tomorrow, September 22 — one week after they were made available to pre-order. If you haven’t already claimed yours, you’ll now have to wait at least three weeks for it to ship from the Apple online store.
The first wave of ARKit-powered apps is crashing into the App Store this week to change the way you use your iPhone.
With iOS 11, Apple has turned the iPhone and iPad into the world’s biggest augmented reality platform and some of the first offerings from developers are pretty mindblowing. You’ll need an iPhone 6s or above to take advantage of ARKit’s incredible powers, but these apps might convince you it’s worth the upgrade.
Here are 7 ARKit apps you should download right now:
Moment, considered by many mobile photographers to be the leading maker of smartphone lenses, are taking orders for cases that will fit the new iPhones.
Tests show the stable of Moment lenses and the Photo Case work with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, Moment founder Marc Barros said.
The wireless charging capabilities of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will reportedly receive a boost later this year, courtesy of a future over-the-air firmware update from Apple.
Right now, the iPhone 8 charges at a rate equal to that of the 5-watt USB Power Adapter that Apple provides with the iPhone. However, according to an early review of the device (no doubt with a tip-off from Apple), this will increase slightly later this year.
Apple customers looking to upgrade to the iPhone X or iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus might want to think twice if they’re planning to use it on T-Mobile.
Despite packing some of the most innovative technology for a smartphone, all three new devices won’t be able to support T-Mobile’s upcoming LTE network that operates at the 600MHz frequency.
The iPhone X is Apple’s top-of-the-range iPhone, but if you’re looking for impressive Geekbench scores — referring to the cross-platform CPU benchmark scoring system — you may be better off sticking with either the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus.
That’s according to scores Apple’s new devices have achieved on Geekbench’s iOS Benchmark Chart. Despite all three devices having Apple’s new A11 Bionic Fusion chip, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus outstrip the iPhone X on both single core and multi core performance.
If you’re lusting after an iPhone 8 upgrade but don’t want to pay more for your smartphone, Sprint might have the perfect deal for you. It is currently offering one of Apple’s latest handsets for $0 a month — but only if you trade in certain phones.
The iPhone 6s, which made its debut in 2015, lives on following the launch of iPhone 8 and iPhone X. It’s now one of the most affordable smartphones you can buy from the Apple store, and unlike iPhone SE, it offers a larger Retina HD display and 3D Touch.
Apple has begun shipping early orders for the iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3, and Apple TV 4K. All three devices were made available to pre-order on Friday, September 15, and they’re scheduled to reach customers on September 22.
Apple’s first ever keynote at the Steve Jobs Theater last Tuesday was one for the ages as the company took the wraps off some of its most innovative products ever. There was a lot to unpack in Apple’s two-hour long keynote, so we’ve broken down the highlights on all the new products.
In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find those stories and more. Get the latest on the new iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3. And discover how to buy iPhone X without breaking the bank. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
Note: This post, originally published at 2:44 a.m. Pacific, has been updated.
For the first time since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, the company’s latest models failed to immediately sell out.
More than 12 hours after pre-orders opened this morning, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus remain generally available for pickup at Apple stores next Friday, the first day they go on sale to the public.
Typically, new iPhones sell out within minutes because demand far outstrips Apple’s ability to produce its latest devices in massive quantities. Is iPhone 8’s surprising availability a total Apple fail that shows nobody wants one? Or is it a sign of Cupertino’s mastery of the supply chain and production?
The new A11 Bionic processor that powers the iPhone 8 and iPhone X is the most powerful smartphone chip Apple ever created. But making a processor that’s perfect for AI tasks took some big bets by Apple.
In a new interview with the company’s SVP of hardware tech, Johny Srouji, and marketing boss Phil Schiller, Apple reveals how it took three years to come up with the perfect solution.
