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bjolester

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2018
92
21
Trondheim, Norway
I am currently an iPhone 5 user, and want to upgrade to a more recent iPhone. Initially I have set my eyes on the iPhone 8 plus, due to the larger 16:9 aspect lcd screen, great camera and fast A11 processor. The only concern I have is the all-glass design and durability.

Recently I found a shop in my country that sells the iPhone 7 plus 256gb (Jet Black) for the same price as the iPhone 8 plus 64gb. I like the use of an aluminum chassis and love the Jet Black finish, would it be a bad idea to go for the iPhone 7 plus 256gb?
 
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44267547

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I am currently an iPhone 5 user, and want to upgrade to a more recent iPhone. Initially I have set my eyes on the iPhone 8 plus, due to the larger 16:9 aspect lcd screen, great camera and fast A11 processor. The only concern I have is the all-glass design and durability.

Recently I found a shop in my country that sells the iPhone 7 plus 256gb (Jet Black) for the same price as the iPhone 8 plus 64gb. I like the use of an aluminum chassis and love the Jet Black finish, would it be a bad idea to go for the iPhone 7 plus 256gb?

The iPhone 7 is still a great iPhone and is very much comparable to the iPhone 8, but you have to ask yourself do you need that much storage with the iPhone 7 at 256 GB? Or would you rather have the iPhone 8 that has the more upgraded internals? As far as durability, the iPhone 8 is still very durable aside from the glass, if you were questioning that, then I would suggest a case.
 
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bjolester

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2018
92
21
Trondheim, Norway
Thank you for your advice Relentless Power! I guess 128gb would be the perfect iPhone storage option for me, and 64gb is probably also enough. So - yeah 256gb is probably over the top for my intended use, even though I plan to shoot a lot of photos and videos with my new iPhone. It makes sense to focus on the upgraded internals of the iPhone 8 plus. When I purchase a new iPhone I will surely have a case on from day one!
 

Celerondon

macrumors 6502a
Oct 17, 2013
683
125
Southern Cal
Yes, I agree that you should get a case and go with the 8 Plus. Why?
  • Wireless charging
  • Faster/Newer brains*
  • Fast charge option
The first two are my favorites. If you can live with the smaller storage then that base model 8 plus is your best option.


*(The Apple A11 Bionic chipset consisting of a Six Core CPU, Six Core GPU, M11 motion coprocessor will provide better performance and longer “life” in the Apple support system.)
 
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jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
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1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
I am currently an iPhone 5 user, and want to upgrade to a more recent iPhone. Initially I have set my eyes on the iPhone 8 plus, due to the larger 16:9 aspect lcd screen, great camera and fast A11 processor. The only concern I have is the all-glass design and durability.

Recently I found a shop in my country that sells the iPhone 7 plus 256gb (Jet Black) for the same price as the iPhone 8 plus 64gb. I like the use of an aluminum chassis and love the Jet Black finish, would it be a bad idea to go for the iPhone 7 plus 256gb?

Both are great options; however, if you know you are going to be constantly taking pictures and very high qaulity (4k) video, I would recommend looking for the biggest storage option.
 

jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,257
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
Thanks you all for providing very useful advice!

I ended up ordering an iPhone 8 plus 256GB. Coming from the iPhone 5 this will probably feel like a monumental upgrade...

You won't regret it. I have a 256GB iPhone 7 and it's already half full due to pictures and videos I take. I do sync them out via my Mac and PC to make space, but still. Also work travels don't help me curb the picture taking habit.
 

bruinsrme

macrumors 604
Oct 26, 2008
7,174
3,037
Wireless charging, though not used all the time, would be the decision factor for me.
Having the X drop and charge
Thanks you all for providing very useful advice!

I ended up ordering an iPhone 8 plus 256GB. Coming from the iPhone 5 this will probably feel like a monumental upgrade...

Nice. I have the 256 X. Surely overkill, but leaves about 225G for porn.
Any recommendations?

J/k. I only got the 256 because the 64 wasn’t available at the time.
 

tivoboy

macrumors 68040
May 15, 2005
3,996
803
You first have to answer the question about how much storage you really need/use. Regardless of which phone you get, if the storage is insufficient you are going to be annoyed, troubled frequently. If you DONT need 256GB storage (and frankly most people don't unless they really use the camera and VIDEO and/or have their entire music collection in uncompressed AAC on their device. Apps just don't require that level of storage on a regular basis. I am a HEAVY phone user and can managed with 64GB easily and have a LOT of photos and videos and big apps (like DJI for drones) and a lot of music and use between 35-44 GB regularly. So, take a look at your real usage. I also tell people, if you're a huge photo or video user, just use icloud storage. It's WAY cheaper than buying onboard storage by a lot. Put big photos and such in the icloud, videos too, messages too, large apps, etc. you can move a lot off the device easily and much more efficiently.

Once you answer that, while fragility of the newer 8 and X devices ARE an issues, I'm a not case user and have had no problems in four months. These new devices ARE SLIPPERY, so you can put a clear skin that is way more sticky than the glass and reduce the slide off the table issues that so many have had.

In the end, I think you'd be happier with the 8 than the 7, as it's newer, faster, cooler, for all the reasons the above posters have noted.
 

Clogger

Suspended
Jan 12, 2018
83
61
I had the same dilemma, I went from a 6 to an X but didn't get on with the X so I ended up buying a 7+ 128GB. 256GB is overkill IMHO and 64GB is not enough, It's a shame Apple decided to remove the 128GB option on the 8 as I feel it's the sweet spot for a phone.

The 8+ is a great device but if wireless charging doesn't bother you the 7+ is a good deal.
 
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bjolester

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 28, 2018
92
21
Trondheim, Norway
I had the same dilemma, I went from a 6 to an X but didn't get on with the X so I ended up buying a 7+ 128GB. 256GB is overkill IMHO and 64GB is not enough, It's a shame Apple decided to remove the 128GB option on the 8 as I feel it's the sweet spot for a phone.

The 8+ is a great device but if wireless charging doesn't bother you the 7+ is a good deal.

I absolutely agree - 256GB is overkill, 128GB is the sweet spot. However I do not upgrade my iPhones often, my current iPhone 5 has been my daily workhorse since 2013. I plan to keep the iPhone 8 plus for many years, and in that perspective it probably makes sense to go for max storage. Who knows, maybe Apple releases some brilliant music recording or music editing app for IOS that demands a lot of storage, or maybe a serious photo editing app that needs storage space, then I will be glad I did not go for the 64GB Version.
 
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jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
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1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
I absolutely agree - 256GB is overkill, 128GB is the sweet spot. However I do not upgrade my iPhones often, my current iPhone 5 has been my daily workhorse since 2013. I plan to keep the iPhone 8 plus for many years, and in that perspective it probably makes sense to go for max storage. Who knows, maybe Apple releases some brilliant music recording or music editing app for IOS that demands a lot of storage, or maybe a serious photo editing app that needs storage space, then I will be glad I did not go for the 64GB Version.

I like this logic. Not many people see the use of their devices beyond 1 year.
 
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macmahon70

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2008
82
13
Brussels
In the decision to upgrade or purchase, one should look at the price of repair, such as the screen repair price if it breaks by accident...IMHO
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
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In the decision to upgrade or purchase, one should look at the price of repair, such as the screen repair price if it breaks by accident...IMHO

Which is why it should be a consideration to for Applecare Plus, versus out of repair pocket costs. Especially given the iPhone X.
 
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