iPhone 8 Plus is still a solid option although several new competitors have emerged since it was launched.

What Apple usually does when it releases a new model is to put an end to old ones, but for some reason, it keeps the 8 Plus, which speaks volume of how competent the handset is.

Display

When people first look at the 5.5-inch screen, what first comes to mind is that Apple made no change here compared to the previous year’s offer.

When it comes to resolution and size, it’s true that nothing has changed but when you look at the temperature and color reproduction, you will see what is different.  

While iPhone 8 Plus doesn’t have the sharpest you can find on the market, it has an edge in popping and vivid colors without being overpowering.

The screen is clear under direct sunlight and the viewing angle is good in most situations. The only downside here is the large bezels, a real disadvantage when compared to the bezel-less design of the Galaxy S10 or iPhone XS.

iPhone 8 Plus’s screen supports Mobile HDR but only support because it isn’t a Mobile HDR screen.

Processor

The A11 Bionic chipset has six cores with four doing the usual tasks and the other two for heavier ones, including real-time camera effects, multi-tasking, or phot-editing.

The Portrait Lighting effects require lots of power and the A11 chip is built just for this kind of job. Any apps that call for a high level of photo editing work smoothly on the device with no stutter or delay.

However, the iPhone 8 Plus isn’t any faster than its predecessor, the iPhone 7 Plus. Their speed is also identical to Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

The iPhone 7 Plus is actually faster in saving files than the 8 Plus. The A11 Bionic chip is powerful but apart from when it enables the Portrait Lighting, we haven’t seen it displays its raw power.

RAM

iPhone 8 Plus comes with 3GB of RAM, a quite low amount compared to competitors at the same price range.

However, the powerful chipset somehow offset this drawback as you will have no problem with the phone’s performance most of the time.

Battery

iPhone 8 Plus’s battery has been pleasing for day-to-day tasks. If you do nothing more than just playing some games and checking WhatsApp, the phone can easily last for a day.

An average day of moving around, taking photos, and playing non-graphics-intensive games, can see your phone at the end of the day with around 20% of power left.

The phone does have support for fast charging, which can top it up from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes, but you will have to buy separate charger and cable to make use of this feature.

However, wireless charging happens quickly and that is a consolation. What you should prepare for is a rapid charging speed at first, and then it slows down to something close to that of wired charging.

If you have never used an iPhone Plus before, you will have a pleasing experience with this one. However, if you want the best battery life on your handset, you had better look elsewhere.

Camera

iPhone 8 Plus’s camera isn’t exactly revolutionary but this isn’t a deal-breaker as Apple has already held one of the best photography technologies. The phone is incredibly capable when it comes to taking pictures, sometimes even more so than newer phones.

The best feature of Apple’s camera app is arguably its user-friendliness. And each iOS update will bring users new features to improve the phone’s ability to take great shots.

With the iPhone 8 Plus, users will have lots of details and texture reproduction, thanks to the ISP (image signal processor) baked right into the A11 Bionic chipset.

The Portrait Mode is a bit hard to use on the iPhone 8 Plus, which is a real shame. You will have to move around to help the phone recognize the subject. However, the results are often excellent and shareable.

What is most impressive about this phone isn’t the hardware though, it’s the software and the editing power.

iOS 11 brings Long Exposure, Bounce, and Loop. Playing around with the effects is fun and the phone will suggest which one to use for the best result.

Editing effects are great although most of them are filters. Apple has done a good job slipping in some excellent options for users to make changes to their shots.

When there isn’t enough light, the iPhone 8 Plus’s performance starts to degrade. For example, when you try to take a picture of a candle in the dark, you will have to manually adjust the exposure to make the flame clear.

In short, iPhone 8 Plus tends to overexpose shots with look brighter than real life but the amount of details is high.

On the plus side, the phone has strong autofocus, which is handy in many situations. However, when you actually need to decrease the shutter speed, there is no easy way to so.

Apple’s excellent video taking capacity is another example of how far the company has gone ahead of its competitors.

With the iPhone 8 Plus, users have smooth and clear 4K video taken at 60 frames per second. This isn’t something any phone can do, ensuring that your handset will stay relevant in a few years to come.

However, videos tend to eat up storage fast so you might want to free up the memory if you wish to have room for anything else. Another great feature is the Full HD slow motion, which usually results in super-clean footage.

The feature can’t rival its counterpart on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium nor the Samsung Galaxy S9 but the iPhone 8 Plus has an edge in low light performance and the number of details it can capture. And you get to choose where the Slow-mo works.

Overall, iPhone 8 Plus offers solid performance most of the time, but no always. Its cameras are excellent, the battery life is decent, and the A11 Bionic chip is really powerful.