Apple iPhone 8 Plus review: Still good?
A TEST REPORT from David Wurm 
on February 20, 2019, 11:42 | Write a comment
Simultaneously with the first generation of a borderless iPhone, the iPhone X, Apple has that iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus presented. In the past few weeks I had the opportunity to test the iPhone from 2017 for a few weeks. Is it still good enough
Not everyone can get used to Apple's new unlocking method, Face ID. Many prefer to use a fingerprint sensor and a classic home button - after all, both variants have their advantages and disadvantages. Thus, many continue to reach for the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus from 2017. Whether the iPhone 8 Plus in 2019 still procan easily keep up with the competition, I will clarify in this test.
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Unboxing and packaging: typical for Apple
Every Apple fan knows the typical iPhone packaging. In retrospect, this has not changed since the iPhone 8 Plus. On the outside, you can see the iPhone 8 Plus on its back, otherwise the packaging is white or black. In my case it was black. If you lift the lid off, the smartphone lies directly in the packaging, protected with foil on the front and back. Underneath there are charging plugs, together with a charger and Lightning headphones. An adapter from jack to Lightning was not included, although at the time it was directly connected to the Release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus included in the scope of delivery.
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- Packaging. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Apple comes from California - that's what the packaging says. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Lightning headphones and Lightning charger, unfortunately there is no Lightning to jack adapter. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- All the accessories - pretty economical. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
Processing and display
Admittedly, the iPhone 8 Plus looks a bit old-fashioned after so many rimless smartphones and devices with “notch”. Nevertheless, you have that certain Apple feeling straight away. The front and back are made of glass, the volume controls and the mute rocker are neatly installed. The 5,5 inch Retina HD display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels at 401 ppi. With the iPhone 8 Plus you can also enjoy 3D touch. With this feature, the software can recognize the pressure level and, depending on the pressure, display a link preview, shortcuts or menus.
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- The display of the iPhone 8 Plus has a very good black level and good contrast - not only when starting. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Even if you look closely, the display is by no means blurred - you can't see pixels either. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Bright display. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
Otherwise, the display is very bright, but it cannot be dimmed that much. The competition can do that better. Since the iPhone 8 Plus with its dimensions of 158,4 x 78,1 x 7,5 mm has rather thick display bezels - at least for 2019 - it is a bit clunky and only closes properly with small hands with two each be served. There is a iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max much better in the hand. But we're talking about a model from 2017 compared to a flagship from 2018 - a lot has happened since then.
Performance and software
The iPhone 8 Plus will continue to be regularly supplied with the latest versions of iOS 12. There were a few during my test Softwareprostated problemswhich were also noticeable for myself. In general, the battery spins for some time after the update and runs out very quickly a short time later. Nevertheless, I was able to quickly familiarize myself with iOS - after my long time with Android - and find my way around quickly.
Although the iPhone 8 Plus is powered by the A11 Bionic Chip from 2017, it is sufficiently fast enough in everyday life and is on the same level as the iPhone X. This also runs with the A11 chip. Even if Apple never really gives information on RAM, these are also rather irrelevant with iOS. The hardware and software from Apple are simply familiar - you notice that in everyday life. There are never any real waiting times and everything runs smoothly.
For an Android user, the switch to iOS is initially or generally difficult, I dare say that. Apple's iOS simply lacks standard features, such as opening a simple ZIP file, editing a .txt file or downloading a simple Word document, editing it, saving it locally and then sending it again by email. Luckily there has been a simple file manager since iOS 11 - I don't know how the handling would work otherwise. Also, you cannot easily transfer files from your computer to your iPhone. This Prozedere is also very time-consuming and annoying with iTunes – sorry, Apple. So, now enough with comparisons to Android.
Camera
With the camera, the iPhone 8 Plus doesn't have to hide in 2019 either. Of course you are no longer on the same level as the iPhone XS or smartphones of the competition, but you are still well off. On the back, the iPhone 8 Plus comes with a 12 megapixel dual camera with wide angle (f / 1.8) and telephoto lens (f / 2.8 aperture). There is also a 2x optical zoom and up to 10x digital zoom. There are also gadgets like a portrait mode and functions for special portrait lighting. The front camera also has a resolution of 7 megapixels and an f / 2.2 aperture.
