I am the owner of iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB used everyday since 2017. In recent months I have been getting OS slowdowns due to running out of storage and having a “77%” rated battery which drains fast and charges slow. The lightning port pins were broken out of place so it only accepts wireless charging. Phone also gets overheat on hot days while using car play.

I am a casual user. Little to no 3D/Gaming usage. I use work project management apps. I watch YouTube or listen to music for entertainment. Casual photos maybe 20-40/photos month. Got lots of work photos and screenshots.

I decided it was time to upgrade.

I purchased iPhone 15 Plus 256 GB via Apple store a week prior to pick-up day.

I watched a dozen or so YT reviews and tips videos in preparation to enjoying the new iPhone.

When I went to pick it up, Apple store was a zoo with a line going back side of the building. The Apple Store employees were helpful and fairly timely in the middle of waiting for device swaps updates adaptors is updates etc.

I have observed a few upset customers being impatient, but most customers were in good spirits. I sang songs to myself while waiting for both os update and data transfer.

There were a few snags but everything transferred as intended but some immediate things that I wish would have loaded that I miss:

Here are some key differences between iPhone 8 and iPhone 15 I have experienced:

1: iPhone 8 Plus Keyboard - It feels better to type on than iPhone 15 keyboard. - Minor inconvenience , I’ll get used to it but iPhone 8 feels much better to type on with one hand especially

2. iPhone 8 Plus dictation with waveforms - iPhone 15 Plus does not have waveform dictation - Minor inconvenience, iPhone 15 dictation is nice and loads noticeably faster, I just with iPhone 15 has waveform dictation like on 8.

3. iPhone 8 Plus characters bar, missing on iPhone 15 - ie no more text or emoji recommendations when I type words like happy or sad or spelling katakana ; - Medium inconvenience, but should be able reprogram it later - I hoped keyboard layout was same but it’s not, both keyboards are different and iPhone 8 keyboard is easier to use, I can physically feel the typing distance between letters is larger than 8 plus even though 15 is a slightly slimmer screen

4. iPhone 8 Plus SMS folders did not translate, all my historical Text messages is all in one folder on iPhone 15 and not sorted the way it was on iPhone 8 plus:( - Big inconvenience, but I can reprogram future messages in text folders - this was a HUGE letdown as I have over 20GB of text contents and it takes longer to find specific past messages.

5. No Thumb biometrics button - using gestures on iPhone 15 takes longer than using the home button on iPhone 8 Plus, it takes more effort or switch taskbar and apps on iPhone 15 than it does on iPhone 8; even though 15 has diagonal taskbar the 8 can do much faster.

6. Face ID is more faulty than fingerprint biometrics - it’s much easier to use iPhone 8 Plus in dark settings than iPhone 15, esp with home button. I must have to position the iphone 15 a certain way and look at it to unlock; I find this process much slower than Thumb Home button Biometrics.

7. iPhone 8 plus grips better than 15 plus for single hand use. It’s much more comfortable using iPhone 8Plus with one hand than 15 plus

8. Removing iPhone 8 Plous from case is Much easier than removing iPhone 15 plus from case

9. I enjoy the haptics of ipHone8 plus more than iPhone 15

10. I prefer iPhone 8 Plus notifications experience of iPhone 15 Notifications experience

11. iPhone 8 Plus is noticeably much cooler than iPhone 15 when using YouTube and chrome and Facebook and chess com and Reddit apps casual use

8. iPhone 15 is much more responsive and faster loading than iPhone 8 plus. Including YouTube App, Chrome, Sidari, Chess.com and Reddit app

9. iPhone 15 has much superior battery than 8Plus. Side by side I’ve observed 8Plus (7 years old) drain below 20% is same time it took iPhone 15 Plus (less than week old) to drain below 70%.

10. iPhone 15 has superior low light image quality, but I find image quality to be about the same outdoors daytime when subject about 6ft away. iPhone 15 has noticeable superior image quality when subject is 20 feet away.

11. Apps such as robo killer load logs and data a lot faster on iPhone 15 Plus than it does on iPhone 8 Plus; most other apps feel the same after its loaded

12. iPhone 15 has a ‘taller’ display than iPhone 8 Plus, but in portrait mode iPhone 8 feels better to look at on Chrome

13. Dynamic Island; meh, I’m not finding myself utilizing it really, honestly I’d rather have a 8mm black dot there for the camera than a black bar. I’m looking for option t rmeove dynamic island and make a dot instead

14. iPhone 15 Plus Video is much more beautiful tiful viewing experience than iPhone 8 Plus.

15. iPhone 15 with USB C port was a strong deciding factor in purchasing this upgrade as I already have a bunch of usb c cables and devices. The MagSafe charger is amazing!

Other: I have to reset some passwords for app logins on new device. I have to resubmit my Apple wallet cards.

My experience recap:

I think I would have saved a lot more money nie if I went with a new iPhone 8 Plus 256 gb, but I just bit the bullet and went with iPhone 15 Plus 256gb.

iPhone 8 Plus Pros:

1. Easier to use one hand operation

2. Faster unlocking with thumbprint biometrics

3. Faster typing experience

iPhone 15 Plus pros:

1. Superior Camera

2. USB C port

3. Better charging and battery

This is all based on my experience and my opinion. I am going to keep iPhone 8 plus around.