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Almost immediately after the announcement of the iPhone 8 ($162 at Amazon) and iPhone 8 Plus ($212 at Amazon), Apple seemingly took the wind of out the sails of the two newest iterations of its ever-popular iPhone. With a new design, a new display and a handful of new features, the iPhone X ($285 at Amazon) casts a large shadow over its regular iPhone linemates.
That said, the iPhone X can’t do it all. Here are three things the iPhone 8 can do that the iPhone X can’t.
iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in photos: More glass, more durable
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Be Gold
One thing you might notice about the new iPhones is the difference in color options. Last year, the iPhone 7 ($190 at eBay) and iPhone 7 Plus ($175 at Amazon) were offered in Black, Jet Black, Silver, Gold and Rose Gold. Apple also released a (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 .
This year, your iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will only come in Silver, Space Gray and Gold. And, much to the chagrin of gold lovers, the iPhone X will only come in Space Gray and Silver.
Unlock with Touch ID
James Martin/CNET
The display of the iPhone X extends from the top of the phone all the way to the bottom edge, leaving only a tiny “nudge” at the top to house all the sensors. This means the home button is no longer present, which also means Touch ID is not available on the iPhone X.
Instead, on the iPhone X, users will unlock their phones and authenticate Apple Wallet purchases using Face ID.
If you’re a fan of Touch ID, however, you’ll be happy to know both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus both still have their home buttons and Touch ID.
Fit into your old case
The size and shape of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 or the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus are similar enough that your old case should still fit.
James Martin/CNET
Despite its larger display, the iPhone X actually has a smaller footprint than the iPhone 8 Plus. And it’s just a hair larger than the iPhone 8. What this means is the iPhone X will not fit into any of your existing iPhone cases (save for a one-size-fits-all pouch).
Meanwhile, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (compare specs here) are close enough in size to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus that they should fit into most cases.
The iPhone 8 is 0.01 inch (0.1 millimeter) taller, wider and thicker than the iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 Plus is 0.01 inch (0.1 millimeter) taller and thicker than the iPhone 7 Plus. While this doesn’t guarantee every case will fit the newer models, these differences should be so minuscule that a large number of cases will be interchangeable between the corresponding iPhone models.
More from Apple’s event
- iPhone X: No home button, OLED screen, wireless charging
- Apple unveils iPhone 8, 8 Plus
- Apple TV 4K: New $179 Apple streamer adds HDR, better gaming
- Apple Watch Series 3 cuts the cord from your iPhone
- Full coverage of Apple’s event
Apple Sept. 12 iPhone event live coverage: Read about everything that happened on CNET’s live blog.
iPhone X in photos
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iPhone X, iPhone 8: Everything we know about Apple’s new iPhones.
See everything announced at the Apple event in under 5 minutes.
