iPhone 8: Apple announces release date, price and features of most boring phone it has ever made

Apple has launched the iPhone 8, perhaps its most boring iPhone release ever.

That's because it comes as a precursor to the iPhone X – itself Apple's most futuristic ever handset.

Latest iPhone X and iPhone 8 news live – follow all the updates here.

The iPhone looks mostly like the existing iPhone 7, which itself borrowed from the design of the 6 and 6s. But it includes a range of new features, including an improved camera and fast processors.

The iPhone 8 features a 4.7-inch Retina display, but there's also a larger model, the iPhone 8 Plus, which has a 5.5--inch Retina display.

Size isn't the only thing that separates them, however.

Similar to the last generation of iPhones, the regular iPhone 8 features a single camera sensor - a 12-megapixel lens - while the larger model has a dual camera setup - combining a pair of 12-megapixel sensors.

There's a new feature called Portrait Lighting, which lets you change the lighting to make portraits look even better – using special sensors and software – in a way that can be done while taking pictures or after the fact.

The camera has also been specially built for motion tracking and the augmented reality experience.

Both handsets, which are available in silver, space grey and pink-gold colour schemes, have glass on the front and back, and are water- and dust-resistant too.

They also support wireless charging with Qi, so you never have to plug your phone in again.

You can preorder them on 15 September, and they'll begin shipping on 22 September.

The handsets are available with 32GB, 128GB or 256GB of internal storage, and start at $699 and $799.

Click here for all the latest news on the iPhone X. And follow the latest news on Apple’s big announcement here.