iPhone 8 Plus Vs iPhone X

The iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X, both released in late 2017, represent a significant turning point in smartphone design history. While they were launched simultaneously, they cater to very different user preferences: the iPhone 8 Plus serves as the final refinement of the classic home-button design, while the iPhone X introduced the all-screen aesthetic that has defined the modern era. Both devices operate on the same internal architecture and currently support up to iOS 16, making them consistent in terms of the software features and app compatibility they can offer today.

Choosing between these two models involves weighing the familiarity of a physical button and a wide aspect ratio against the immersive experience of a bezel-less display and facial recognition technology. This comparison explores how these two legacy devices perform in a modern context, helping you decide which form factor best suits your daily routine and ergonomic preferences.

As devices that entered the market in 2017, both the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X have reached a similar stage in their software lifecycle, having received their final major operating system update with iOS 16.

• Software Longevity: While neither device supports the most recent major iOS versions, they continue to receive essential security patches and maintain compatibility with the vast majority of popular applications. Users can expect a stable experience for standard tasks, though they will miss out on the latest interface features and system-level optimisations.
• Physical Durability and Repair: Both models feature glass front and back panels, which require careful handling. The iPhone 8 Plus is often noted for having a slightly more straightforward internal layout for common repairs like battery replacements. In contrast, the iPhone X contains more complex internal components, such as the sensors required for facial recognition, which can make certain hardware fixes more intricate.
• Practical Lifespan: Given their age, both phones are best suited for users with moderate needs. Their hardware remains capable of handling communication, light browsing, and media consumption for several more years, provided the battery health is maintained.

Despite their different appearances, both smartphones share the same core processing power, which allows them to handle everyday applications with a similar level of responsiveness.

• Everyday Responsiveness: For tasks such as messaging, checking emails, and scrolling through social media, both devices remain surprisingly fluid. The internal hardware manages multitasking effectively, though users may notice slightly longer loading times when opening large files or demanding applications compared to more recent hardware.
• Battery Behaviour: The iPhone 8 Plus features a physically larger footprint which accommodates a battery that many users find lasts longer during a full day of mixed use. The iPhone X uses a different internal configuration that is efficient but may require more frequent charging for those who use their device heavily throughout the day.
• Storage and Multitasking: Both models were released with similar storage capacities, providing ample space for photos and essential apps. With 3GB of memory, they can keep several apps open in the background, though the system may refresh apps more frequently than newer models when switching between intensive tasks.

The display is the most significant point of divergence between these two models, offering two entirely different visual experiences for the user.

• Display Technology: The iPhone 8 Plus uses a traditional LCD panel, known for its natural colour reproduction and consistent brightness. The iPhone X features an OLED display, which provides much deeper blacks and a higher contrast ratio, making it particularly well-suited for watching films or viewing high-resolution photographs.
• Viewing Area and Clarity: The iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen with a standard rectangular shape and large borders at the top and bottom. The iPhone X offers a 5.8-inch screen that covers almost the entire front of the device, providing a more immersive feel despite the phone itself being physically smaller than the 8 Plus.
• Outdoor Visibility: Both screens offer sufficient brightness for use in most environments. However, the OLED technology in the iPhone X can sometimes appear more vibrant in direct sunlight, while the LCD in the 8 Plus remains very readable and easy on the eyes for long reading sessions.

Both devices are equipped with dual-camera systems on the rear, but subtle differences in hardware and software processing affect the final image quality.

• Photography Capabilities: Both phones feature a main wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens for zooming. The iPhone X has the advantage of hardware-based shake reduction on both rear lenses, which helps in capturing sharper zoomed-in photos. The iPhone 8 Plus only features this stabilisation on the main lens, which may result in slightly less steady shots when using the zoom in lower light.
• Selfie and Portrait Features: The iPhone X uses a specialised front-facing sensor that allows for portrait mode photography with blurred backgrounds on selfies. The iPhone 8 Plus lacks this capability on the front camera, though both devices perform excellently with portrait mode using the rear cameras.
• Video and Audio: Both models can record high-quality 4K video at smooth frame rates. The microphone quality is clear for video calls and voice memos, and the stereo speakers on both devices provide a balanced audio experience for watching videos without headphones.