iPhone 8 review roundup: Critics urge consumers not to overlook the iPhone 8 (AAPL)

iPhone 8

A flurry of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus reviews hit the web on Tuesday as the embargo lifted on Apple's latest handsets.

A selection of journalists in Apple's good books were given an iPhone 8 and/or an iPhone 8 Plus to test and play with before they go on sale to the public at the end of the week.

The reviews were overwhelmingly positive — but many publications urged readers to wait for the iPhone X, which goes on sale in November.

Reviewers were impressed with the iPhone 8's A11 chip (Apple's most powerful chip to date), as well as the new augmented reality features and the increased storage capacity. But some complained that the iPhone 8 is basically just a slightly more powerful iPhone 7.

Here's a roundup of what some media outlets are saying:

The Wall Street Journal's Geoffrey Fowler — 'NOT THE UPGRADE YOU'RE LOOKING FOR'

The bottom line: "The iPhone 8 reminds me of the fifth Transformers movie — you know it’s new, though you can’t for the life of you figure out how it’s different. On its face, the 8 looks like an iPhone from 2014."

Read the full review here [paywall].

The Verge's Nilay Patel — 'THE DEFAULT OPTION'

The bottom line: "A lot of people are going to buy an iPhone 8 — it’s the phone to get if you’re on an upgrade plan, your older phone breaks or finally gets too slow, or you just need a new phone right now. It’s Apple’s new default phone, and it’s pretty great that a default phone is actually this good. But it’s not the future, and it’s not the cutting edge. It’s just the default. It’s an iPhone."

Read the full review here.

CNET's Scott Stein — 'THE BEST IPHONE YOU CAN BUY - UNTIL NOV 3'

The bottom line: "The iPhone 8 Plus is a superlative phone with a spectacular camera, but wait for the upcoming iPhone X before buying: it promises to fold all of the key features of the 8 Plus into a smaller, sexier package."

Read the full review here.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider