#aaronpatelzick

Why the iPhone 8 Plus over the iPhone X?

I debated on this for a while but there are a couple reasons why I recently bought the iPhone 8 Plus over the iPhone X. Let me explain.  

First, I feel that the iPhone X is a test run to see what Apple will be able to accomplish without a home button. I think that it’s inevitable for Apple to remove the home button from all it’s mobile hardware lineup. The future from a UX perspective will be to interact with the device through gestures. I feel that #gestures are a more human-centered design feature and it’s the way of the future.

However, I think Apple has a long ways to go before they can accomplish this feat. A great example is without the home button, how do you force quit applications. From time to time, you have to be able to force quit applications. A great example is when flying a drone. If you lose connection to your drone, force quitting the app can be a useful tactic in regaining connectivity. 

There is a product review by @caseyneistat where he dealt with this exact issue (you can check that out here 👉🏼 https://youtu.be/-7dTzc8kTOY?t=2m).

Second, I'm not a big fan of the notch at the top of the screen, and I think that Apple will address this design feature in future iterations of the device. If I’m going to benefit from all screen then I don’t want to be looking at the black bar at the top of the phone. For me, it’s visually disruptive, and I am not a huge fan.

Third, despite the fact that the screen size is the same on both the 8 plus and the X, I enjoy the physical size of the iPhone 8 plus. I wasn’t sure if I wanted a physically smaller device. Would the phone fit in my hand the same as the plus? Would I lose interactivity with the screen because my hand is slightly touching the edge of the phone? IDK, but these were questions that I couldn’t help but to consider. 

Fourth, there are very few hardware difference between the 8 plus and the X. I didn’t feel that I was missing out on a lot by not buying the X. The only thing that I would really benefit from on the X is the portrait flash, which isn't a deal breaker for me. 

Conclusion

These are the reasons why I chose the iPhone 8 over the X. I really like the 8 plus, and while it isn’t considered the cool thing right now, it’s a great piece of hardware, and I can’t wait to use it more in the field.

I hope that I can get my hands on an X at some point and play with it. It would be a lot of fun to be involved in a tech review.