iPhone speaker quality really bad

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Level 1

13 points

iPhone speaker quality really bad

I'm listening a lot to podcasts (politics /history etc). BBC, NPR and other good stations. Using ear plugs is necessary sometimes, but I really like to use the built in speaker.

PROBLEM: the audio quality of the built in speaker of the iPhone is REALLY BAD. Last week I compared it with the iPhone4. It is just as bad.

The speaker audio quality of Apples iPhones is embarassing. There are several phones that costs 1/5th of the iPhones with far better speaker audio quality.

I played a high quality voice recording (from the BBC) in the iPhone and then together with friends compared it with my 5 year old Nokia ( 6120 Classic ) and some other phones. 100% very quickly confirmed my own finding: the iPhone speaker sound c**p. I had 4 different phones + the iPhone 3Gs. 3 Nokias and 1 Sony Ericsson Everyone thought iPhone sounded worse of all.

Doesn't Apple speak about "quality"? Audio quality matters but what comes out of the iPhone doesn't have anything at all to do with quality.

I don't know what the excuse Apple has for this truly bad speaker sound?

Other smaller phones have considerably better / fuller / richer sound. There are even phones with stereo speakers. That are not bigger or bulkier than an iPhone.

I work ín media/television. It's really nice to use a smart phone to play a short video to clients / colleagues etc. Then you can't use ear plugs. You use the built in speaker.

Why is the iPhone speaker sound of such very low quality?
Why isn't this discussed? This is more important than the look of the iPhone.

Eric

Message was edited by: EricSummer

iPhone 3Gs, iOS 4

Posted on Aug 6, 2010 10:59 AM

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Answer 1

EricSummer Author

Level 1

13 points

Aug 6, 2010 11:31 AM in response to Tamara

Anyone interested in good audio quality cannot possibly think the iPhone speaker quality is ok.

Unfortunately I think you are correct to some extent: many people think it is OK or don't think at all. My feeling is that a small scratch on their iPhone is a lot more serious than really crappy audio quality.

But... why is a 5-6 year old Nokia costing a fraction of an iPhone sounding *a lot* better?

If an iPhone is supposed to represent the ultimate in smart phone quality, why does its speaker sound crap?

If most people think the sound is fine (when many other and cheaper phones sound a lot better)does this also mean that the same people also cannot judge the image quality of stills and video?

Today streaming audio is a major thing. The app store has many many good streaming apps for audio. Today a smart phone can be used as a radio. For talk, for smooth background music etc.

Was at the beach today. Listened to the BBC and VOA News. Girlfrind wanted to listen. I unplugged the ear plugs. "Turn up the sound!". "Can't hear!". I then took the 6120 Nokia, 5-6 years old. Downloaded the same podcasts. It worked.

Question: Why did a Nokia 6120 Classic 5-6 years old work better than an iPhone here?

Answer: Because the Nokia speaker sounded a lot better and could be turned up a lot louder.

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Answer 2

EricSummer Author

Level 1

13 points

Aug 6, 2010 12:06 PM in response to Tamara

Dear Tamara,

I've been working professionally with audio for many years... Load a frequency test / sweep into the iPhone and the Nokia 6120. Put the phone in a studio. Measure the result with a pro microphone and pro equipment. Nokia 6120 performs MUCH better.

A 5 year old cheap phone performs objectively a lot better than a new iPhone. Not a matter of personal taste etc at all. Just measure.

You say the reason that the Nokia sounds better because its screen is smaller is incorrect. The speaker is actually located right below the screen and the smaller screen size of the NOkia doesn't have anything at all to do with this.

I think the real reason the iPhone sounds c * is that Apple simply hasn't paid any attention to audio quality. So many other and smaller phones have proven that it is indeed possible to produce better audio quality out of these little toys.

It is sad that the iPhones speaker sounds so bad, becasue the audio player / iTunes is a good invention and beeing limited to ear plugs all the time is limiting.

If the audio quality was better, the iPhone music / audio streaming capability could be enjoyed by several people in a room. Like you can with some of the Nokias and other phones.

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Answer 3

EricSummer Author

Level 1

13 points

Aug 6, 2010 12:43 PM in response to Tamara

Indeed I'd prefer to listen to the Nokia speaker instead of the iPhone speaker. But a 5 year old Nokia cannot be compared with a modern smart phone Tamara... I was only comparing the sound quality of the built in speaker, nothing else.

For people in general, well I think that stereo sound and better sound quality would indeed make this phone much more useful. Who would object to better speaker peformance? No one.

Talking about the iPhone and its speaker I think nobody could deny this is well below what can be regarded as "good" sound.

Try to imagine if the video quality and build quality of the iPhone was on the same level as the speaker audio quality...

Pls make iPhone5 sound better!

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Answer 4

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

Aug 6, 2010 11:05 AM in response to EricSummer

It's probably not discussed because most people think it sounds fine. Personally, I don't think any cell phone speaker regardless of brand sounds good for anything beyond voice.

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Answer 5

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

Aug 6, 2010 11:52 AM in response to EricSummer

I've always thought that Nokias sound like garbage which again is a personal opinion but that could also be Nokia marketed to the US.

Your old Nokia probably has a bigger speaker inside it since there is more available space since it has a significantly smaller screen.

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Answer 6

Tamara

Level 6

13,744 points

Aug 6, 2010 12:25 PM in response to EricSummer

Sounds like you're not happy and would prefer to use a Nokia instead.

For my needs and the needs of most people, the iPhone sounds just fine.

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