iPhone 8/Plus Did You Upgrade to an 8 from a 7?

[imagineadam]

I have a 7. My wife just got an 8 plus. I’m super jealous of the camera. I thought the portrait mode was gimmicky until I saw it and tried it myself. It’s great!

The phone is too big for me though. I want pro motion 120hz on my next iPhone. If 2018 brings it. I will buy it.

For now my 7 works fine. I even updated it to 11.2.5. And everything works about the same. A little faster in some areas and maybe a little slower in a couple third party apps. Battery life is exactly the same compared to 10.3.3 for me.

The 8 would be cool but it’s just a barely upgraded 7 imo. The X looks cool but that too is barely faster than my 7. (Plus I don’t have an extra 1k to burn!) Updating yearly just doesn’t make sense for me especially when I like to feel a performance boost. I’ve updated every 2 years since the 4 and that works best.

 

[MrWillie]

I went from a 6+ to an 8+. I don’t think Apple is trying to compel people to upgrade every year, it’s just that as technology changes, they have to put a newer model out every year. Kind of like the Mac Pro and Mac Mini...oh wait...

 

[newellj]

I have a 7. My wife just got an 8 plus. I’m super jealous of the camera. I thought the portrait mode was gimmicky until I saw it and tried it myself. It’s great!

The phone is too big for me though. I want pro motion 120hz on my next iPhone. If 2018 brings it. I will buy it.

For now my 7 works fine. I even updated it to 11.2.5. And everything works about the same. A little faster in some areas and maybe a little slower in a couple third party apps. Battery life is exactly the same compared to 10.3.3 for me.

The 8 would be cool but it’s just a barely upgraded 7 imo. The X looks cool but that too is barely faster than my 7. (Plus I don’t have an extra 1k to burn!) Updating yearly just doesn’t make sense for me especially when I like to feel a performance boost. I’ve updated every 2 years since the 4 and that works best.

The fact that the top-end cameras have been limited to the Plus phones (and now the X) rather than the "standard" size phones is a bummer, I agree.

 

[44267547]

The fact that the top-end cameras have been limited to the Plus phones (and now the X) rather than the "standard" size phones is a bummer, I agree.

From a marketing standpoint, I understand what Apple is doing here, they want to maximize sales and by doing so, they want to entice users to upgrade to the larger, more expensive iPhone. I know the consumer feels shafted by not implementing hardware features across the iPhone platform, but I can't fault Apple for their tactics.

 

[jpine]

Our daughter replaced her 5S with the 7+ about 2 or 3 months ago. She could have easily bought the 8, 8+, or 10, but didn't really see the point for many of the same reasons as the OP, though a couple of her works apps could have possibly benefited from the faster processor. She's very happy with the choice. No regrets. None. I think I'll follow suit with a regular 7 when the refurbs hit the Apple site.

A little OT, but my wife chose to go with the SE (also an upgrade from the 5S) last month and she's a happy camper. She loves the small form factor. She does nothing that requires computational power, and if she needs a good camera she grabs my Nikon. I don't mean to be snarky with the Nikon comment. We're older and she just finds it easier to use than a phone because a SLR/DSLR is decades more familiar.

 

[newellj]

From a marketing standpoint, I understand what Apple is doing here, they want to maximize sales and by doing so, they want to entice users to upgrade to the larger, more expensive iPhone. I know the consumer feels shafted by not implementing hardware features across the iPhone platform, but I can't fault Apple for their tactics.

I agree, I totally understand. It's just unfortunate if you don't want to carry a Plus-size phone. We'll see what happens in September.

Our daughter replaced her 5S with the 7+ about 2 or 3 months ago. She could have easily bought the 8, 8+, or 10, but didn't really see the point for many of the same reasons as the OP, though a couple of her works apps could have possibly benefited from the faster processor. She's very happy with the choice. No regrets. None. I think I'll follow suit with a regular 7 when the refurbs hit the Apple site.

A little OT, but my wife chose to go with the SE (also an upgrade from the 5S) last month and she's a happy camper. She loves the small form factor. She does nothing that requires computational power, and if she needs a good camera she grabs my Nikon. I don't mean to be snarky with the Nikon comment. We're older and she just finds it easier to use than a phone because a SLR/DSLR is decades more familiar.

My son just went from a 5S to an 8. We thought about the 6S, 7 and 8. In the end, ignoring the memory size differences offered for the 8 vs. those offered for the 7 and 6S, he decided on the 8 not because he needed the extra speed of the A11 (which I agree most people won't see any benefit from) but because the pricing is actually quite close for those three models and buying the 8 probably gives him a couple of years further support, both practically and technically, from Apple. (In other words, the new phone is both likely to be eligible for iOS updates and is likely to be able to run them well in real world terms.) But that's all guesswork, and if you could get the 6S or 7 at a discount that could completely change the analysis.

 

[RedKite]

I know someone that did purely for wireless charging reasons. I think they must have really wanted that feature!

