Now that all of the rumors have been confirmed, here is what we know for sure. Pre-orders for the new iPhones 8 and 8+ will begin September 15 with the first batch of devices shipping from the carriers on September 22nd. The newest iPhone X will not become available until November 3rd with pre-orders beginning October 22nd. The newest iOS11 will be officially released on September 19. All iPhones from the iPhone 6 on should benefit from this but I would not load it for the first week or so to see if anyone has any negative repercussions. Sometimes new software doesn't play nice with existing 3rd party applications. I always google. "Problems with new iOS" and see what comes up. If you see dozens of complaints for the same problem, ...wait!
As far as the new devices go, the 8 series has the new A11 processor with 6 cores which can all run together for blazing speeds 70% faster than the previous A10 processor. The casing consists of a glass front and rear, connected with an aluminum alloy. The glass back is necessary for the wireless charging. It has an improved retina display, new stereo speakers, and a new image sensor which works better in lower light levels. The 8+ model is not only larger than the 8, it incorporates a few goodies that the 8 is lacking. While the shooter is improved on the regular iPhone 8 model, it is far improved on the iPhone 8+ because that model also includes the dual camera optical image stabilization, Portrait lighting feature, Studio lighting and contour feature, and real time analysis - all soon to be found on the iPhone X model. You can even change the background from blurry to totally black after the fact which is very cool. This model also has a video encoder that supports 4k video at 60 frames per second with 2,000,000 tiles per second. In 1080p resolution mode, you'll get 240 frames per second. The 8+ camera is already calibrated for Augmented Reality which is going to be the next big thing. The iPhone X, is the Aston Marton, or Maserati of SmartPhones. It's faster, sleeker and far more costly with a $1000 entry level model featuring just 64GB of memory. Unlike the 8 series utilizing an aluminum alloy to bind the device together, the X (Ten) uses stainless steel. It adds an amazing new Super Retina display with OLED screen technology. The device offers an 5'8" screen boasting 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution. This model also does away with the home button and biometric finger unlocking. Replacing this is facial recognition. That feature is obviously not quite ready for prime time as was demonstrated during the Apple launch announcement when they had to go "old school" and input the 6 digit unlock code. Once unlocked, swiping up from the bottom wakes up the home screen with your icons. So why does Dr Wireless feel the iPhone 8+ is the wisest choice? Anytime a manufacturer makes major changes from their proven model line, there are often repercussions that need to be addressed and corrected. While the iPhone 8 does have Apple's new A11 processor and is better than any previous models, the camera capabilities of the 8+ are far superior to the regular iPhone 8 and include many of the new features that will be included on the iPhone X. Apple is obviously out of Sync with the wireless carriers and this is going to cost them dearly in iPhone X sales. In August, I was recommending the Verizon network as the best carrier to use an iPhone X on once it was released. Unfortunately, that was before Verizon decided to cap their network video bandwidth resolution at 720p. That means that you cannot even enjoy 1080p when streaming video. So getting one of these on Verizon is not very bright. It gets even worse with T-Mobile though. T-Mobile was poised to finally blow by Verizon and AT&T with the fastest data speeds and best coverage nationally. Their recent 600mHZ spectrum auction victory earlier this year should have left the other carriers in their rear view mirror. It didn't and evidently won't until next year. The biggest problem for them is Apple would not add "Band 71" to their new iPhone X or any other new models. That means the soonest we are likely to see Apple support for this will be in 2018. Did I also mention the iPhone X model is North of $1k with pricing starting at $1000 for the basic 64GB model? While the iPhone 8+ won't have the fancy stainless steel, the 5.8" OLED display or facial recognition, it will have the Home button and the biometric fingerprint unlocking that we have all become accustomed to. Another consideration... These days, almost all iPhones look the same, so determining value at a glance is difficult. This iPhone with the giant bezel-less screen with stainless steel band will stand out like a sore thumb. For those who like to impress, go for it. Just be aware that this model will get the "bad hombres" attention faster than a Gold Rolex President watch.
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March 2021
CategoriesAuthorJoel Saltzman has over twenty years of wireless industry experience. He is currently CEO and Chief Wireless Analyst for Dr Wireless. |