Re: Pointless to upgrade to iPhone8 if you have 7
I agree with the author here. Apple really isn't giving us anything in the iPhone 8 that justifies the upgrade from a 7, in my opinion. So I have no intentions on upgrading to a more expensive device when there won't be a noticeable difference compared to my 7 Plus. In fact, the 8 Plus 256 GB configuration is actually more expensive than the 7 Plus 256 GB was at release. So it's not even like it's an even upgrade. It's pricier all around. And their lackluster presentation of it didn't impress me enough to justify the costs. That's also the overwhelming opinion around my office.
I'm currently debating on the iPhone X. It's pretty pricy as well and I'm weighing on if it offers enough to justify the extra cost for the device AND for AppleCare+. Apple is expensive this year, lol.
Actually, the 8 Plus 256GB is cheaper than the 7 Plus 256GB was at launch. The iPhone 7 Plus 256GB was $969, the 8 Plus 256GB is "only" $949 -- not a huge difference, but it is $20 cheaper than the 7 Plus was.
There are several little advantages to the 8 Plus, not all of which have been mentioned here. It has the wireless charging, faster processor, and improved camera sensors; as have been mentioned. It also has features like Bluetooth 5.0 and LTE-Advanced; not the type of thing most people even understand, but very nice upgrades to have. It also has LTE Band 66, for those whose carrier uses that band (though is missing Band 71, like most other flagships this year). It has the improved Portrait mode, slower slow motion video, 60 fps 4K video, etc. There is much more to this upgrade than most people give it credit for.
As for benchmarks, they are starting to show up. Engadget lists these in
their review: 3D Mark IS Unlimited: 7+ 37,784, 8+ 63,144; Geekbench 3 (multi-core) 7+ 5,660, 8+ 10,391; Geekbench 3 (single-core) 7+ 3,306; 8+ 4,245; AnTuTu 7+ 170,650; 8+ 193,297.
In fact, I find it interesting to see some of the different opinions -- there are a lot of reviewers that say the X is a waste of money, that people should buy the 8/8 Plus instead. It is fairly easy to argue that the X doesn't add that much over the iPhone 8, particularly since you lose the fingerprint sensor.
Of course, the easiest argument is that any flagship phone is not needed by the majority of people -- that a low to mid-range cell phone would do everything that the average person actually needs their phone to do. For most of us, with phones, it ends up being more what we want and feel we can afford, than what we actually need.
I'm on both sides of this argument, but mostily I think it is stupid to say it is "pointless to upgrade" -- as has been stated here, it all depends on each persons needs, wants and priorities. At the same time, I think this years group of iPhones, all three models, are some of the easiest to skip. The 7+ is still a great phone and most people that own it have no need to upgrade this year. My 8+ should be arriving Friday.