Over the ten-year history of the iPhone, Apple has taught consumers that after the announcement of a major version of smartphones, a continuation of the "S" line is coming out. Therefore, this year many have been waiting for the 7S model. But contrary to the established tradition, the Cupertinians immediately showed the iPhone 8. What is the novelty and has the device deservedly jumped over a whole generation?
The novelty was shown on September 12 at the Apple presentation at the Steve Jobs Theater. A few days later, the pre-order of the device became available, and on September 22, sales began in some countries of the "first wave". Russia got into the second echelon and a smartphone appeared on our shelves a week later: on September 29.
Specifications iPhone 8
The performance of the iPhone 8 has improved dramatically. He received an Apple A11 Bionic processor. In it, 4 cores are energy efficient, and the other 2 are productive. The new controller provides a smooth transition between them when needed. It is important that the engineers managed not to reduce the autonomy at the same time. By the way, the A11 Bionic chip is tailored for working with neural networks. This means that the device will perform tasks smarter in many use cases.
- Display: 4.7-inch IPS with a resolution of 1334x750, PPI - 326
- Processor: Apple A11 Bionic
- Cameras: 12 MP main, f / 1.8; 7 MP front
- Permanent memory: 64 or 256 GB
- RAM: 2 GB
- Battery: 1821mAh
- Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC
- OS: iOS 11
- Weight: 148g
- Dimensions (WxHxT): 67.3 x 138.4 x 7.3 mm
Appearance
The novelty did not receive anything fundamentally new in design. This is still the same look and feel of the 2014 iPhone 6. The layout of the elements is the same: the front is the display, the Home button and sensors, and the back is the camera and flash. The large bezels on the front have not gone anywhere either, after all, the "eight" is not at all like the iPhone X.
For lovers of fashionable framelessness, this will be a huge disadvantage. But in terms of practicality, such a solution gives the new product several points of head start, since in the event of a fall, the risk of a collapse of the display is slightly less. The iPhone 8 did not receive an aluminum body, now only the side frame is made of metal, and there are glass panels at the front and back. At the same time, it was possible to maintain protection against water and dust according to the IP67 standard.
This was probably done for the convenient implementation of wireless charging, which also debuted in the new product. But now the smartphone must inevitably be hidden in a case, otherwise expensive repairs cannot be avoided. In addition, Apple claims that the glass on the back is very durable (and expensive) and shouldn't break. Practice shows that behind these words there is more deceit than real benefit.
Still, the iPhone 7, made of 7000 series brushed aluminum, could withstand even serious drops on uneven surfaces. And if you do not take into account the Jet Black version of the smartphone, then scratching the device was not so easy. The glass in the iPhone 8 behaves in a fundamentally different way and is likely to collect a large number of traces of use.
Many may also be upset by the lack of a MiniJack headphone jack. The complete headset is connected via a lightning connector. There are two ways to get out of the situation: use an adapter or Bluetooth headphones.
Display
The display also does not change for the fourth year: the same 4.7-inch IPS-matrix with a resolution of 1334x750. The dot density is 326 PPI. The time-tested screen is still the benchmark in the Apple world. It has excellent viewing angles, natural color reproduction and pleasing contrast. And unlike OLED technology, there is no nasty pixel burn-in effect.
But one cannot but reproach Apple for the fact that the company still uses a display with such a low resolution. Most competitors have been using Full HD or even QHD matrices for a long time. And these are not just marketing ploys, since the difference between the Retina display in the iPhone 8 and the Full HD matrix in the other top smartphone is noticeable.
Among the innovations, the TrueTone function is noteworthy. Previously, it was used only in expensive iPad Pro tablets, but now this feature has appeared on the iPhone. The essence of its work is to automatically adjust the white balance depending on the lighting. Taking into account typical usage scenarios, TrueTone will make the displays "cooler" in bright daylight and go into warmer tones indoors.
This technology should not be confused with another instrument - Night Shift. It changes the display temperature based on the time of day, not the lighting. Although both functions make the screen more pleasant to read, and the eyes are less fatigued.
Performance and memory
Another extremely important feature of the iPhone 8 was the rejection of PowerVR graphics accelerators. The iPhone 8 has a proprietary 3-core processor. The company says the new chip is up to 30% faster than its predecessor.
