Why You Should Buy the iPhone X Instead of the iPhone 8

I don’t see any reason why anyone would get an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus instead of just waiting for the X. Let me explain.

Features

First up, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are upgrades to the iPhone in very much the same way that most new iPhones are–incremental and with just enough features to try and entice you to ditch your current iPhone for the latest one.

And they are definitely upgrades to the the existing iPhone lineup. Qi wireless charging is great, the camera is bumped up in performance not by new cameras but by the new processor that can create better images using software, the processor itself is snappier, there’s a 25% boost in speaker volume, battery life is better, and a few other minor things as well.

So, my same recommendation of if you have the last generation–in this case the iPhone 7–it’s probably not worth upgrading to the 8 and if you’re 2 generations or more behind–like the iPhone 6S or 6–it might be. But there is something different this year–I can’t recommend either option.

With all the other phone manufacturers pushing the design of their phones drastically over the last few years, Apple hasn’t changed that much. Next to these other devices on the market, it’s starting to look a little sort of dated.

Now, of course, it’s an iPhone and not those other phones, which most likely means, if you’re looking to get a new phone and have an iPhone, you could care less about the other phones because they aren’t iPhones. The iPhone for you is simply competing against other iPhones so the choice is pretty easy because there’s only one option each year because Apple made one new one depending on the size you like basically. Except that this year, it isn’t.

With the X, Apple has decided to finally push their design (potentially from pressure from seeing other manufacturers and worried iPhone users might question why Apple hasn’t updated their design?).

They’ve taken all the same improvements found in the new 8 Plus, but gone bezel-less, removed TouchID and added in new hardware to do what they are promoting as better facial unlocking instead (which I’ll be testing when it comes out, of course), added front-facing portrait mode, an OLED display with a higher pixel density and better colors, HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, dual optical stabilization on the cameras, and Animojis the new animated emojis that we all know will absolutely be everywhere as soon as that phone releases.

But it’s $1000!

I hear you already, more features but it’s $1000, David. About that…

I was walking down the street recently, and I overheard a mother talking with her child about the new iPhones. The mom said something about wait is that the new iPhone that costs $1000? There’s no way we’re getting that. To which the kid replied, no it’s the iPhone 8 Plus, it’s the cheaper one. Which, immediately calmed her down, for some reason.

It took a lot to not turn around and jump into this conversation like the nerd that I am. Does she not realize that the “cheaper” iPhone he was referring to was also $800? Or that there is a good chance, since most people are using way too much storage on their iPhones, that if she got him any of the iPhone Plus models in the higher capacity before these new ones it was already pushing pretty close that $1000 mark. Of course not, because, here in the States at least, your average person won’t ever buy their phone at the retail price.

Instead it used to be subsidized by our contracts with our carrier and is now, just a separate payment plan from the carrier instead (more on why that was a bad idea in another video maybe) But we never see that retail cost at all because all we see is sign here, keep service long enough or use this payment plan, and it’s yours for this small amount per month (often with 0% interest and just taxes up front so long as you are on a postpaid plan and keep service).

So what matters to most people here is; are you eligible for an upgrade or to swap your current phone out for a new one, and if so, what does it cost per month.

And the price difference between the 8, 8 Plus, and X? Well, let’s use AT&T for an example, but all the major carriers will be similar. The iPhone 8 is being advertised for about $24/month on a 30 month agreement, the iPhone 8 Plus is about $27 for the same term, and the X? It’s $34/month. So that cheaper iPhone 8 Plus is only cheaper by $6/month.

But I don’t live in the States…

So other people I’ve talked to say, well the two other models are cheaper for overseas buyers. OK, maybe. So I asked you guys on YouTube what the last phone was you bought, what country you were in, and how much you paid for it and was overwhelmed by the participation, firstly (THANK YOU GUYS!). But then I took the over 350 comments, put them in a spreadsheet and started to analyze the data.

Turns out, what I expected was being shown in the data. The iPhone’s most popular markets are the US, China, Europe, and Japan all places that the carriers subsidize or have at least payment plans for their phones. Outside of those markets with that ability, it’s a lot less popular, or at least the latest model when it comes out is.

The average cost per phone outside of the major markets in my poll was $491 which puts you at an iPhone 6S if buying brand new–not any of the newer models at all. And also, keep in mind this poll is obviously not that scientific because of the sample size and that the people watching my nerdy channel (thank you by the way, guys) are more techie–they like phones–and are more likely to pay more for them if they can than your average person.

So by that, for the majority of people outside the major markets, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are just as unlikely to be bought as the iPhone X (at least brand new).

Conclusion

So if you’re in a major market that subsidizes the phone the price difference is sort of negligible and if you’re outside of those markets none of these phones are a terribly viable option so again who is the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus for?

If you were already thinking about buying an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, why wouldn’t you spend the tiny bit extra on your payment plan to get the one that has the drastically updated design, extra features, bigger battery, larger screen than the 8 Plus in a much smaller form factor, etc. etc.

I can only think of one reason for getting the iPhone 8 or 8 Plus vs the X. If you really don’t want to give up TouchID.

Let me know what you guys think in the comments below, truly curious if you have reasons why you’d choose the 8 instead of the X (keep it professional, guys). Thanks for reading/watching and subscribe to my newsletter to be notified when I do the next one.