FASHION / TECH

The essential info on the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus—and the much-anticipated iPhone X.

By Noreen Flanagan

Date September 12, 2017

The seven things a stylish woman needs to know about the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus—and the much-anticipated iPhone X. (Bonus! The cellular-enabled Apple Watch Series 3.) 

Every September, Apple holds an event to launch its latest 

#musthave #alliwantforchristmas 

lineup of products. This year’s gathering was held at the newly 

opened (and stunningly beautiful) Steve Jobs Theatre in Apple Park.Shattered the glass on your phone? #beenthere. The new iPhone 8 & iPhone 8 Plus smartphones are made from aluminum and glass, which is described as “the most durable glass, ever.”Do you need a professional portrait, but you don’t have the money to hire a professional? The Portrait mode setting—which blurs the background—has a new feature called Portrait Lighting. With this setting, you can choose five different lightning effects across your face. (Wind machine not included.)

1. Do you prefer AR to IRL? For the tech-inclined, the new phones have “gyroscopes and accelerometers, a A11 Bionic chip and 60fps graphics.” For the non-tech inclined, this means you can have augmented reality experiences—like virtual change rooms—on your phone.
2. Are you constantly forgetting and/or misplacing your charging cords?#alsobeenthere. These new phones can be charged directly on Qi-enabled mats from Belkin or mophie. (In 2018, Apple will release its own AirPower wireless charging accessory, so you can charge your phone, Apple Watch Series 3 (more on that below) and your AirPods on one station.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are available in space grey, silver and a new all-gold finish with 64GB and 256GB capacity. Starting at $929. You can order from Apple.com/ca, Apple Stores and authorized resellers starting September 15, with availability starting September 22.

It’s been 10 years since Apple launched its first smartphone. The iPhone X (pronounced 10) has the same features described above, plus some significant differences:

5. No “home button” Say, what???? Yep, it’s gone. Now you get an all-glass 5.8-inch display. (The home button took up a lot of real estate, or as Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer says: “[The] iPhone X marks a new era for iPhone—one in which the device disappears into the experience.” To get home now, you simply swipe up from the bottom of the phone.
6. How do you unlock it? Digital metrics are so yesterday. With the iPhone X you look (lovingly) at the screen and it recognizes you. (Even if you’re having a bad hair day and even in the dark.) It’s call Face ID and it’s pretty cool. It only unlocks when you look at it directly and is smart enough not to be fooled by photos or masks.
7. Animated emojis for iMessage app. Seriously. The True Depth camera captures and analyses more than 50 of your facial muscle movements and then animates those expressions with different “Animojis” from a panda, unicorn, alien, rabbit, chicken, fox and the always-popular “poo” emoticon.
   
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8. Want to seriously up your selfie game ? Two big developments here. With the iPhone X you can use the Portrait mode setting for selfiies. Plus, you can use the Portrait Lighting feature, which replicates five different kinds of studio lighting.

 The iPhone X is available in silver and space grey in 64GB and 256GB starting at $1,319 fromApple.com/ca, Apple Stores and authorized resellers. can be pre-ordered on October 27 and they ship beginning November 3.

BONUS:

The Apple Watch Series 3

APPLE WATCH SERIES 3

It’s cellular! You’re not tethered to your phone anymore because the Series 3 is cellular! This means you can make and/or receive phone calls or text wherever you are. (A slightly less expensive version offers GPS only.)

1. Take the stairs. A new barometric altimeter measures changes in elevation.
2. You’ll never run out of music. Apple Music users can access 40 million songs from their wrist. #mindblowing.
3. Siri talks via a built-in speaker.
4. Heart to heart… A new app tracks your heart rate while you’re resting, working out or walking. You can also be notified when your heart rate is up even though you’re not moving. (ie. you’re having a pulse-pounding shopping spree at Outnet.)

The Apple Watch Series 3 comes in silver, space grey and now gold aluminum. The GPS + Cellular watch starts at $519. The GPS-only version is $429. You can be pre-ordered on September 15 and they start shipping on September 22.