Home » iPhone 8 Plus hands-on, first impressions

iPhone 8 Plus hands-on, first impressions

Written By Vaughn Chua
Published • September 26th, 2017
Hands-onMobile
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Apple recently unveiled their latest addition to their iPhone line-up — the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. We managed to get early access to the iPhone 8 Plus which comes with better internals while slightly upgrading the same design philosophy the company had maintained over the years.

The iPhone 8 Plus brings back almost the same design details of the iPhone 7 Plus albeit slightly polished to present itself with a look that’s still unique to its generation. One noticeable difference from the get-go is the overall device construction — the smartphone is now covered in glass, both at the front and back panels, which gives it a smooth and glossy look while retaining its IP67 water and dust resistance rating.

It still has the same 5.5-inch Retina display as its predecessor with a full HD resolution which amounts to a 401ppi pixel density. The front also has the same 7-megapixel Facetime camera, the usual sensors, and the circular home button with a built-in Touch ID and uses 3D touch to navigate around.

Its sides are still rounded which provides a solid grip, and the antenna bands are clearly visible with darker hues compared to the aluminum frame. On the left side, we can see the volume keys and the mute switch.

Looking on the right, we can see the power/lock button and just below it is the smartphone’s lone sim card slot.

At the bottom part of the iPhone 8 Plus is the lightning port placed at the center and is being guarded by two speakers located on both sides.

Flipping the iPhone 8 Plus, we will see its glass back panel which gives the smartphone shine and smoothness, with the dual 12-megapixel rear cameras still placed horizontally at the upper-left corner along with the accompanying quad-tone LED Flash.

On hands, it feels a lot like the iPhone 7 but with a glass back. It can also be held easily without the fear of it getting dropped.

Apple takes pride in the iPhone 8 Plus as a device featuring a brand-new portrait mode which dramatically changes the facial light settings real-time and even after shooting. Here are sample photos taken from the rear camera:

: Portrait mode photo

Check out our Unboxing video here:

And our Hands-on video.

Apple iPhone 8 Plus specs:
5.5-inch Retina display @ 1920 x 1080 px, 401ppi
TrueTone, 3D Touch
Apple A11 Bionic chip
3GB RAM
64GB, 256GB internal storage
12MP f/1.8 wide-angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto rear cameras with Quad Tone Flash
7MP FaceTime Camera
4G LTE
Single SIM (Nano)
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
Qi Wireless Charging
Touch ID
Apple Pay
IP67 Dust and Water Resistance
Apple iOS 11
2,675mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery
158.4 mm x 78.1 mm x 7.5mm
202 grams

If you can’t wait for the official launch of this device, you can get the iPhone 8 Plus at Widget City for Php48,500USD 826INR 70,063EUR 787CNY 6,019 (64GB) and Php55,500USD 946INR 80,175EUR 901CNY 6,888 (256GB). Can the same old, brand new Apple device still capture your heart (and perhaps, your wallet) this holiday season? We’ll take the device for a spin and a full review in the coming days.