iPhone Feature Roundup: How do They Compare?

A lot of people took notice when the iPhone X was announced to retail for $1,000. As the first mass-market smartphone to break the $1,000 price tag, it must be something special, right? Apple seemed to be hedging their bets slightly, and also released the iPhone 8, an $800 option that more closely resembles previous iterations of the iPhone. In order to help you with figuring out which one is right for you, we’ve got an iPhone feature roundup to break down the difference between the two flavors of iPhone.

Price

The first one is the most obvious, and we’ve already been over it, but it bears repeating. The iPhone X is truly the best smartphone in the world, and its price reflects that. $1,000 is a lot of money to pay for a phone, but that buys you a ton of features. The iPhone 8 is no slouch, either, to be fair, and costs a respectable $800. Both phones are on the premium side, so the question becomes: what does $200 buy you?

Face ID vs Fingerprint Scanner

Face ID is convenient, fast and secure. Apple was the first to market with very secure, very accurate facial recognition software. The depth-sensing front cameras in the iPhone X’s much-maligned notch can read your face in the blink of an eye. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, sports the same fingerprint scanner iPhones have been using for years. It’s secure, it’s fast and it’s pretty much the same as you’d expect. It works fine in most circumstances, but if you’re wearing gloves or if your hands are wet, it’s a no-go.

Face ID isn’t the only use of those front cameras, though: the animated “Animoji” technology is exclusive to iPhone X. It’s silly, it’s cute and you absolutely want it. Is it worth $200? Your call.

OLED Screen, Bezels

The iPhone X has a huge, bright and gorgeous OLED display that looks sharp even in direct sunlight. It’s hard to describe, but it simply has an alluring glow to it that dazzles the eye. If that sounds overly romantic, you probably haven’t seen one in person. The iPhone 8, on the other hand, sports a Retina display that looks fine, if somewhat tame compared to the iPhone X.

Interestingly, the iPhone 8 Plus is bigger than the iPhone X by a good bit, yet the iPhone X still sports a bigger screen, thanks to its nearly bezel-free design. Almost the entire front face of the phone is screen, with the exception of the notch.

Home Button

A huge change in the iPhone X is the lack of a home button. If you’re a home button faithful, you want an iPhone 8, period. It’s a pretty big change, and if you’ve been using iPhones since 2007, it will certainly take some getting used to. That said, the gesture controls are intuitive, fast and slick, and you will get used to them.

iPhone Feature Bottom Line

One way to look at the iPhone X is as a proof-of-concept for the way future iPhones will work. So, by getting an iPhone 8, you’ll have a nostalgic, old-school style iPhone experience. However, you’re likely only delaying the inevitable. That $200 upcharge can be viewed as the price of entry to a new era of iPhone. If you’re the kind of person that gets excited by bleeding edge tech, you want an iPhone X. If you want the same experience you’ve grown accustomed to, the 8 is more your speed.