iPhone 8

If you’re wondering whether your car’s wireless phone charger will work with this year’s iPhones, an Apple support document has the answer. It lists 14 brands whose chargers will work with the iPhone 8.

Although Apple doesn’t yet list the iPhone X, the same chargers should work, though there are a couple of provisos to note with both the iPhone 8 Plus and four of the car brands …

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Purchase data from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) suggests that the iPhone 8 is selling in smaller numbers than an ‘S’ model.

The company says that the iPhone 8/Plus accounted for just 16% of all iPhone sales in the past quarter, against 24% for the iPhone 6S/Plus …

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The $64,000 question of the moment seems to be: How well (or badly) is the iPhone 8 selling?

We’ve been hearing conflicting answers. A KGI report stated that the iPhone 8 Plus, at least, was selling better than expected. Foxconn financials also seemed to support that idea.

But there have been more negative reports than positive ones. AT&T said that it had seen almost 1M fewer upgrades this year. A carrier store survey suggested more people were buying last year’s iPhone 7 than the iPhone 8. A major Canadian carrier said iPhone 8 sales have been anemic. And a supply chain source claims that Apple has ordered its iPhone 8 suppliers to cut production in half.

I tend to side with those who think the iPhone 8 is selling poorly. But far from considering that bad news, I think it’s a clear indication that iPhone X sales are going to be far better than expected …

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A supply-chain source in Taiwan claims that Apple has reduced orders for both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus by around 50% for November and December.

AAPL stock dropped by 1.5% in pre-market trading in response, and was done 2.37% by the end of the day …

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Supply chain sources report that yield rates for iPhone X components have improved – including the 3D camera modules that were said to be limiting production volumes, initially very severely.

They go on to make a questionable claim that supply will have caught up with demand before the holidays …

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Surveys of sales through carrier stores suggest that last year’s iPhone 7/Plus is outselling the new iPhone 8/Plus in the U.S. and UK. The claim is made by KeyBanc Capital Markets analyst John Vinh in a client note.

iPhone 8 sales will be limited by those waiting instead for the iPhone X, but KeyBanc says that two other factors are at play …

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Apple’s Lightning Dock is a handy iPhone accessory in a post headphone jack world. The Lightning Dock, which incorporates its own 3.5mm port, is designed to allow you to charge your iPhone and listen to music via headphones simultaneously.

The latest-generation Lightning Dock is a not a new product, but the new gold color option is. Supplanting the previous yellow gold and rose gold colors, the updated metallic hue is specifically matched against the refined gold color of the iPhone 8. Watch our brief hands-on video to see how the new color looks.
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AT&T recently revealed some of its Q3 data, and the carrier says it saw 900,000 fewer smartphone upgrades compared to the year ago quarter. A recent Bloomberg piece suggests that the AT&T drop in year-over-year smartphone sales could be a sign that the iPhone 8 isn’t doing so hot.

If the iPhone 8 had been a hit out of the gate, then I would have expected AT&T’s upgrade number might at least have fallen less dramatically.

It does mention that AT&T’s Q3 only included about a week of iPhone 8 sales which isn’t enough to make a judgment, and that the data includes all smartphones, not just iPhones (although it’s amazing to think about one smartphone model being able to influence an entire quarter of carrier sales in one week).

While there are many factors at play, if iPhone 8 sales are lower than Apple anticipated, could Apple also have underestimated how many consumers are waiting to purchase the iPhone X?

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iPhone assembler Foxconn has reported revenues of NT$451.04B (US$14.83B) for September, up 42.4% on the previous month, but down 3.7% year-on-year.

What’s interesting about this is what it appears to indicate about iPhone 8 sales …

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With the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, for the very first time, Apple’s flagship smartphones now supports Qi wireless charging. Apple sells a couple of Qi chargers in its store, including Belkin’s Boost Up Wireless Charging Pad, and Mophie’s Wireless Charging Base, but we also purchased several cheaper Qi-certified chargers from Amazon to compare.

Which wireless charger might be right for you? Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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With the release of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple made some changes to the methods used to force restart its flagship device. These changes come just a year after Apple made similar changes to the iPhone 7 — the first iOS device to don a solid state Home button.

These changes not only affect force restarts, but also alter the process for entering recovery-mode and DFU mode. Have a look at our brief video walkthrough inside for a look at the changes in action.
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KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo is today out with a new investor note in which he further analyzes the iPhone X supply chain and production struggles. Kuo also looks ahead to 2018, noting of when Apple will hit full production of the iPhone X as well as what’s in store for the 2018 iPhone…

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On its release date, Apple’s iPhone 8 Plus took the the top spot in DxOMark’s rankings for best smartphone camera. Now, the results are in for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus has to share its short-lived title.

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Update: Separate tests by software engineer Dan Loewenherz show that a 10w charger is the sweet-spot if you’re looking to balance charging time against cost and portability. 

The iPhone 8 and the upcoming iPhone X both support fast charging via Apple’s 29W USB-C adapter and USB-C to Lightning Cable. Apple says that by using fast charging, your iPhone can charge up to 50% in as little as 30 minutes.

Unfortunately, the official first party charging accessories — its 29W USB-C Power Adapter ($49), and its 1-meter USB-C to Lightning Cable ($25) — cost nearly $75 combined. That’s a lot of money to spend on a fast charging solution, especially for one that isn’t exceedingly faster than Apple’s own 12W adapter + a regular USB to Lightning cable.

The good news is that earlier this week Apple noted that third-party power adapters that meet the proper USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) spec would work as well. That means that acceptable third-party power adapters, like Anker’s 30W PowerPort or Aukey’s 29W Amp Duo USB Wall Charger can save you money. In fact, you can buy two of these adapters for less than the price of a single Apple 29W USB-C Power Adapter.

But how do these third-party chargers really stack up to Apple’s own solution? Is it worth going-third party to save $25 or so? The answer, after many hours of testing, is yes. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for more details.
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With more and more people relying on their smartphone as both their camera and camcorder, the performance of the cameras is ever more important. A video shootout between the iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 found a number of interesting differences between them.

The test found that there were areas where Samsung has an edge, but overall it’s clear that the iPhone emerged the winner …

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Apple today has shared a new advertisement for the iPhone 8 Plus touting the new Portrait Lighting feature. The video was uploaded to Apple’s YouTube channel and comes in at 38 seconds, showcasing the various new effects that Portrait Lighting offers.

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A Taiwanese iPhone 8 Plus owner has claimed that her device split open while being charged with the supplied cable and plug adapter. She posted photos which show damage consistent with a swollen battery.

A Japanese owner has posted similar photos of his device, which he says arrived in this state …

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