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Apple iPhone 8 Plus Review – Still a King?

Published on February 1, 2021March 8, 2021

We are pretty sure everyone knows by now that the iPhone 8 Plus was a most sought after device from Apple back in 2017 and we can tell you that for the most part, this device was such an interesting phone at that time because it kind of signified the end and the beginning of a new generation. It was a huge leap forward for Apple and the upgrades were well received by the consumers. Apple went on to release the iPhone X in 2018 but the iPhone 8 still to this day has been a fan favourite. Let’s discuss why everyone loves it and if a refurbished iPhone 8 Plus is worth buying in 2021.

Price of a Refurbished iPhone 8

Price is one of the most important factors when thinking about buying a phone so, let’s get this out of the way. Apple doesn’t sell a new iPhone 8 nowadays but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to buy one in good condition. You can easily buy a refurbished iPhone 8 and for those of you who might be wondering if you should go for a refurbished device then yes, you should definitely consider going for a refurbished phone as they offer better value and work just like a new phone.

You can buy an iPhone 8 Plus 64gb from Phonebot for $499 AUD. It offers great value and considering all the features, it surely is a bargain at this price. The 256gb variant might cost you a bit more.

Display

Starting off with the front, the iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, it’s a Retina IPS LCD display and the resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels with a PPI (Pixel Per Inch) of 326. It goes all the way up to 625 nits of brightness, which in our opinion is enough for day to day and outdoor usage. The screen is bright and the colour accuracy is excellent, Apple has done a phenomenal job with the display and the form factor is perfect even for people with small hands. Even according to 2021 standards, the screen is great for daily use. It also has IP67 water/dust certification and oleophobic coating on the front which makes it resistant to water and dust. It also has an Ion Strengthened glass which may protect the screen from cracking when accidentally dropped.

Overall, the screen is excellent especially for those who consume a lot of media or play games on their phones.

Camera

We have a dual-camera setup on the back, the iPhone 8 Plus has a 12MP wide and a 12MP telephoto lens. The base model of the 8 series, has a single camera on the back. In our testing, the cameras were able to take stunning shots effortlessly. On the iPhone 8 Plus you have optical image stabilization which is great and you have the ability to shoot 4k in 60FPS. iPhone 8 Plus’s camera is able to let in more light, making for better shots in low light and sharper images overall. Both low light and daylight shots have excellent colour contrast and details.

In our experience, you don’t need to tweak the setting too much to get a great shot. All you need to do is point and shoot, the phone will be the rest. The ability to shoot videos in 4k at 60FPS is impressive and we know some other phones also had this feature but Apple has perfected it, the videos are sharp, vibrant and smooth.

Software and Memory

It was launched with the iOS 11 but the iPhone 8 Plus can be upgraded to the latest iOS 14 so, you can enjoy all the latest features from Apple. This makes the phone future-proof and secure. Latest software updates are always welcome and thanks to the iOS 14, the phone feels smoother and snappier than ever.

The iPhone 8 Plus has 3gb of ram which is plenty for multitasking and thanks to Apple’s optimization, everything is smooth. The more the ram you have, the more applications you can have open and multitask. In our extensive testing, the iPhone 8 proved to be an excellent performer in all of our tests and we highly recommend it.

Performance

The iPhone 8 Plus is powered by Apple’s A11 Bionic processor and Apple has done a great job with the hardware and software optimization. It can handle any task you throw at it and is perfect for those who are looking for a phone on a budget. Even gaming performance is good, the iPhone 8 is able to run every game smoothly. You may not be able to run every game at the highest possible setting but that’s expected, it performed exceptionally well and marginally better than we expected.

Apple’s mobile chipsets have always performed better than the Android counterparts and this is the case here, the A11 Bionic processor still performs like a champ.

Battery

The iPhone 8 Plus has a smaller battery than the 7 Plus, with a capacity of 2691mAh. The battery life of a device is good and can easily last you a day if you are careful with it. It can be charged up to 50% in 30 mins with the 15W charger. It also supports Qi wireless charging so, any Qi certified wireless charger can charge it wirelessly which in our opinion is excellent.

Connectivity

It has Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band and Bluetooth v5.0 with A2DP, which means good connectivity support in terms of browsing and you can easily share your data with friends and family.

