With the launch of the new iPhone SE 2 Apple has understandably retired its oldest handsets still on sale – the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
The 2017 models had remained available as Apple’s most affordable iPhones until today, but were immediately discontinued when Apple announced the 2020 iPhone SE.
It’s hardly a surprise. The iPhone SE 2020 offers an identical design to the iPhone 8, but with the innards of an iPhone 11 – including the A13 processor – and an updated camera array.
At $449, the iPhone 8 is also more expensive than the $399 Apple is selling the new iPhone SE at ($399).
Related: iPhone SE 2 vs iPhone 8 – should you upgrade
However, the iPhone 8’s journey to the glue factory does leave a bit of a hole for those who would have purchased the larger iPhone 8 Plus, which benefitted from a dual camera array the SE does not have. Those buyers will probably look to the iPhone XR from now to get their fix of larger-screened, more affordable devices.
Overall, the iPhone 8 was probably the most unloved and unappreciated of all iPhone releases in history. Launched alongside the iPhone X in 2017, it was practically an afterthought, with all the attention on the loss of the home button and addition of the Face ID sensor array and dreaded notch on the X.
It arrived a month or two before the iPhone X arrived, and it seems that sales of the device were particularly sluggish as a result. It wasn’t difficult to see why. The design of the iPhone 8 stayed in line with the previous year’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus and was very much an ‘s’ release without the naming convention.
It did add a glass back and was the first iPhone to offer wireless charging and a new gold colour, but overall there was nothing to write home about. Anyway, so long, iPhone 8. We’re not really that bothered that you’re gone.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
