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sailor720

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 28, 2007
35
1
My wife needs a new phone to replace a worn out android. I switched to iphone (se) on my last device and have been happy with the move and she wants facetime. Usage is pretty light, calls, texts, emails, maps, browsing and lots of pictures but no gaming. I can buy a new 7 on swappa, presumably with a warranty for ~$300 or a new 8 from apple for $450, is the 8 worth the extra $150? It should be faster, take better pictures and has double the memory but not sure how noticeable that will be day to day.
 

hellopupy

macrumors 6502
Sep 8, 2016
334
359
Los Angeles
It also depends how long you plan to keep the phone.

If its at least 2 years, probably the 8, especially if it has the same processor as the iPhone X

And in my experience, updating old devices on some of the newer software updates has meant slower experiences as its likely more optimized for the new phones.
 

EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
14,083
11,847
Since you mentioned taking pictures: iPhone 7 Plus or 8 Plus for better camera setup. 8 Plus does 4K p60, compared to 7 Plus 4K p30, but if she's not shooting much video then it doesn't matter.

Also, Maps / Google Maps is better on the Plusses, just because they're bigger.
 
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tonybarnaby

macrumors 68020
Dec 3, 2017
2,385
1,741
The plus series phones are better in every single way over the 7/8 assuming they aren’t too big for her. My 11 year old has an 8+, so I think anyone can get used to it. I’d get the 8+ if you can swing it. If she’s coming from a worn out phone, she can easily get 3 years from an 8+. Assuming around $450(unsure on market right now) that’s a very good value. In 3 years she will probably be able to sell it for $100 or so, if so inclined. Either way, I’d go plus unless she’s adamant about a smaller phone. Both the 7/8 have small batteries and 2gb of ram, so the experience on the plus phone will be better without question.
 

rosegoldoli

macrumors 6502a
Feb 21, 2019
968
1,237
i upgraded from the 7 plus rose gold to the 8 plus rose gold last week i think she will be plenty happy with it
 

EugW

macrumors G5
Jun 18, 2017
14,083
11,847
wanted a rose gold(ish) phone still ? superficial i know but i got it from apple for about $400 with 256 GB. should be good until apple decides to reintroduce a pink iphone
No, I mean why did you go from a 7 Plus to an 8 Plus? There isn't really that much difference between the two phones.
 

rosegoldoli

macrumors 6502a
Feb 21, 2019
968
1,237
No, I mean why did you go from a 7 Plus to an 8 Plus? There isn't really that much difference between the two phones.

oh ?my iphone 7 plus was out of warranty and was having battery issues. also was randomly going black for 2 minutes sometimes and not responding until it woke back up. with the iphone 11 coming out around that time i decided instead of paying out of warranty charges to fix an older phone get a slightly newer phone for less with trade in (esp since i'm holding out to 2020 or 2021 latest)
 

rich32gb5s

macrumors 6502
Oct 16, 2013
267
41
Berkshire
oh ?my iphone 7 plus was out of warranty and was having battery issues. also was randomly going black for 2 minutes sometimes and not responding until it woke back up. with the iphone 11 coming out around that time i decided instead of paying out of warranty charges to fix an older phone get a slightly newer phone for less with trade in (esp since i'm holding out to 2020 or 2021 latest)
All those issues you describe are likely to be purely new battery required. I replaced my 7 battery (85% health) back in December and it was like a new phone
 
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pika2000

Suspended
Jun 22, 2007
5,587
4,902
My wife needs a new phone to replace a worn out android. I switched to iphone (se) on my last device and have been happy with the move and she wants facetime. Usage is pretty light, calls, texts, emails, maps, browsing and lots of pictures but no gaming. I can buy a new 7 on swappa, presumably with a warranty for ~$300 or a new 8 from apple for $450, is the 8 worth the extra $150? It should be faster, take better pictures and has double the memory but not sure how noticeable that will be day to day.
The 7 base only has 32GB storage, so I would go for at least the 8 as the base storage is 64GB.

Or, if you can stretch your budget a bit more, go for the XR. It takes better pictures due to smart HDR, and it has better battery life.
 

Elitegate

macrumors 6502a
Nov 2, 2014
533
430
My wife needs a new phone to replace a worn out android. I switched to iphone (se) on my last device and have been happy with the move and she wants facetime. Usage is pretty light, calls, texts, emails, maps, browsing and lots of pictures but no gaming. I can buy a new 7 on swappa, presumably with a warranty for ~$300 or a new 8 from apple for $450, is the 8 worth the extra $150? It should be faster, take better pictures and has double the memory but not sure how noticeable that will be day to day.

Right now? iPhone 8. Do not get the 7 anymore. 8 is more worth it. Well it depends on the user. I use my phone all the time and want most of the features so i went with the 8 Plus 256 GB last year and not with the 128 GB 7 Plus, also i hated that Apple killed both the 256 GB option and the Jet Black color in 2018 but that's just me. But even for your wife i can recommend the 8, the A11 is definitely more future proof and it's supported longer for sure. Also the camera quality is better, and images are more sharper.

I don't know where you would buy one, but if you would go with the 8 it's 449$ at Apple directly and they also have a 128 GB option now for 499$ instead of 64 / 256 GB.

Differences: (because people usually do not know and i hear things like "It's a 7 with a glass back" or "It's the same phone" or "It's just wireless charging that's new" all the time, but to be fair, not on MacRumors.)

Wireless Charging + Fast Charging
Better Stereo Speakers (25% Louder with Deeper Bass)
True Tone Display
A11 Chip (much faster)
Better Camera / Picture Quality
4K 60fps Video
1080p 240fps Slo Mo Video
Slow Sync LED flash
Portrait Lightning (Plus model only)
Auto HDR
Bluetooth 5.0

Still the upgrade from 7 to 8 was pretty lame tbh and not really worth it considering the price.
 
Last edited:

nordique

macrumors 68000
Oct 12, 2014
1,977
1,600
All those issues you describe are likely to be purely new battery required. I replaced my 7 battery (85% health) back in December and it was like a new phone

To be fair, that user did cite storage as an upgrade incentive, and the processing power, camera updates along with minor things like Bluetooth 5.0 (very nice with the latest airpods for excellent range) better speakers and wireless charging are nice little updates.

User experience will be more or less identical though, yes.
 
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m0sher

macrumors 6502a
Mar 4, 2018
815
783
8 for $150 More is worth it if you value....

64 GB vs 32 GB

Upgraded A11 Bionic chip for longevity.

Wireless & 50% faster
charging option.

Photo and video improvements due to integrated Image Signal Processor (ISP) for better pixel processing, faster low-light auto focus and noise reduction. (7 dosent have this).
 
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