Conclusion

A refurbished iPhone 8 will be the best option in terms of durability, battery, performance, and display. If you are looking for a phone in 2021, a refurbished iPhone 8 Plus should definitely be in your list. If you’re on a tight budget, go for a 64gb variant as it may cost less than the higher capacity ones. So, we hope this was helpful and made your decision regarding a refurbished iPhone 8 easier.

What to look for when buying a computer for programming

Published on September 18, 2019

Technology

The common problem that plagues the mind of any programmers or aspiring developer is always the issue of what computer to get in other to be able to dispense coding optimally.

But thank goodness we now live in an age that has turned the world into a global village, thereby making it easy for us to sit in the comfort of our homes and order a computer from anywhere in the world.

But then, another issue presents itself, even though the world is now a global village, there is the problem of credibility, security, and over-saturation of information.

So how then can we order for a computer from a reliable source? And secondly, what should we be on the lookout for when buying a computer for coding?

For the first question, look no further, for inside-tech is not only a reliable source but also a one-stop e-commerce store all your computer needs. And for the latter, read on to gain some insights.

Display

For most programmers, this is not an issue, unless you are involved in very heavy graphics or video editing, then you might be inclined to go for something with a 4k display which is as of now the best form of monitor out there, followed by ultra-HD, and LCD.

Generally speaking, any display should be fine for coding, but you want to bear in mind that if you decide to go for the LCD display, make sure you go for the one with an In-plane Switching (IPS).

What this basically does is to enable you to see all the images and figures on your screen even when viewed from an angle, because a traditional LCD does become blurred or disfigured when viewed from an angle.

Screen Size

The size of your screen boils down to your personal preference. Some people have eye problems and would rather work on a big screen, but if you don’t mind working on a small screen then, by all means, go for it.

But from a programmers point of view and from personal experience, the bigger the better, one because you will be able to distinctly see all your coding plus whenever there is an error, and you are evaluating your program for a bug or two, you most definitely will appreciate a big screen as it will be easy to spot your errors and fix them.

Graphics

As a programmer, graphic isn’t a big deal at all except maybe you have other hobbies like gaming in which you will have to go for a very strong rendering graphics card that can support heavy gaming environment.

But if the sole purpose of your computer is coding, then don’t pay much attention to getting an advanced graphic-card. A standard graphic processing unit (GPU) will do.

Mobility

Depending on whether you are cut out for sitting down for long hours or you are the one who likes to change positions very often and more so if you intend to travel a lot and code from different parts of the world.

Then you know you will probably have to go for a laptop for easy mobility. There are uncountable laptops out there that are very suitable for programming. The only downside though, is that it comes with a moderately higher price tag when compared with their desktop counterparts.

Processing Speed

This is something you might want to pay attention to. Now depending on the programming language, the size of the program you intend to write and the number of programs you intend to execute (run). You might need a processor with a lot of processing power anywhere from two cores to 8 cores.

The advantage of having a processing unit with a higher speed and a lot of cores is that sometimes you might be writing or developing two or three different programs at the same time and the final stage might involve the fusion of all three separate programs to form one holistic unit.

It trickles down to what you intend to do. There are different coding languages out there and various applications as well. Do your homework and know what language you will be specializing in, and what applications you want to be writing!

Ram

Random-access memory (RAM) is basically responsible for the speed at which applications are accessed on your computer. So yes, you should consider getting a computer with not too high a ram and not too low a ram.

You should aim for 8 gigabytes of ram and above. Any below 8 for the ram size, will not be palatable—not that you cannot work with that—but you might have glitches from time to time. And I don’t need to tell you how irritating that can be for a programmer.

Storage

Most modern computers now come with a solid-state drive (SSD), which as the name implies, is a solid device and does not have any moving part embedded in it. Which unlike its predecessor—hard disk drive (HDD) that came with a spinning disk inside the storage unit by which data was stored.

Now the advantage of having a solid-state drive is that data and application are stored efficiently and rapidly because there are no moving parts within it, thereby increasing the average runtime speed. Not just that, an SSD makes for easy access and opening of programs, folders, or information that is stored on it.

