Overview

The iPhone 8 Plus (2017) runs Apple's A11 Bionic and ships with a 6.5–6.7" OLED/LCD (generation dependent). We see this model regularly at LML Repair — not because it's a bad phone, but because used and refurbished units still show up for screen, battery, and charging work.

This review is written from a repair shop perspective: what breaks, what it costs to fix, how easy the chassis is to work on, and whether we'd recommend buying or keeping one today.

Repairability score: 7/10

We rate repairability on how often we can fix a device without surprise labor, parts drama, or software lockouts. The iPhone 8 Plus scores 7 out of 10.

• Older chassis designs are generally faster to open and reseal in the shop.
• We stock or can source parts for most models still in daily use in Seattle.

Parts availability: Limited — screens, batteries, and charging assemblies are harder to find OEM-quality parts.

Common failures we see in the shop

• Battery degradation
• Charging port wear
• Home button / Touch ID failures

If you're troubleshooting, start with battery health and charging behavior before assuming a board-level fault — especially on 2017+ models where iOS battery reporting is more aggressive.

Who should buy (or keep) this phone?

Good fit if you want a balanced iPhone and you're okay budgeting for screen or battery service every few years.

Think twice if you drop phones often and hate repair bills — even standard models aren't cheap to fix with high-quality parts.

Repair services for this model

We publish live repair pricing and turnaround for the iPhone 8 Plus on our repair page:

→ iPhone 8 Plus repair pricing & services

For DIY-minded owners, check our repair guides when available.

Typical repair costs we quote in Seattle

Screen and battery work are the bread and butter on the iPhone 8 Plus. Exact pricing changes with parts quality (OEM vs aftermarket) and current stock — we publish live numbers on our repair page rather than guessing here. Rule of thumb from our bench:

• Screen damage is the most common ticket; Pro-tier glass and OLED assemblies cost more than older LCD models.
• Battery replacements are routine once health drops below ~80% or the phone shuts off under load.
• Charging port / flex issues often look like a bad battery — we diagnose before quoting board work.

If you're buying used, ask for repair receipts. A cheap screen job can mean non-genuine parts, missing True Tone, or swelling batteries down the road.

Long-term ownership

Released in 2017, the iPhone 8 Plus is mostly used/refurb inventory or hand-me-downs today. A11 Bionic handles modern iOS for everyday tasks; the question is whether repair economics still make sense vs upgrading.

Parts availability (limited): Expect longer lead times or refurbished-only parts for some repairs.

Buying used? Check this first

1. Battery health in Settings → Battery (or ask for a screenshot).
2. Face ID / Touch ID works after a hard reset — not just at sale time.
3. Display — pink/green lines, touch dead zones, or lifting glass mean a prior bad repair.
4. Compare our repair quote for the failure you're worried about before you negotiate price.

Bottom line

The iPhone 8 Plus is a decent choice in 2026 — especially if you bought it for the A11 Bionic performance and Apple ecosystem. From our bench, the deciding factor isn't the spec sheet; it's total cost of ownership including repairs. Plan for a battery by year 2020–2021 on most units we see, and treat the display like the expensive component it is.