In fact, the smartphone shows about the same results as last year's model. All applications and games work flawlessly: no jams or drops in fps are observed. In this regard, the smartphone is ahead of many competitors, and the low screen resolution played an important role in this.
In terms of memory, everything is also fine. There are 2 options for permanent storage to choose from: 64 or 256 GB, there is no microSD slot. The RAM size is 2 GB. The values are quite acceptable, should be enough for everyone for most tasks.
Cameras
The main camera has largely remained unchanged. Here the former 12 MP with f / 1.8 aperture, but a faster sensor and a new light filter were introduced. The gadget works with HDR enabled by default. This was done, probably, so that the resulting images, even without processing, look more saturated. This is how cameras work in Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
Although, unlike its competitors, the Cupertino gadget produces natural colors and does not oversharp. In the daytime, the photos taken are excellent, at night the situation is slightly worse, but the result is still acceptable. We can confidently note the improvement in the quality of pictures in poor light compared to the iPhone 7. Unfortunately, the new product did not receive support for the "Portrait" mode, which is available in the Plus version.
Among the minor improvements, it is worth noting a modified flash. Now, when shooting in the dark, the diodes adjust the intensity and the background does not darken, but remains the same light as the main subject.
Video filming also received noticeable innovations. The iPhone 8 can shoot 4K videos at 24, 30, or 60 fps, while Full HD recording is now available at 240 fps. Stabilization is present and the device is among the best in video quality.
System
We should also consider the operation of the operating system. iOS 11 works well, but there are rare animation twitching or font rendering errors. In this regard, the iPhone 8 is not unique, almost all Apple smartphones began to work worse after updating to version 11 of the system. But new items always receive corrections of errors that have arisen and, probably, the G8 will function more smoothly.
Among the good things about iOS 11 is the widespread adoption of machine learning. The company talks about the work of neural networks in Siri, the camera and some other elements of the system. Due to the A11 Bionic processor, sharpened for such tasks, such functionality will develop more and more over time.
AR
Apple puts a lot of emphasis on augmented reality technology. Together with iOS 11, ARKit was introduced, with the help of which developers can create various software in this area. A huge number of AR games and apps are already available. For example, now you can easily measure distance, height, throw the ball into a virtual ring or control your army, which will fight right in the room.
The potential of the technology has not yet been revealed, so the App Store will soon be filled with interesting augmented reality content. As proof of this conclusion, we note that after the announcement of ARKit Google began to develop its own technology and so far the "corporation of good" has failed to demonstrate interesting results.
Autonomy and battery
The iPhone 8 has an 1821mAh battery. By the standards of devices from the Android world, this is just a penny. But in fact, the smartphone is able to work without any problems all day from morning to evening. By the numbers, the following results are obtained:
- Talk time: 14 hours
- Listening to music: 40 hours
- Surfing the Internet: 12 hours
- Video playback: 13 hours
The measurements were carried out in ideal conditions, so in reality, you should expect slightly lower rates. In general, the novelty works much like the iPhone 7.
But the good news is that Apple has finally introduced wireless and fast charging to its device. But the Cupertinians, in their beloved manner, made the functions additional and did not put the required accessories in the package. To use fast charging, you need to buy a MacBook power plug and a Lightning to USB-C cable from an official store. The kit will cost almost 7 thousand rubles.
The situation is the same with wireless technology. Although Apple used the well-known Qi standard, the corresponding docking station must be purchased separately. The average cost of such a device is 2 thousand rubles. In total, to reveal all the functionality of the iPhone 8, you need to spend an additional 9 thousand rubles.
We have noted the bad, now the good. With fast charging, the smartphone is able to charge up to 50% in 30 minutes, 100% will accumulate in about 75 minutes. Through the Qi-standard, everything happens a little slower and as a result, the gadget is fully charged in 3-4 hours. But in this case, it is the rejection of wires that is important, rather than the speed of work.
IPhone 8 price
In Russia, the iPhone 8 is sold at a price of 56,990 rubles for the version with 64 GB and 68,990 rubles for the model with 256 GB. The prices are high, especially when compared to the tax-free states in the US, where the novelty is sold for $ 699 and $ 849. Therefore, when buying a smartphone abroad, you can save a lot.
On September 29, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus began selling in Russia in silver, new gold and space gray with 64 GB and 256 GB of memory. They are available from the Official Apple Online Store, select Apple Authorized Resellers, and select carriers. iPhone 8 with 64 GB of memory costs 56,990, with 256 GB - 68,990 rubles, and the iPhone 8 Plus model - 64,990 for the version with 64 GB and 76,990 rubles. for 256 GB. Also on sale are accessories for new Apple smartphones, including leather and silicone cases and metal docking stations with a Lightning connector.
Earlier, after the start of world sales, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have already appeared in Russia through unofficial channels, according to estimates, imported into our country. However, it is already known that “gray” smartphones at inflated prices were not popular, so the prices on the unofficial device market quickly approached those announced by Apple, and many buyers still preferred to wait for the start of sales in our country.
On September 29 at 10:00 am, many retailers started selling smartphones. In particular, you can buy them in Svyaznoy, which, on the eve of the iPhone 8 launch, summed up the results of the pre-order, which started on September 22, 2017. The number of applications for new items, as in the previous year, amounts to thousands of devices. The most popular novelty in Svyaznoy was the iPhone 8 Plus with a storage capacity of 256 GB and in space gray - 24% of all orders. Customers ordered modifications of the iPhone 8 Plus with a 5.5-inch display diagonal more often than the base iPhone 8. Applications for the iPhone 8 Plus were made by 63% of buyers. The most popular color scheme is "space gray", it was ordered by 56% of potential buyers. On the second place are the models of "golden" color - about a third of the total number of applications. In terms of the amount of built-in memory, the preferences of clients were distributed approximately equally, regardless of the model.
The largest number of pre-orders traditionally fell on Moscow and St. Petersburg. Yekaterinburg, Sochi, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Tyumen, Ufa, Samara, as well as Krasnoyarsk, Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don, whose residents ordered the same number of devices, were included in the top 10 cities in terms of the number of pre-orders for new iPhones. In 2017, Svyaznoy for the first time offered customers the opportunity to pay for an order in advance - this option was used by about 11% of buyers - and to buy an iPhone in installments with an advance payment for new items from Apple. These reasons have positively influenced the demand for gadgets. On November 3, Apple will start selling a more sophisticated model -. According to rumors, in the first months it will be for everyone. The shortage will be caused by the delay in the delivery of components for the Face ID scanner.
One of the main points of sale for iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in Moscow is re: Store, which for the second year in a row opens a temporary store in the GUM shopping center on Red Square. The day before, it seemed that Apple's newcomers in the historic building decided to buy many - according to messages on social networks, who want to be among the first to buy new iPhones. However, in the morning it became clear that there would be no excitement. If last year GUM was one of the few places where you can buy a smartphone in an unusual color “black onyx” at the start of sales, then in the case of iPhone 8 all color solutions are available without significant restrictions on the availability of certain versions.
The editors of the site traditionally visited the start of sales of the iPhone 8 and prepared a report from the scene. Here you can see the demand for new Apple devices on launch day and compare them with ours.
The queue fences were set up at GUM, but they were not useful. Only about 50 people gathered for the opening of the department store, which is very few compared to last year. It is noteworthy that the man who managed to take the first place in the line sold it to a girl for 10 thousand rubles. She attracted the attention of journalists and for sure today we will see her on the news. The press, including the federal one, did not ignore this event. Cash desks work quickly, it takes about a minute to complete one purchase. Smartphones are enough for everyone, at the exit from the store there are no dealers who intercepted the iPhone 7 in the rare color "black onyx" last year.
Apple will release the flagship iPhone 8 in the fall of 2017, presumably in September. The company will present three models:
iPhone X with 5.8-inch OLED display,
the other two models have 5.2 and 5.5 inch LCD screens.
A flexible, full-panel OLED display and an updated fingerprint sensor are not all Apple's premium features.
Next year, Apple's flagship line is celebrating a round date, 10 years since the release of the first generation Iphone. The Cupertino-based company plans to celebrate this event on a large scale.
Less than a year is left before the start of sales of the Apple iPhone 8, the scale and plans of the company can only be imagined, the Internet is already full of rumors about a new flagship model. Many analysts are foreshadowing the transition to Oled technology, and this fact is quite real.
This will allow the Iphone 8 to become much thinner, more convenient and lighter than its predecessors, new technologies will allow you to consume less energy, with several times greater graphics performance, and image quality.
The smartphone promises to revolutionize and lead the first-class mobile device market, with new sophisticated features and improved design awaiting users.
According to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple intends to ditch the aluminum case it has been using since 2012 to differentiate the upcoming iPhone from its predecessors.
Apple will revert to the glass back design previously seen on the iPhone 4S. This material is more fragile and heavier than aluminum and has better appearance characteristics, but Kuo does not find this solution problematic. There have been great advances in glass technology and materials like Gorilla Glass are stronger than ever to prevent damage. By reducing the thickness and weight of the iPhone 8 by using thinner OLED panels, Apple will be able to use glass without significantly increasing the overall weight of the device.
Allen Horng, chief executive of Catcher Technology, an Apple supplier, echoes Ming-Chi Kuo's claims. They are both confident that at least one smartphone will have a glass back case. But at the same time, he says that this may slightly delay the official release date of the iPhone 8.
We expect Apple to continue with two versions of the iPhone, but the exact size of their screens and material mix are not yet known. Most likely, the company will keep the 4.7 and 5.5-inch models, but given the expected dramatic changes in the appearance and display, the sizes of the devices will be changed.
Analysts speculate that the upcoming Apple iPhone 8 will feature an OLED screen, as Apple has already struck a deal with at least one manufacturer - Samsung - to make these panels for new smartphones that are slated to debut in 2017. When the iPhone 8 comes out, it depends on how quickly the company can customize the screen production process.
OLED displays do not need additional backlighting, which is used in traditional iPhone LCD panels, which will allow Cupertinians to make mobile gadgets thinner and lighter. Screens made with this technology can also be flexible, which contributes to the creation of a device with a curved display.
Samsung's displays also offer better contrast ratios, superior viewing angles and more efficient power consumption. Of course, this technology has drawbacks - the lifespan, for example, is not as high as that of LCD screens.
In the question regarding the screen diagonal, rumors split into two fronts. Some speculate that Samsung will supply 5.5-inch panels, while others argue that one of the iPhone 8 models will feature a 5.8-inch display with improved specs.
In the media there was information about the approximate prices for a new smartphone from Apple. According to experts, the iPhone 8 in the US will cost at least a thousand dollars. On the Russian market, the cost will be from 80 to 90 thousand rubles. Some even point out that the 100 thousand mark will be exceeded.
It is known that the novelty will be equipped with a quad-core A11 processor with 2 gigabytes of RAM (in the Plus model - 3 gigabytes), a 12-megapixel camera. Also included will be wireless charging technology, a fingerprint scanner built into the display. IPhone 8 sales are scheduled for this fall.
Well, to be more precise, it is expected that the presentation of the iPhone 8 is scheduled for September 17th. The novelty will appear in stores on September 25.
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Of course, I've already thought about buying an iPhone 8, which hasn't even been announced yet. Nevertheless, I am plagued by vague doubts about the point of doing this at the start of sales.
I have 8 reasons for this:
#one. Adaptation of mobile applications
Several times on the pages of our site there are already photographs and videos with a possible application interface for the iPhone 8, which seems to have been photographed at the factories where Apple's new products are assembled.
Nevertheless, today it is still not clear how exactly mobile applications will adapt to the screen of a strange shape and the absence of the Home button.
There are two equivalent options - either the developers will have to modify the software, or Apple will do everything for them.
Since the smartphone has long become a real working tool for me, I cannot fall out of my life with non-working software - I will have to wait.
# 2. Ease of use without frames
Despite the fact that specialists from the same Samsung have taken more than one step forward in solving the problems of erroneous clicks in their frameless devices, questions still remain.
Kill it, but I just do not believe that modern Apple will do well with this right after the launch of the very first frameless iPhone.
We'll have to wait for numerous iOS updates - most likely, the situation will return to normal only after a couple of months.
# 3. Face scanner instead of Touch ID
Since I actively use Touch ID to protect information on my mobile device, I have questions about the possible abandonment of the fingerprint sensor in favor of a face scanner.
I doubt that Apple will be able to completely abandon Touch ID in favor of Pearl ID, about which there is plenty of talk today.
It's just me that the iPhone 8 will be able to recognize me by sight.
#4. Small battery and large screen
If my memory serves me, a breakthrough in the production of batteries has not happened until today. They are still the weakest link in every mobile device.
Therefore, a logical question arises - how long without recharging a device with a battery from an iPhone 7 and a screen from an iPhone 7 Plus will be able to work.
