iPhone 8 Plus (Gold) packaging (This photo was shot on iPhone in Portrait Mode).
Ah, technology– proprietor of a spot in my heart since the early 90s. When I was a little girl, my friends wanted Malibu Barbie and I wanted a Palm Pilot. Of course, Barbie was okay, but how was I supposed to electronically organize my schedule and tasks with her? Exactly. I needed a Palm Pilot for that. The years went on and my love affair with technology lived on. On Christmas morning, after opening all the gifts from Santa, my dad would always bring me in something special from him. He knew the way to my heart, surprising me with a laptop or 3-in-1 printer– the latest tech that made my heart beat faster with excitement. I couldn’t wait to open those boxes and learn everything I could about the gadget inside. Fast forward to 2017, same little girl in a 27-year old body. I still love it. I still love knowing everything about it. The IT guys at school, they love that I can check a few things off their long list of to-dos and to-helps by assisting some of the people in my hallway with their technology needs. And I don’t mind helping people either. It’s kind of like a challenge– me vs. my old friend– as crazy as it sounds! So, here sits that technology-loving little girl with the new iPhone 8 Plus, thinking it would be a sad day if I didn’t share my information about this other little corner of my life with our readers.
So, the first question I want to ask you is… how do you upgrade? Do you upgrade your device via wireless carrier or through the Apple Store? 75% of people still purchase a new phone through their wireless carriers (Business Insider) and that’s because of the way it used to be. We used to get a new phone from our carriers for a very discounted price– sometimes even free– in exchange for signing up for a 2-year contract. Now, the price of the iPhone is the price of the iPhone. And chances are you don’t want to pay roughly $1000 out of pocket upfront. The way of the cellular world is now “monthly installments.” It’s kind of like leasing a car, but you’re leasing your iPhone. We can do this through Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc. OR you can do the same through Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program. Either way, you are typically paying the phone off over 24 months. Through Apple, after 12 months of payments have been made, you are able to upgrade OR you can choose to keep it and pay it off until you own it. You still pay for your wireless service through your carrier. To me, going through Apple is a much better decision. Why? Well, we don’t buy our TVs through our cable providers or our computers through our internet providers, right? When you buy your iPhone through Apple, you’re buying your phone directly from the manufacturer. If you have issues or need tech support, you’re able to go straight to Apple– where you purchased the phone. Your wireless provider cannot help you with actual iPhone issues; they outsource tech issues to someone else. This brings me to my other point: AppleCare. AppleCare is far better than wireless carrier insurance. For years, I paid a large monthly fee for Asurion insurance through Verizon (now more than $10 a month). When my phone screen cracked (I hate cracked screens, but it happened to me), I had to pay over $100 to get a replacement. With AppleCare, for iPhone 8 Plus, you end up paying around $6 each month for AppleCare with your monthly payment. In the case of a cracked screen, it is $29 for screen replacement and $99 for all other damages. With AppleCare, you also have 24/7 tech support. When I read up on this a few years ago, I upgraded to iPhone 7 Plus through Apple Upgrade Program. To me, it’s a no-brainer to go through Apple.
Recently, I upgraded my iPhone 7 Plus (one year later) to the iPhone 8 Plus. My payments stayed very close to the same and Apple sent me a trade-in kit, in which to return my iPhone 7 Plus, free of charge. I decided on the iPhone 8 Plus over the iPhone X because I’m not entirely sold on the breakout features. Right now, I hate that it doesn’t have a home button and that the user’s face is what unlocks the device. Maybe that’s me acting like the older generation of teachers who hate new technology. Yikes. But for now, I guess I just would rather someone else work out the security issues and glitches before I get my hands on it. I’m anxious to see what it’s like, but not ready to jump in with both feet yet, which is somewhat unlike me. Truth be told, the iPhone 8 Plus is pretty similar to my iPhone 7 Plus, aside from a few new features. First of all, it’s made of the durable glass, similar to the “gorilla glass” my Apple Watch screen is made of, front and back. In addition to being water and dust resistant, the glass back also enables the phone to charge wirelessly, much like the Apple Watch. I purchased the Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad. It’s pretty cool to just sit my phone on it at night and it charges– quickly. The Retina display has something new called True Tone, enabling the display to adapt to match the light around it, making for a better viewing experience in bright light or dark environments. Like the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8 Plus has the dual camera for Portrait Mode (blurred background). The camera is still 12MP, pretty good for a phone camera. I love having Portrait Mode. It’s nice to not have to haul my big camera around everywhere for Adventure á la Mode or Burgh Blondes and still get quality shots. The CPU on the iPhone 8 Plus is a little faster with the new A11 Bionic, supposedly around 15% faster than iPhone 7’s A10 fusion.
iPhone 8 Plus (Gold)
The glass back is visible in this photo.
The Plus size iPhone is not that much bigger than the regular. I am so used to it now, I barely notice. Also, Charlie is now always my lock screen background. The days of iPhone stock wallpapers have come to a close for me.
This is the Belkin Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad. My phone just sits on top of it to charge. See photo below. (This photo was shot on iPhone in Portrait Mode).
I still have Apple Watch Series 1. I have seen no real reason to upgrade my watch. My phone is always on my person or in the same network so LTE on my watch is unnecessary for me. My specific watch is no longer available, but this Series 3 is comparable.
These are really great tempered glass screen protectors from Amazon for a fraction of the price ($3.50 a piece!). I always use this brand. (This photo was shot on iPhone in Portrait Mode).
This is an Apple case. I really like it, but I always end up having several different cases. Fortunately, the iPhone 8 Plus has the same dimensions as the iPhone 7 Plus. I also recommend a mophie charging devices (the cases and portable chargers are good). They also make their own wireless charging pad.
Something else worth noting is that the phone comes in silver, gold, and space grey. My last few iPhones have been gold (more of a champagne color). The “gold” color now is more of a rose gold, but not quite as pink as the former “rose gold”. I didn’t feel the last “rose gold” color was rose gold at all. This one is probably a little closer to rose gold, but called “gold.” I know some people will be interested in that little bit of color info.
I hope I provided you with some info that helps you with your next iPhone upgrade! Are you upgrading? Which iPhone are you choosing? Are you not Team iPhone at all? Let me know in the comments below.
xo,
Ashley
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