Okay. I’ll state right off and confess I’m a diehard Android fan when it comes to mobile devices — always have been and always will be. That said, I feel every phone deserves its day in court, so here we’ll discuss Apple’s iPhone 8 (to hit shelves late Sept. — early Oct., 2017) and the features it offers.

Specs:

• Storage. Thanks to countless internet leaks, we know the iPhone 8 will have two different options for internal memory: 64 GB and 256 GB, while it will also be loaded with 3 GB worth of RAM. The drawback, however, which in my opinion is a serious one — there is no card slot for an external memory chip. So if you’re one to download thousands of songs and hours of videos onto your phone, you may want to spend the extra dough and purchase the 256 GB model.

• Price. I hope you’ve been saving your pennies, ’cause this phone ain’t gonna be cheap. Several concrete reports have been leaked stating that the 64 GB handset will retail at around $880, while the 256 GB model will be upwards of $1,000. Yeah, you read that right — it’s the first Smartphone device to have a list price of a grand. You gotta wonder what Apple was thinking when they agreed to such a number. It will be interesting to see how this effects sales.

• Display. The new iPhone is reported to sport an impressive 5.1 in. super AMOLED (active-matrix light-emitting diode) touchscreen with a 1,242 x 2,800 resolution. Apparently, Apple couldn’t keep up with Samsung’s Galaxy Note series and LG’s larger than life phones, so safely opted in for a slightly smaller handset this year over the previous iPhone 6 Plus’ 5.5 in. display.

• Camera. In my opinion, this is one aspect Apple consistently falls short of its competitors. Unlike Samsung, who has steadily increased the megapixel ability in their phones (the Galaxy Note 8 is reported to have a 30 MP rear camera and a 9 MP front camera), iPhones have been stuck at the low megapixel stage for what seems like forever — this year bumping up to 12 MP. With selfies, memes, and social media pictures not likely to ever go out of style, you would think Apple would craft a higher quality camera to their devices.

• Sound. For the second time in a row, Apple has wisely chosen to remove the headphone jack from its device (sarcasm). At least they haven’t removed stereo speakers from the device . . . yet.

• Colors. The iPhone 8 features five standard colors: Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold, as well as it’s exclusive — and my personal favorite — Rose Gold color. There have been rumors of a Crimson Red color to appear on the European and Asian markets, but such rumors are not yet confirmed.

Okay, so now that we know the basic specs of the new iPhone, let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons.

Pros:

For me, the biggest pro is Apple’s ability to design a sleek, user-friendly phone that isn’t too small, but isn’t obnoxiously big either. From what we can tell via photo and spec leaks, the iPhone 8 should be a nice balance for those with smaller hands, as well as for those who absolutely loath tiny displays.

Another huge pro is that Apple has fitted the iPhone 8 with a more advanced water resistant capability. Reports state that it can perform for up to 30 minutes in 1.5 meters (approx. 5 feet) of water without error.

Cons:

Okay. I have to say it. I must say it! Why in the world did you remove the headphone jack, Apple?! This seems like a surefire way to tank your stock, as well as sales. But when Apple shocked the world with announcing they had killed the headphone jack on the iPhone 7, it didn’t hinder sales to the expected degree.

Apple representatives validated their decision by saying that removing the headphone jack allows for a larger battery; larger batter means longer phone life. However, I’m not totally convinced. People love listening to music, whether in the gym, at work, at home — whenever, really. And while you still have the Bluetooth capability to listen to music (aside from using the stereo speakers), that’s only possible when you buy Apple’s exclusive Bluetooth headphones “Airpods”, which retail at a healthy price of $159. There is a silver lining, however; off-brand Bluetooth headphones are said to be compatible, and even with select brand name headphones like Beats (which is owned by Apple), but you have to purchase a conversion adapter in order to make them work.

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Alternative Options:

Galaxy Note 8:

For Android lovers, the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus debuted mid May of this year, while their “phablet” line, the Galaxy Note 8, is set to be released some time in September. The Note 8 is suspected to retail at around $860. Millions of people likely recall the nightmare Samsung had with it’s previous model: the Galaxy Note 7 and the battery malfunctions that ended in recalling millions of devices. However, three months prior to the Note 8’s release, TV and YouTube commercial ads appeared, which reassure doubtful buyers that Samsung has furthered their safety check process to ensure they manufacture the safest phones possible. I guess only time will tell.

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