It’s even strange that neither I nor my colleagues are sounding the alarm about this.
#5. Tablet chips on smartphone screen
That the iPhone 8 will receive some of the iOS 11 chips that were originally intended for the iPad.
At first glance, all this is very cool and even great. Nevertheless, I have a natural question - will they really work on such a small screen in a responsible manner?
Of course, the company will try to shove them there by hook or by crook, but such a step seems to me nothing more than a marketing ploy - it is necessary to somehow justify the price increase.
# 6. Very strange appearance of the iPhone 8
I can not help but note the fact that is on the surface - a peninsula with sensors at the top edge of the iPhone 8 screen.
Perhaps Apple will be able to somehow interestingly beat this feature.
Nevertheless, I still have questions about this - I just do not want to change, as it seems to me, a stylish iPhone 7 for some ugly one.
# 7. The overly complex question of a possible repair
Interestingly, the other day, a group of friends during an active holiday with an eye on sports and a positive mood broke the screen of a friend on the iPhone 7.
Of course, the mood immediately fell below the plinth when the price of the repair was announced to us - in a normal service they asked for $ 300.
A natural question arises - how much will it cost to replace the tricky screen on the iPhone 8. And one more - who besides the officials will undertake this at all.
#eight. Perceptible cost and controversial features
Each of you will be able to continue the list of such problems indefinitely. But the main question in the end will still be the price of the device, which will soar up to space 70-80 thousand rubles.
It's not even that it's just very expensive, although there is definitely some truth in this.
The reason for my bewilderment lies elsewhere - what really useful opportunities the iPhone 8 can offer for us for this money.
Only time will answer this question. Therefore, I suggest not buying a device at the start of sales, but waiting a couple of months for everything to fall into place.
At the start of sales, the cost of last year's flagships iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in the Apple online store for Russian users was 56.99 thousand and 67.99 thousand rubles. respectively (for models with 32 GB memory). The most expensive version of the iPhone 7 Plus with a storage capacity of 256 GB cost 85.99 thousand rubles.
Official deliveries of Apple products to Russia are handled by a local subdivision - Apple Rus LLC, 99.5% of which belongs to the Dutch Apple Holding B.V., the remaining 0.5% - to the Irish Apple Distribution International. Some retailers enter into direct contracts for the sale of products with the Russian subsidiary of Apple. Such contracts, for example, have retail networks of mobile operators MTS, MegaFon and VimpelCom (Beeline brand), as well as M.Video and Re: Store networks. There are also official distributors of Apple in Russia - these are diHouse, Merlion and OCS, a representative of one of the Internet retailers reminded RBC. Through them, for example, "Yulmart", Ozon, "Eldorado" work.
In 2014, Apple began advertising its smartphones in Russia for the first time. Then, according to the industry publication AdIndex, the manufacturer spent 188 million rubles to promote the iPhone. VAT included. For comparison: the advertising budget of the main competitor of Apple - Korean Samsung Electronics - was much higher that year - 1.87 billion rubles. However, Samsung advertises in Russia not only smartphones, but also all its other products - household appliances, video and audio equipment, etc. Apple, as follows from Mediascope data, promotes only iPhone in Russia. Last year, according to AdIndex, 572 million rubles were already spent on iPhone advertising.
Sales of the new iPhone this year will also be accompanied by a campaign on TV and in outdoor advertising, representatives of two media companies, who are aware of the advertiser's plans, told RBC. According to them, an advertisement for the iPhone X may appear in November. A spokesman for the OMD Optimum Media group, which purchases advertising for Apple in Russia, declined to comment.
Apple traditionally does not disclose metrics by region. It is only known that in the whole world in 2016, iPhone sales amounted to 211.88 million units, which is 8% less than in 2015. Apple's revenue from this product decreased by 12%, to $ 136.7 billion. In the third quarter of fiscal year 2017 (ended July 1), Apple sold 41.03 million iPhones for $ 24.85 billion, which is 2% more in piece terms. than for the same period of 2016, in monetary terms - by 3% more.
The revenue of the Russian subsidiary of Apple, according to SPARK, in 2016 amounted to 123.56 billion rubles, which is 1.7 times more than in 2015. The company's net profit at the end of last year amounted to 6.45 billion rubles.
Apple quotes on NASDAQ during the presentation grew by 1.5%, to $ 163.9 per share, but after its completion the price was adjusted
