The much-anticipated launch of Apple’s new iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, along with the iPhone X and other Apple products began last September 12 at Steve Jobs Theater in California. By then, many people have said that the iPhone 7 Plus has an uncanny resemblance, like as if there’s no difference, to that of the iPhone 8 Plus (apart from the latter’s all-glass design). So what’s new here? Find out in our comparison.
The iPhone 7 Plus is Apple’s 2016 version of, well, you guessed it, the iPhone. It sports a 5.5-inch Retina HD display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, a 64-bit Apple A10 Fusion chip, a 3GB RAM with 32GB, 128GB, and 256GB internal storage options, a dual 12MP rear camera setup, a 7MP front camera, and a 2900mAh battery capacity.
The iPhone 8 Plus is Apple’s latest offering that sports a 5.5-inch Retina display with 1920 x 1080 resolution, a 64-bit Apple A11 Bionic chip, a 3GB RAM with 64GB and 256GB internal storage options, a dual 12MP rear camera setup, a 7MP front camera, and a 2,675mAh battery capacity that supports wireless charging via Qi charger.
Here are their detailed specs:
| iPhone 7 Plus | iPhone 8 Plus |
|---|---|
| 5.5-inch Retina HD display @ 1920×1080 pixels, 401ppi | 5.5-inch Retina display @ 1920 x 1080 px, 401ppi |
| Force Touch, 3D Touch | True Tone display, 3D Touch |
| 64-bit Apple A10 Fusion chip 2.3GHz quad-core | 64-bit Apple A11 Bionic chip |
| PowerVR Series7XT Plus (six-core graphics) | Apple-designed three-core GPU |
| 3GB RAM | 3GB RAM |
| 32GB, 128GB internal storage | 64GB, 256GB internal storage |
| 12MP 28mm f/1.8 + 12MP 56mm f/2.8 rear camera with OIS, six-element lens, flicker sensor, quad-LED TrueTone Flash | 12MP f/1.8 wide-angle + 12MP f/2.4 telephoto rear cameras with OIS, Quad Tone Flash |
| 7 MP f/2.2 front camera | 7 MP f/2.2 front camera with Portrait Lighting |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| Touch ID | Touch ID |
| NFC (Apple Pay) | NFC (Apple Pay) |
| IP67 certified | IP67 certified |
| iOS 10 (upgradable to iOS11) | iOS 11 |
| 2900mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery | 2,675mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery |
| - | Wireless Charging (Qi Charger) |
| 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm | 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm |
| 188 g | 202 g |
Now, let’s find out the advantage/s of each smartphones:
iPhone 7 Plus
+ Bigger battery capacity
iPhone 8 Plus
+ True Tone display
+ 3D Touch
+ Wider telephoto rear cam aperture
+ Portrait Mode feature on its front camera
+ Apple-designed three-core GPU
+ Wireless charging
+ Bluetooth 5.0
+ Supports Galileo and QZSS for navigation
Let’s cut to the chase. Apple still retained its Retina HD display on both phones, however, the iPhone 8 Plus comes with the new True Tone technology which automatically adjusts the white balance of the screen in different lighting conditions.
Both the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 Plus sport a dual 12MP rear cameras, but the latter has a wider sensor. Same goes for their front cam. Both phones have a 7MP front shooters but what set them apart is that the iPhone 8 Plus comes with a new feature in its Portrait Mode that allows users to create this bokeh/blurred backgrounds when taking selfies, and it also has a Portrait Lighting that create dramatic studio lighting effects.
For their internals, the iPhone 8 Plus takes the crown for this one as it is powered with the latest A11 Bionic chip which performs 70% faster with its four efficiency cores than the iPhone 7 Plus’ A10 Fusion chip. Apple has also introduced its own-made three-core GPU, which doesn’t have a name yet, that performs 30% faster than the iPhone 7 Plus’ PowerVR Series7XT Plus GPU. Apart from that, the iPhone 8 Plus will come with the latest iOS 11 out-of-the-box, but worry not, Apple mentioned that previous iPhone models, including the iPhone 7 Plus, will receive the new update by September 19.
Connectivity-wise, the iPhone 8 Plus gets a little bump-up with its Bluetooth 5.0 and additional Galileo and QZSS for navigation. The iPhone 7 Plus is powered with a much bigger 2900mAh battery than that of the iPhone 8 Plus’Â 2675mAh battery but the latter supports wireless charging (which is a first for Apple) via the Qi charger.
To wrap it all up, there’s really not much difference between the iPhone 7 Plus and the iPhone 8 Plus. All of the iPhone 8 Plus’ new features are merely just improvements of the previous iPhone 7 Plus’. That’s why at first glance, the iPhone 8 will give you that vibe that it is just another iPhone 7 but not entirely a new iPhone model that will get you all hyped-up. But still, hats off to Apple for all the new improvements.
The iPhone 7 Plus is now priced at Php42,990 (32GB) and Php49,490 (128GB) at Power Mac Centers. The iPhone 8 Plus, on the other hand, will be available starting at USD799 (~Php40,100) and you can pre-order now at Widget City by clicking here.
So, how about you, guys? What are your thoughts on the new iPhone 8 Plus? Are you willing to buy it? Leave your comments down below.
The 256GB versions of iPhone 7/7+ are no more. Apple is now only offering 32 and 128GB of its versions. I have a feeling it’s because of the shortage of DRAM and the iPhones 8, 8+ and X takes priority. Besides a 256GB iPhone 7/7+ will compete with the 8/8+ market price-wise. Them 256GB 7/7+ are now hard to come by and re-sell value should stay higher.
Hi Toink. You’re right. I just checked Apple’s website and it appears that there are only two storage options left. Thanks for pointing that one out! :)
Correction: iPhone 7 Plus already has Portrait Mode. The only addition is the Portrait Lighting feature.
Also, both phones have 3D Touch.
You could verify it on Apple’s website. https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/
Hi pxlmap! Thanks for pointing that one out. Will update the article. :)