iOS 8 allows you to select a third party keyboard to replace Apple’s built-in keyboard. The linked article takes a look at three of these, SwiftKey, Swype, and Fleksy, comparing them to the default iOS 8 keyboard.
Before you adopt one of these alternatives, be sure to read this discussion of third party keyboards and the security risks they bring to the table.
I’m glad that Apple is allowing 3d party keyboards, since they do bring something new to the table. And I’ll be interested in trying them out on my large phone, once it arrives.
But, having said all of that, for the past year I’ve been using dictation for almost everything I write on my phone, and it is much faster than any other options. It also seems to have received a nice upgrade in iOS 8. So I’m less excited about the new keyboards than I would have been at one time.