A dual camera with advantages is only available in the plus model of the iPhone 8. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
Video recordings are possible in 4K with 24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps, in 1080p (HD) with 30 fps or 60 fps. There are no functions such as super slow motion in the iPhone 8 Plus, but slow motion videos can be recorded in 1080p at 120 fps and 240 fps.
Functions such as a night mode or generally better night shots can be found in the current iPhone X or iPhone XS. Nevertheless, there is no reason for those interested in the iPhone 8 Plus to have to hide with the camera. Below are a few test images.
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- Good and detailed pictures in daylight. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- On the left in the picture the colors look a bit faded. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Bright and colored ... (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- ... even in poor lighting conditions. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Colored shots at night around a campfire. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Slight noise, unfortunately there is no night mode in the iPhone 8 Plus. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Blurred details in low light in close-up. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
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- Spontaneous photo. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
Touch ID: a few words
Lately I have tested smartphones with face recognition, fingerprint sensors in the display and smartphones with regular fingerprint sensors. The home button with integrated fingerprint sensor (Touch ID) from Apple seemed to me to be the most unreliable. If the finger was a bit sweaty, greasy or slightly dirty, nothing worked. It was also often due to the (dirty?) Sensor. On no other smartphone did I have to clean the fingerprint sensor as often as here on the iPhone 8 Plus. That has never happened to me.
Touch ID on the iPhone 8 Plus didn't really convince me. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
In addition, the sensor really only reads the finger when it is placed straight on. If you turn your finger a little or unlock it “from the side”, the iPhone with Touch ID no longer recognized me - after three unsuccessful attempts, my code was requested. If it works, however, then it does so quickly enough - emphasis on sufficient: it still unlocks a lot slower than the competition. Nevertheless, I personally prefer a classic home button with an integrated fingerprint sensor to Face ID or gesture control. Precisely for this reason, many will still use the iPhone 2019 Plus in 8 - I would too. Apple can certainly do better with the fingerprint sensor and is happy to give it another chance.
Battery life
I was really surprised by the battery life. With the iPhone 8 Plus, I got through about 1 1/2 days easily, and in the afternoon of the next day, the smartphone had to be plugged in again. After a software update, however, “energy saving day” was announced, where I had the energy saving mode active all day because the battery was empty extremely quickly. However, I couldn't find other power saving settings, e.g. for individual apps, under iOS. Nevertheless, the software's battery management works surprisingly well in conjunction with the hardware.
Conclusion
The iPhone 8 Plus doesn’t need to hide in 2019 either. Since it is the last iPhone with a classic home button and fingerprint sensor, many continue to use the model from 2017. Sure - in terms of camera and battery life it does not compete with the top models iPhone X and iPhone XS, but it is still good. In addition, the iPhone 8 Plus is around 300 euros cheaper than the current flagship iPhone XS.
Nevertheless, you have to make compromises in terms of design with the older model. So it looks comparatively bulky and heavy. The 5,5-inch smartphone is not easy to use for small hands; an iPhone X or XS is much easier to operate with one hand despite the larger display.
There are display bezels - there is no notch for them. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
I cannot understand exactly what happened to my model with Touch ID. However, I was not really convinced of the reliability and performance of the fingerprint sensor. If there is a possibility of another test device, I would be happy to give Touch ID another chance, at least it didn't work really well with my model. I know Apple can do better than that.
So if you want to save around 300 euros or prefer a classic home button and fingerprint sensor instead of gesture control and Face ID, and you can live with a worse camera than the iPhone X or XS, you can proeasily reach for the iPhone 8 Plus. Maybe the iPhone XR is also interesting for some of you. Here you just have to compare yourself and work out what you want exactly.
If there is a possibility of a test device of the iPhone 8 Plus from Apple, I will update the point on Touch ID. I would like to thank a partner for providing the iPhone 8 Plus.
