Is the iPhone 8 still worth buying in 2023?

The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were both released in September 2017 and were manufactured by the tech giant up until 2020. At the time of updating this article in Feb 2023, the iPhone 8 (and later iPhone generations) all still receive the latest iOS updates. In fact, the iPhone 8 received the most recent iOS 16.3.1 update on Feb 13, 2023. However, keep in mind that Apple only supports software updates up to 6 years after the original release of the device, so the iPhone 8 will likely stop receiving updates by 2024.

Now that we have a better sense of how ‘outdated’ this phone actually is, let’s try to find out if the iPhone 8 is still worth it. In our opinion, an iPhone 8 that still works well today is a very worthwhile smartphone for the right user. You’re going to save hundreds of dollars on an iPhone that still has the latest iOS software, offers a minimalistic design and provides a few features that you come to expect from recent iPhone models, like wireless charging and portrait mode. If you’re looking for a simple phone that can make calls, send texts, download apps and give you a fast, smooth on-screen experience, then the iPhone 8 is still worth it in 2023.

That said, if you need to have better features, upgraded cameras for social media, higher resolutions and faster processors, then you’ll probably prefer a later generation like the iPhone XR or iPhone SE (2020). To get a better sense of how the iPhone 8 stacks up in the smartphone market, we’re going to look at the main differences between an iPhone 8 and a more modern iPhone, like the iPhone 12.