Updated February 24, 2023 - The iPhone 8 has been out for over 5 years, but is it still a good buy? With all the improved smartphone technology, you may prefer to buy a newer iPhone model, but the iPhone 8 is still a perfect smartphone in 2023.
Display: iPhone 8 is missing something, or is it?
The iPhone 8 has a 4.7" Retina HD LCD display, which is ultimately a much smaller screen with cradle technology than the 6.1" Super Retina XDR OLED display found on the iPhone 12.
But what does this actually mean: is the iPhone 8 still a good phone despite its older display technology? What does a newer OLED screen really get you?
If you ever compare an OLED and LCD screen side by side, you will notice that colors appear more vibrant on OLED and that dark colors appear darker. And that's right: OLED screens have a higher dynamic range, which means these types of screens actually look more vibrant, thanks to their ability to display a wider range of colors. On later models than the iPhone 8 you'll also find higher resolutions, which just means the screen captures more detail the larger the image is or the more you zoom in.
But if you're not very picky, you might not even notice this difference. Or maybe you prefer the more neutral colors that LCD screens have. In our opinion, the more neutral colors of LCD screens feel a little easier on the eyes. And while LCD may be a slightly older technology, it still results in a very sharp screen, especially when it's more than an inch smaller when measured diagonally.
So yes, the iPhone 8's screen still looks great, and while we think it's still a worthy piece of technology, those who have become more accustomed to the 5K, high-resolution, larger screens you'll find on newer smartphone models may not like the minimal display on the iPhone 8.
