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I’ve just taken delivery of a brand new, straight-out-of-the-factory” iPhone 8 Plus. Here are my initial impressions

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It feels just like the iPhone 6 Plus

Spookily so. Apart from the finish, and the wear and tear that my daily driver has experienced over the past three years, it feels the same.

The updated Touch ID sensor which doesn’t have physical travel felt weird the first few times I used it. Now the old Touch ID sensor feels weird.

Go figure.

Setup is a breeze

Apple has made setting up the new iPhone as easy as possible. Hold your old iPhone next to it and it detects it, transfers over the initial setting such as Wi-Fi passwords, and you’re into the setup process and downloading from the iCloud backup in minutes.

So much packaging

At least it’s mostly cardboard, and there’s no plastic holder for the EarPods, so it’s easy to recycle the trash back into Mother Earth Gaia I guess.

Except for the Apple stickers … I like those.

It’s fast

It’s super-snappy compared to the iPhone 6 Plus. I didn’t expect to see or feel any real difference, but it’s a night-vs-day difference.

The True Tone display initially feels weird

At first I was wondering why the display had an odd pinkish hue compared to my old handset, but I realised that this was the True Tone in action. It’s certainly easier on the eye, but compared to the old screen it initially feels odd.

The back glass panel seems to scratch easy

Within minutes of getting the handset out of the box I noticed it had picked up a couple of scratches on the back. Considering I’ve been handling it on a clean workbench on a cutting mat, this is a little odd. Especially when you consider that it’s about 10 minutes out of the box.

I’m not bothered by such things myself, but you might be.

For now I’ve put it into a case. I’ll test the robustness of the backing glass at a later date.

It’s cheap that Apple didn’t supply a fast charger

The lack of support for fast charging in the box feels like a cheap move from Apple. This is a high-end, big bucks smartphone. Including the old, cheap charger is petty and penny-pinching, and while, yes, it’s something I expect from Apple, it’s a poor user experience.

Yes, iPhone 7 cases fit the new iPhones

I’m using an OtterBox Achiever series case, and it fits perfectly.

Yes, wireless charging works through a case

It works, but I’m not sure how fast it charges, I’ll test that out another time.

I’m not sure fast charging works with third-party accessories

I’ve tried fast charging using third-party chargers and cables, and right now I can’t confirm that it’s working. My advice is to hold off on buying anything right now, unless you’re going for genuine Apple accessories.

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