Power Tips: iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X
If you’re planning on getting a new iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X this coming Christmas, you better make sure you maximize the heck out of it because it will cost you a lot of hard earned cash. These new iPhones have specific new features that set it apart from previous generations. You need to be aware of these so that you can plan against it in order to maximize your investment.
That said here are our top Power User tips.
Power Tip 1: Fast Charging is Grossly Underrated
Fast charge your iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, or iPhone X to 50% in just 30 minutes.
This feature, by far, is the most underrated “upgrade” for this new line of iPhones. Fast charging for an iPhone is simply a God send and a must have for power users. Being able to quickly top up in the middle of the day to 50% in just less than half an hour is a big boost.
Here’s the bad news. You need a special USB charger and cable. Apple didn’t include these in the box so you’ll have to buy them separately. If you happen to own a 2016 or later edition of the MacBook Pro though with the USB-C charger, you’re in luck. You can use that power brick to fast charge your new iPhone. All you need to do is to buy a USB-C to Lightning cable and you’re good to go. To double check if your USB charger is compatible, check the wattage. It should be either 87W or 61W.
How do you know it’s fast charging? Unfortunately there’s no special icon for it. You’ll just notice how fast the % goes up in a short amount of time.
Power Tip 2: Get the Right Wireless Charger
Three things you need to know about Wireless Charging for your iPhone.
First, the iPhone doesn’t come with a wireless charger in the box. You will not to buy one and there are several available already from Digital Walker, Beyond the Box, Widget City, and Kimstore. You don’t need to feel ripped off because other Android flagships that have wireless charging don’t come with those charging plates as well.
Second, wireless charging will always be slower than wired charging, especially for the iPhone. Apple’s flagship phones can only max out for wireless charging at 7.5W (maximum of Qi is 15W).
Last, but definitely not the least, you need to make sure that your charger has 7.5W-10W charging speed. Most wireless chargers are only at 5W. Once iOS 11.2 rolls in your new iPhones can max out at 7.5W.
Power Tip 3: How to Maximize Taking Portrait Photos
If you bought the iPhone 8 Plus or the iPhone X you will be able to take Portrait Mode shots. These are the pictures with the creamy blurred background most commonly known as “bokeh”. The iPhone X has the same feature on the front-facing camera (the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus only have it on the primary rear camera).
We shot a quick video guide on how to take good Portrait shots when we first reviewed the iPhone 7 Plus. The tips still hold true today so you might want to watch it in full in the embedded video below.
Power Tip 4: Use Protection
Apple claims that the new iPhones have the most durable glass but it’s not as tough as they would have you believe. These iPhones are breakable. There are tons of drop and durability tests published on other sites or YouTube. What’s worse is that the repair costs for a broken iPhone X is ridiculously higher compared to previous models.
So yeah, get it a case. You paid a ton of cash for it so better make sure it doesn’t break easily.
Power Tip 5: Maximize Live Photos Like a Pro
If you love taking photos with your iPhone, you should take time to learn Live Photos. This new update shipped with iOS 11 so even if you have an older iPhone, you should be able to do this.
First, you can now add three effects:
- Loop replays the action in the shot over and over
- Bounce plays the video forward then backward
- Long exposure blurs anything moving within the frame like a DSLR camera
Second, you can now edit your Live Photos. You can now now enhance, crop, add filters, trim, and mute them. Plus, Apple gives you the option to pick your own “key photo” as the main image.
Reminiscing of awesome memories you captured is better if they’re not just stills.
And that’s it! Hope you guys learned something new from this post. Enjoy your new iPhone!
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are already available via Smart Postpaid.
Unbox Non-Stop Giveaway: Smart Prepaid LTE Home WiFi (COMPLETED)
