If you own an iPhone 7, you absolutely should not buy an iPhone 8

Don't believe the hype!
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It's not easy buying an iPhone these days. You have a huge assortment of options, starting with the puny iPhone SE ($350) and going all the way up to the super-powered iPhone X ($1,000).

I'm not going to pretend I can tell you exactly which phone is right for you, but I'll tell you this: If you already have an iPhone 7, you absolutely should not buy an iPhone 8.

The issue comes down to exactly what you get when you buy an iPhone 8. The phone is practically identical to the iPhone 7 from last year, with a few upgrades. They will certainly give you better performance, but probably aren't worth the hundreds of dollars they'll cost you.

Let's start with the processor: The iPhone 8 comes with the new A11 bionic processor, the fastest Apple has ever created. It's a six-core CPU that, according to Apple, includes two performance cores and four high-efficiency cores.

Apple claims the performance cores operate about 25 percent faster than the previous iteration and the high-efficiency cores operate about 70 percent faster than the previous generation.

But here's the thing: When is the last time your iPhone 7 actually lagged or couldn't complete a task because the processor was too slow? It's probably never happened to you because the iPhone 7 is a perfectly capable phone that can run Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and other apps with ease.

You could also make a point about the brand-new cameras. Both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are equipped with new image sensors that, in theory, should give you much better photos at the end of the day.

Ultimately, it boils down to two very insignificant upgrades

But again: When's the last time you looked at a photo taken on an iPhone 7 and thought to yourself that it wasn't quite good enough? Are you hanging your photos in a museum, and if so, shouldn't you be snapping photos with something other than a phone anyway?

Ultimately, it boils down to two very insignificant upgrades. Sure, you get a fancy new processor and better camera system, but those things are simply not worth the $700 starting price of the iPhone 8. They're iterative upgrades that are certainly welcome additions for most users -- but not selling points if you're upgrading from last year's model.

If you have the iPhone 7, your best bet is to step up to the outrageously priced iPhone X, or simply wait until next year. I'll be holding off on any new phone purchases for now because I just cant justify the insane price of the iPhone X.

Topics Apple iPhone

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