After months of anticipation, Apple on Tuesday unveiled its 2017 stable of iPhones. The lineup includes an iPhone 8 and 8 Plus device that builds upon the familiar iPhone 7 form factor, as well as a premium iPhone X with a revolutionary design and additional next-generation features.
It’s a lot to take in for potential buyers, particularly as the devices share a number of similarities as well as differences. Here’s how Apple’s three new iPhones stack up and compare to each other.
Size Differences & Design
- All three iPhones will use a new glass sandwich construction.
- The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will retain a similar front bezel and display design to previous iPhone generations.
- The iPhone X’s display is edge-to-edge, and the device has little to no bezels. The custom OLED blends seamlessly into the stainless steel band. It also features a sensor cutout where the advanced TrueDepth camera is housed.
- All three iPhones also carry an IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance.
| Width | Height | Depth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone 8 | 138.3 mm | 67.1 mm | 7.1 mm |
| iPhone 8 Plus | 138.44 mm | 67.26 mm | 7.21 mm |
| iPhone X | 158.2 mm | 77.9 mm | 7.3 mm |
- The iPhone 8 will weigh about 148 grams (5.22 ounces)
- The iPhone 8 Plus will weigh about 202 grams (7.13 ounces)
- The iPhone X will weigh 174 grams (6.14 ounces)
Display
Obviously, the biggest difference between the three 2017 iPhones is the display that each device sports — especially relative to its form factor and overall size. All three devices will feature Apple’s True Tone technology, however.
- The iPhone 8 will have a 4.7-inch Retina HD LCD display. Roughly, it’s about the same size and form factor as the iPhone 7. Resolution is 1334 x 750 (326 pixels-per-inch).
- The iPhone 8 Plus will have a 5.5-inch Retina HD LCD display. Comparatively, it’s about the same size and form factor as the iPhone 7 Plus. Resolution is 1920 x 1080 (401 pixels-per-inch).
- The iPhone X will sport a 5.8-inch OLED Super Retina display. Its body is only slightly larger than the iPhone 7 (and iPhone 8, for that matter). Resolution is 2436 x 1,125 (458 pixels-per-inch).
So yes, the iPhone X is “all-screen.” The fact that it manages to pack such a large display (larger than the iPhone 8 Plus) into a smaller form factor is impressive. But it’s not just that: the iPhone X is also the first Apple smartphone with an OLED display, marking a big upgrade over the usual LCD displays.
Processor + Internals
All three iPhones this year will run on Apple’s latest A11 Bionic CPU, which also comes with a slew of Apple-designed tech like a proprietary graphics processing unit (GPU) and image signal processor (ISP). Presumably, this means that all three devices will have similar performance across a variety of tasks.
- The iPhone 8 will sport 2 gigabytes of RAM.
- The iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will have 3 gigabytes of RAM.
Biometrics
- The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus will continue to use Apple’s fingerprint-based biometric system, Touch ID, for unlocking the device and authenticating purchases.
- The iPhone X, on the other hand, does away with Touch ID entirely. It introduces an advanced facial recognition system called Face ID, which relies on a new TrueDepth camera and an onboard neural engine built into the A11 Bionic.
UI Controls
The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus will retain the iconic Home button. That means that the user experience will remain largely unchanged from the previous generation.
The iPhone X, on the other hand, does away with the Home button. Instead, it’ll rely entirely on gesture-based controls for opening the device, returning to the Home screen, and invoking the multitasking pane. It’ll also use its side button to enable Siri and as an Apple Pay shortcut.
Cameras
The photo- and video-taking technology on the 2017 stable of iPhones have gotten their usual boost in power. They’ll all feature improved cameras, optical image stabilization (on both lenses for the dual-camera iPhones), and a quad LED True Tone flash with Slow Sync. They all are capable of shooting video in 4K at up to 60fps, or in 1080p at 240fps.
- The iPhone 8 will sport a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, as well as a 7-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.
- The iPhone 8 Plus will sport a 12-megapixel, dual-camera module with a telephoto lens. It also comes equipped with a 7-megapixel front-facing selfie camera.
- The iPhone X also has a 12-megapixel, dual-camera module with telephoto lens. The 7-megapixel, front-facing selfie camera will also support Portrait Mode and the new Portrait Lighting.
| Dual-Camera | Portrait Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone 8 | No | No |
| iPhone 8 Plus | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone X | Yes | Yes, for both front- and rear-facing cameras |
Battery Life & Charging
Battery Life
- The battery life on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will last about as long as their iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus counterparts.
- The iPhone 8 will have a 1,821mAh battery, while the iPhone 8 Plus will come with a 2,675mAh battery.
- The iPhone X, on the other hand, has a battery life estimate that’s about two hours longer than the iPhone 7. On the other hand, there’s no information about the battery’s mAh stats.
Charging Capabilities
- The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will all feature Qi inductive wireless charging.
- Similarly, all three devices will feature support for fast-charging (though only via a Lightning to USB-C cable, which is sold separately).
Connectivity
No real differences as far as connectivity. All three iPhones will come with the following connectivity specs.
- 4G LTE
- NFC
- GPS
- DMA
- HSPA+
- 802.11aa/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 5.0
Storage Configurations & Color Options
- The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X will come in 64-gigabyte and 256-gigabyte storage configurations.
- The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will be available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold. The iPhone X will come in Space Grey and Silver.
Price Point & Availability
- The iPhone 8 will start at $699 for the 64GB configuration.
- The iPhone 8 Plus will start at $799 for the 64GB configuration.
- The iPhone X will start at $999 for the 64GB configuration.
Preorders for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will begin Friday, Sept. 15. They’ll ship to consumers next Friday, Sept. 22. Preorders for the iPhone X will begin on Oct. 27 before shipping to customers on Nov. 3.