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iPhone 8 and 8 Plus

Most of the time, product reviews follow an entirely anticipated pattern. If the reviewer likes the device, they recommend it. If they don't like the device, they don't. Apple'due south iPhone 8 is bucking that trend, with enough of reviews singing its praises, and precious few strong "Purchase" recommendations following upwardly.

The Verge's review headline refers to the iPhone 8 and viii Plus as "The default pick," and notes "If y'all know what an iPhone is and you want one, and then the iPhone 8 is exactly that, 1 tick farther down the line. It's an iPhone." Wired calls it "Review: Apple iPhone 8 and 8 Plus." CNET leads with "The best iPhone yous can purchase — until Nov. three."

Compare that with how each of these publications met the iPhone vii.

The Verge: iPhone 7 Review: The Future in Disguise.
Wired: iPhone seven Review: Faster, Better, and Oooh That Camera
CNET: Apple iPhone seven review: Everything you need in a telephone, except the headphone jack

In that location's been a bit of a tone shift, in other words, between this year and the last — and the culprit is the iPhone 10. On the one hand, of course, this makes sense. Apple's highest-stop $1,000 phone is the benchmark for the new product family. But on the other mitt, information technology'due south supposedly supply-limited, won't ship for well over a calendar month, and ultimately isn't positioned as a mass market product.

The funny thing is, everyone pretty much agrees the iPhone 8 is a nifty phone. Wired calls it "the terminal, best version of what your telephone looks like now." Of course, Wired also says that the iPhone 8 "already feels outdated, especially on the eight Plus—a humongous telephone without a particularly humongous screen."

CNET strikes a similar tone, writing, "Yes, the iPhone eight Plus is still an excellent phone, and if you love the size and the home button, this is the best Plus-size iPhone to date. But I'd wait to see what the X tin can do, and how it feels." The Verge isn't thrilled with the iPhone eight's overall blueprint, despite the use of a drinking glass dorsum, noting:

[Westward]hile competitors like Samsung and LG have pushed telephone hardware pattern far forward, the iPhone has basically stood still for four years. The iPhone viii might be the well-nigh polished iteration of this basic design Apple tree's always made, but compared to the Galaxy S8 and other Android flagships similar the LG V30, it'due south only extremely dated.

Nobody really thinks the iPhone eight is bad. The Verge praises its speakers and the add-on of Bluetooth 5, and Wired emphasized the wireless charging capability and the photographic camera (in fact, everyone had overnice things to say about these 2 features). Its AR capabilities as well got some praise, though most everyone wanted more than time to evaluate this feature, and more information on whether AR would be A Thing before actually stressing information technology as a must-have buy option.

Opinions on the glass construction are mixed; Apple tree claims it's robust enough to stand to a beating, but none of the reviews put a lot of religion in that promise. The Verge notes that the drinking glass back has already scratched on their examination device. While scratching and breakage aren't the same thing (a surface can exist like shooting fish in a barrel to scratch but hard to break, or vice-versa), the smart thing to do is to proceed your device in a case, especially since Apple has raised the price of screen replacements.

iPhone 8

Conclusions

Despite not thinking the iPhone 8 is bad, The Verge writes: "After spending a week with the 8, I tin can't think of a single compelling reason to upgrade from an iPhone 7." Wired declares, "The iPhones 8 check every box a phone has always checked before, but they feels like the last of something right as Apple and others set the showtime of something else." CNET states: "While the eight Plus is great, I can't tell you if it's the best phone — or even the best iPhone — of 2017. Even if you hate to wait, I suggest that yous should look. In a few more weeks, we'll have a much more definitive answer."

When I write these roundups, I accept some pains to separate my own opinions from those of the reviewers. What follows is my own stance on the various reviews I've read: I think Apple made a bit of a mistake here. There's an event in calculating known every bit the Osborne Effect. It refers to the negative impact of announcing a new, futurity version of a product before the old one is ready to be retired. Ironically, at that place's reason to doubt whether the Osborne Event really killed the Osborne Computer Corporation, just the proper noun has stuck.

At that place are two problems here. One is straightforward: If consumers believe that the iPhone 10 represents the future of iPhones and gild more of them than Apple can build, it could encounter a abrupt turn down in iPhone sales as a result. There's no serious chance to Apple; the company has enough cash on paw to weather years of sales declines, simply it would be an embarrassing event. The other is that Apple owners may simply skip an upgrade wheel this time effectually, preferring to wait a yr until the features Apple tree debuted in the iPhone X make their way into lower-cost devices. Pretty much anybody expects this to happen, which means you lot can relieve a few hundred dollars past holding on to the iPhone yous've got for another year. Owners who are nonetheless using an iPhone 5s or vi may exist persuaded to upgrade anyway, but owners with newer devices could easily skip this cycle, preferring to expect for the iPhone 9 or 11 that packs all these new capabilities into a more than affordable package.

It's going to be very interesting to see how the iPhone X hits Apple tree'southward bottom line. If early reviews are whatsoever indication, the iPhone 8 simply doesn't capture interest the way previous devices did. Information technology'southward not bad, and if yous've been happy with previous iPhones, you'll be happy with this i. But it'south not seen as moving the bar the way the iPhone Ten does.