iPhone 8 FAQ: Everything you need to know!

Last year we were treated to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, so this year brings us the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus — along with the iPhone X.

Whether you're looking at new software updates, camera features, or design changes, here's absolutely everything you need to know about the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

What's the difference between the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus?

Besides their size, not much! Think of them as being in the same wheelhouse, like the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus: the biggest differences between them are camera-related.

The iPhone 8 Plus has two new lenses with a 1.8 and 2.8 aperture. Sharper details and more lighting options for portrait mode for iPhone 8 Plus and something new called Portrait Lighting are brand new features. Portrait Lighting will adjust lighting in real time to get better light for your photos. You can even swipe to pick different lighting effects while composing the picture!

Specs

The Appearance

  • Glass in both front and back
  • Aluminum band that matches the finish
  • Available in silver, space gray, and new gold finishes
  • Made from aerospace-grade aluminum
  • 7-layer color process glass
  • 50% deeper strengthening layer (glass is more durable than any other smartphone out there)
  • HD screen with True Tone that automatically adjusts white balance to match the light around you

The Insides

  • 4.7-inch 5.5 Retina HDR display with True Tone tech and dual-domain pixels for better viewing in any environment and at any angle
  • Two performance cores that are 25% faster than the A10 Fusion
  • Four high-efficiency cores that are 70% faster than the A10 Fusion
  • Apple designed GPU that's 30% faster than the A10 Fusion
  • Faster image processor
  • Improved pixel processor
  • New stereo speakers that are 25% louder than iPhone 7 and boast deeper bass
  • iOS 11

The Camera

  • 12MP camera
  • Deeper pixels
  • Now color filter
  • Optical Image stabilization for greatly improved low light capture
  • 83% more light
  • Better color saturation
  • Wider and more dynamic range of color
  • Lower noise in your photos and videos
  • Improved portrait mode for sharper foregrounds and more naturally blurred backgrounds
  • Newly-added Portrait Lighting effects
  • Optical zoom
  • Digital zoom (10x for photos, 6x for videos)

The Video

  • Video encoder with faster frame range
  • Better image and motion analysis
  • 1080p 240FPS support, which is double frame rate of previous devices

The Augmented Reality (AR)

  • Each phone is custom-calibrated
  • Immersive graphics up for 60FPS
  • Real-time lighting estimation on the ISP
  • A11 bionic chip for powering AR

The Wireless Charging

  • New glass back works well with wireless charging!
  • Uses Qi wireless standard
  • Mophie and Belkin already announced to have wireless chargers for iPhone 8

When will it be available?

Preorder Sept 15. Available Sept. 22 with an iOS upgrade coming on September 19th.

How much will it cost?

iPhone 8

  • 64GB
  • 256GB
  • $699

iPhone 8 Plus:

  • 64GB
  • 256GB
  • $799

What colors will it come in?

Silver, space gray, and a new sharp gold finish!

Will the iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus come with iOS 11?

Yes! They both will.

Will I need to buy new cases?

Nope! Sizes stay the same as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus!

What do you think?

Are you someone who's going to stick with their iPhone 7 for a while longer, upgrade to the iPhone 8, or just skip the middle step and go straight to the iPhone X?

Let us know why the iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus seem appealing to you, or why you're going to have to pass on them!

Cella Lao Rousseau

Cella writes for iMore on social and photography. She's a true crime enthusiast, bestselling horror author, lipstick collector, buzzkill, and Sicilian. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @hellorousseau