 

[flehman]

I got my 7 via the crazy $650 trade-in offer, so with the credit being spread over 24 months I am “locked in” until next year regardless - however, I probably wouldn’t upgrade even if I could. Still very happy with the 7. Got the 6 because it was the first iPhone to offer 128gb storage (comparable to my iPod classic), then jumped to the 7 because it offered 256gb and the $650 trade-in. I will probably jump again when the first 512gb iPhone hits the market.

 

[Ffosse]

Yes, I had the 7 then bought an 8. Really wanted the X so bought that too.

Normally I buy 2 new phones a year but from now on won't be buying any android.

 

[newellj]

Yes, I had the 7 then bought an 8. Really wanted the X so bought that too.

Normally I buy 2 new phones a year but from now on won't be buying any android.

How are you feeling with the 8 and the X? I ran an X and my 7 for five weeks. Frankly, it confused the hell out of me. Probably a personal deficiency.

 

[Ffosse]

How are you feeling with the 8 and the X? I ran an X and my 7 for five weeks. Frankly, it confused the hell out of me. Probably a personal deficiency.

Just fine - the 8 sits by my bed and is used for music, podcasts, reading etc.

The X is my daily driver and the one I take out with me.

 

[jpine]

But that's all guesswork, and if you could get the 6S or 7 at a discount that could completely change the analysis.

Couldn't have said it better. With Apple, you never know what to expect with regards to support in the form of accepting software updates. Who would have guessed that a 5S could still be limping along after all this time? Mine is at 11.x but the iPad I bought at the same time is forever stuck at 10.x. Hope your son gets many years of enjoyment out of his 8!
[doublepost=1517192696][/doublepost]

Frankly, it confused the hell out of me.

From what I saw from online videos, I couldn't agree more. There is something comforting to me about the home button. That and the annoying notch at the top. So Apple managed to both confuse AND annoy me with the X. I don't think it's a personal deficiency. If it is, then you have company. ;-)

 

[44267547]

I know someone that did purely for wireless charging reasons. I think they must have really wanted that feature!

If Apple had the AirPower released on time, I think That would even be more compelling for others want to take advantage of wireless charging with the iPhone X/8 and Series 3 Apple Watch.

 

[newellj]

Couldn't have said it better. With Apple, you never know what to expect with regards to support in the form of accepting software updates. Who would have guessed that a 5S could still be limping along after all this time? Mine is at 11.x but the iPad I bought at the same time is forever stuck at 10.x. Hope your son gets many years of enjoyment out of his 8!
[doublepost=1517192696][/doublepost]

Limping is the operative word, too. My two adult sons (27 and 29, and easily able to afford new phones) both got rid of their 5Ses within the past month. It was truly painful to watch them try to do anything with those phones. It was sort of amazing that they still worked as well as they did, but equally amazing how s-l-o-w they were.

From what I saw from online videos, I couldn't agree more. There is something comforting to me about the home button. That and the annoying notch at the top. So Apple managed to both confuse AND annoy me with the X. I don't think it's a personal deficiency. If it is, then you have company. ;-)

I have no illusions about where we're going. I just want a better experience when I get on the bus.
[doublepost=1517228300][/doublepost]

If Apple had the AirPower released on time, I think That would even be more compelling for others want to take advantage of wireless charging with the iPhone X/8 and Series 3 Apple Watch.

As a sort of off-topic observation, there seem to be a lot more delayed introductions recently than I remember in the past.

 

[Ffosse]

I don't find anything confusing about the X at all; nor my switching it out to use my 8. I still remember how to use the home button.

 

[maerz001]

I did go from a 7 to an 8 as I like the glass back and wireless charging plus the A11 Bionic processor.

What bionically stuff do you do with it?

 

[akash.nu]

What bionically stuff do you do with it?

I think bionically playing games will make a difference.

 

[jav6454]

What bionically stuff do you do with it?

I don't think there is even an app out there that used the full capacity of the A11...

 

[yellowscreen]

i think this is the first generation which doesnt show any performance benefits other than maybe encoding videos.

also no 120hz.

yuuuge turn off.

i think the 8 could be the worst upgrade of any iphone ever, hands down.

also, from aluminium to plastic? no no

also, 1000buck for a 64gb phone? no wonder they are slashing orders from manufacturers by nearly half.

this year apple really dropped the ball. first year im not upgrading, huge downer.

i think they are lost a bit. eg. homepod. the selling point of a homepod is audio quality. audio quality from a 300 bucks speaker. really apple? how about an optical output? maybe that would be a better idea. they are spreading thin.

the thing is, theres no one to replace apple. we'll just have samsungs lgs and sonys type of companies around. and thats the biggest downer

i forgot to mention, 50 buck price increase, 8 vs 7, really? reeeeallyyy?
[doublepost=1517244268][/doublepost]

I don't think there is even an app out there that used the full capacity of the A11...

i dont think theres an app that uses a9 to the full capacity.

somehow, a11 is twice as fast then snapdragons, with faster flash storage, yet it opens apps slower, what gives?

 

[maerz001]

I don't think there is even an app out there that used the full capacity of the A11...

I'm sure Apples battery app uses all the CPU power

measure_battery_capacity(){
sleep (1000);
}