Battery

This part is not really important if you live in an already developed nation with uninterrupted power supply. But if some reason you live in a country without a constant supply of power, then you either want to go for a UPS station that gives you ample time to conclude whatever it is you are doing on the system and shut down.

Or better still just go for a laptop that has long battery life.

Like we talked about earlier on, If you are someone who lives in a developed nation, and knows that you have an affinity for traveling or camping. Then the best bet will be to go for a laptop that is equipped with long-lasting battery life.

Brand

Nothing can be made to perfection without costing too much money, and because of that singular reason is why we have things like warranty, so that in the event that a component or system application breaks down, there is always some form of insurance to cover it.

So you might want to do a little research and look for brands that not only offer an extended warranty but also has aftermarket OEM parts and components—so that you can either upgrade or repair if your warranty expires.

But you should know that if you opt for a notebook, there wouldn’t be much you can do to upgrade aside from changing ram and SSD.

Finally

The last but not the least–-Operating system—! This has always been an issue of contention amongst programmers. There is always the argument of which operating system one should opt for in terms of Windows, Linux, Mac, and Chrome.

The answer to this is very simple. It depends on the code you are writing. If you specialize in dot.net code, which is a platform on which Microsoft operates, then, by all means, use a windows operating system. The same thing applies to other operating systems.

How to properly clean the iPad screen without any damage

Published on March 4, 2019

Technology

iPad is one of the precious and the most applauded electronic devices in the market. Though the iPad has a certain loyal customer-base, still its popularity is thriving hurriedly due to its smart look, exclusive features, and functions. If you are one of those iPad users, you need to use it very carefully so that it doesn’t get damaged easily. Though Apple claims that iPad screens are oil and fingerprint resistant, still they are not utterly smudge-proof. This means that your iPad screen can get engrossed by dust and grimes. But there are many ways which will help you to clean your iPad or iPhone screen properly without damaging your device.

If your screen is not cleaned after taking all the necessary steps, the best way is to take it to a service for an expert iPad screen fix. Now, let’s take a look at how can you clean your display properly.

But before that, you should know what to avoid while cleaning your iPad screen.

Don’t use any type of spray: Apple’s support also claims that don’t use any kind of sprays like aerosol sprays, solvents, or abrasives while cleaning the screen of your iPad.
Don’t leave your device plugged in: While cleaning your device make sure that no power cables are attached to your iPad. This point is also highlighted by Apple’s support for the safety of your device.
Avoid paper towels, towels, hand towel, or other abrasive cloths: You should avoid all types of household cleaners while cleaning your iPad’s screen. Apple doesn’t encourage its users to use any towel, paper towel or other abrasive materials to clean their iPad’s display. Because according to them, these materials can cause severe damage to your iPad.

Now, we are going to describe how effectively can you clean your iPad screen without causing any damage.

Unplugged your device: Before cleaning make sure that your device is unplugged properly.
Turn on sleep mode: Turn on sleep mode or switch off your device completely before cleaning it.
Use soft cloth: Always try to use a soft cloth which is completely lint and chemical free. You can use a similar kind of cloth that you used to clean your eyeglasses.
Follow small circular motion: Don’t give too much pressure while cleaning your iPad screen. Rather use a small circular motion while cleaning the screen of your iPad.
Can use dampen or wet cloth: If required, you can use a dampen (slightly wet with water) cloth to clean the screen. While you are using a dampened cloth to clean, always take some extra care and precautions. Because you don’t risk moisture to enter into your device and destroy your iPad. Many sources claim that a tiny amount of water is good while cleaning the screen, while others recommend using various cleaner solutions. But don’t directly apply any spray to the display of your iPad rather you can put a small volume of spray in the cloth and then, follow circular motion to clean the screen.
Not use damp cloth in the perimeter: It would be a prudent decision for you if you don’t use a damp cloth along the perimeter of your iPad. Use only a dry, soft, lint and chemical free cloth to clean the perimeter or edges of your favourite iPad.

These are some tips which will help you to clean your iPad properly. These fruitful tips will make your device free from dust and grime and will also add a sheen to your gadget. These days, the markets are thronged with several types of cases which will keep your iPad safe from all the dust, grime, and moisture. If your iPad’s screen is still vague, then contact the nearest service centre.