Apple is back at it again with the new iPhones. What? iPhones? Plural? Yes, the multinational technology company released the highly anticipated iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and the iPhone X on its 10 anniversary, Oct. 12.  Preceding the release of the smartphones, rumours saying the next iPhone would have an edge-to-edge OLED screen, a three-dimensional-scanning camera, and a thousand dollar price tag were spread, according to New York Daily News. These rumours all turned out to be true, but only for the iPhone X. So what has changed for the iPhone 8?

iPhone 8 was released on a $699 starting price, according to Apple. It still lacks an earphone jack but comes with wireless charging.

“[The missing earphone jack] is what kept me from upgrading to the iPhone 7,” Mackenzie Bailey, senior, said.

Overall, the main difference lies in its new glass back, gold color and camera effects. Although the the glass back allows wireless charging, many critics, according to the New York Times jumped on the fact that it is now like the iPhone 5: it is easier to break and the broken fragments could be harmful. Additionally, if the phone cracked, the back and front would be visibly damaged. Some students who are constantly on the move and use their phones often for social media are not a fan of it either.

“I really don’t like the glass back because I drop my phone a lot,” Bailey said. “And the iPhone was already really fragile.”

On the other hand, some high schoolers enjoy the different feel.

“The new phone is really pretty. The glass back makes it seem really classy,” Emily Craddock, senior, said.

The camera is almost the same as the iPhone 7 Plus’s camera: they both wield dual, wide-angle lens and 12 megapixels. However, the iPhone 8 contains a new camera lens called portrait lens. It allows multiple modes: stage light, stage mono light, contour light, studio light and natural light. When the lens work properly, the photos come out looking beautiful.

“They kind of look like senior pictures,” Bailey said. However, the lens work only under very specific conditions. The lens only worked on only one of the 10 photos taken with the new effects.

   “I really like the camera and the new effects, but I personally would wait a little longer for another phone,” Craddock, senior, said.

In general, the iPhone 8’s new camera effects and glass back are exciting, yet it does not amount to the $200 difference between the iPhone 7.