Gallery: iPhone 8 and 8 Plus review photos | 27 Photos
That's not to say the iPhone formula hasn't changed at all, though. The 8 and 8 Plus come in a trio of updated color options, and both have bodies made of steel wrapped up in a 7000-series aluminum band. Most notably, they both have glass backs -- the better to inductively charge through, my dears. Some have expressed concern about Apple's shift away from mostly metal bodies, and they're right to be. Who hasn't seen someone still using an iPhone with a cracked screen? Apple claims to have sidestepped those issues by using the "most durable glass ever in a smartphone" to build the 8 and 8 Plus, and they've held up well over a week of sometimes careless testing. I managed to accidentally gouge the Jet Black iPhone 7 within the first 24 hours, but these glossier, glassier 8s are still nick-free after a week of being tossed into the hellscape that is my backpack.
Another benefit of glass over metal is that radio signals can careen right through it. As a result, the subtle antenna bands we saw wrapped around the 7 and 7 Plus are totally gone. When you're looking at the phone from behind, all you get is a glimpse at the camera, the shiny Apple logo and the "iPhone" branding; even the "Designed by Apple" text has been excised. The result is the cleanest iPhone I've ever seen. It might just be me, but I also prefer the way these glass backs feel. They're a little grippier and warmer than bare metal, though they're just as prone to sliding around on tables.
All of these elements come together in bodies that are longer, thicker and weightier than before. For those keeping track, the 8 is as thick as the 7 Plus, and the 8 Plus is the heaviest of them all. You wouldn't think half an ounce would make a difference, but it does: The smaller 8 is still comfortable to use for long periods of time, but the combination of its weight and bezels make the 8 Plus one of the more uncomfortable big smartphones I've tested lately. Consider the rest of the field: The Galaxy S8 Plus and the LG V30 both have bigger screens, and they both feel much nicer.
Thankfully, there's a lot to like about what's inside these phones. Apple finally dropped the 32GB storage tier, leaving 64GB at the low end and 256GB on the high-end models. This is also the first year Apple has designed its own GPU to work alongside the new A11 Bionic chipset, and -- surprise, surprise -- both phones run very well. As usual, though, the bigger battery and improved dual camera make the 8 Plus the more tantalizing option if you can deal with the increased size.
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