iPhone 8 South Africa

Apple has launched the iPhone 8, skipping the “S” step in its product release cycle for the first time since the iPhone 3Gs.

The next iPhone “due” was the 7s and 7s Plus.

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The iPhone 8 will come in a standard and Plus model, and will be available in silver, space grey, and gold.

The iPhone 8 will have a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 8 Plus sports a 5.5-inch screen.

Both devices are microscopically sealed for water and dust resistance, and have glass on the front and back, said Apple. The new “glass and aluminium design” was punted by Apple as one of the devices’ standout features.

The iPhone 8 will run on a six-core processor that Apple calls the A11 Bionic – which offers 70%-faster performance on multithreaded workloads.

Apple said the iPhone 8 will also feature a new 12MP camera sensor that provides 83% more light, and is more power efficient.

The iPhone 8 Plus features twin 12MP cameras, with an f/1.8 lens on the standard camera and an f/2.8 aperture on its telephoto lens.

4K video

Thanks to the new Apple-designed image signal processor in the A11, the iPhone 8 can shoot 4K video at 60 frames per second. It can also shoot 1080p video in 240fps slow-motion, said Apple.

The iPhone 8 has the highest-quality video capture ever in a smartphone, able to handle 2 million tiles per second, it added.

Its cameras are further calibrated for augmented reality, supported by new gyroscopes and sensors.

Apple said the application processor, graphics processor, and image processor in the A11 Bionic are also tuned for augmented reality.

Wireless charging

Apple has also added wireless charging support to the iPhone 8, using the Qi standard.

The iPhone 8 also supports fast charge, it said.

Pricing and availability

Pre-orders for iPhone 8 will open on 15 September, and it will launch on 22 September.

Apple also announced that iOS 11 will be released on 19 September.

  • Apple iPhone 8 64GB – $699
  • Apple iPhone 8 256GB – $849
  • Apple iPhone 8 Plus 64GB – $799
  • Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB – $949
Specifications iPhone 8 iPhone 8 Plus
Dimensions 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5 mm
Weight 148g 202g
OS iOS 11 iOS 11
Display 4.7″ Retina HD (750 x 1,334) 5.5″ Retina HD (1,080 x 1,920)
Rear camera 12MP Dual 12MP
Front camera 7MP 7MP
Storage 64GB / 256GB 64GB / 256GB
Processor A11 Bionic A11 Bionic
Network LTE LTE
Durability IP67 IP67
Biometrics Touch ID Touch ID