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iPhone 7 Plus Phone Call Sound Quality

So we just got 2 new iPhone 7 Plus' and I am noticing that the incoming call audio quality on both sounds strange. I have the Apple leather case on the phone and incoming audio sounds distant. Like it is coming from behind the phone or something. It almost sounds like the phone is on speaker phone but it isn't. Turning the volume down helps a bit but it seems off. Previous I had an iPhone 6 so I don't know how this compares to the 6 Plus.

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Sep 16, 2016 11:36 AM

Top-ranking reply

eXactMat

Level 1

8 points

Posted on Mar 2, 2017 5:26 AM

The iPhone 7 (Photo credit: John Taggart/Bloomberg)

With the launch of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, Intel finally made its way into Apple's most important product. Good news for Intel, no doubt, but not for consumers.

Tests of LTE connectivity, released on Thursday by Cellular Insights, show a huge performance gap between the iPhone 7 equipped with an Intel modem and a Qualcomm modem. The difference in performance is a black eye not only for Intel, but also for Apple, which for the past five years had relied on Qualcomm exclusively for its iPhone modem chips. With the iPhone 7, Apple decided to make two versions -- one with an Intel modem and one with a Qualcomm modem. (Neither Intel nor Apple have commented on the performance gap so far.)

For consumers, the downside of owning an Intel version is significant. The tests revealed that Qualcomm-powered iPhone 7s are able to consistently establish stronger connections to LTE networks than Intel-powered iPhone 7s. Qualcomm modems outran Intel modems by 30% in overall performance, and 75% when the signal was at its weakest.

Since writing a story about these modem benchmarks, readers have asked FORBES -- directly and via Twitter -- how to make sure they're buying the better iPhone 7 with a Qualcomm modem. If you want to get the best bang for your buck, you probably should be careful which iPhone 7 you end up buying.

Here are some ways you can make sure you're not buying the inferior iPhone 7.

Model number

As this Apple spec page shows, Apple created two distinct versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to segment out devices with an Intel modem or a Qualcomm modem.

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By checking the model number on the back of the iPhone 7, you will be able to tell:

Model A1660 and Model A1661 means they have a Qualcomm modem.
Model A1778 and Model A1784 are equipped with an Intel modem.

Carriers

If you're a United States-based customer buying from a carrier, the best way to make sure which iPhone 7 you're getting is:

Verizon and Sprint sell the Qualcomm-powered iPhone.
AT&T and T-Mobile sell the Intel-equipped iPhone.

The Apple spec page indicates that the Intel-powered

A1778 and A1784 phones won't support CDMA (or code division multiple access), a cellular technology used on some LTE networks. That means an Intel-powered iPhone 7 simply won't work on CDMA networks, such as Verizon's and Sprint's.

Qualcomm's modem works on all the four big carrier networks in the US. And o

verall, Qualcomm's modem supports a much wider variety of cellular technology than Intel. Qualcomm hardware supports GSM/CDMA/WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/LTE, while Intel's only support GSM/WCDMA/LTE. That means that in addition to improved connectivity performance with a Qualcomm modem, Qualcomm can work on more networks.

Apple also sells unlocked versions of the iPhone 7 and iPhones 7 Plus that

come with a Qualcomm modem.

The relationship between modem makers and carriers is a close one. Supporting various cellular technologies is extraordinarily complex. Each carrier has their own unique network demands and features. Qualcomm has been in this game a lot longer than Intel, and as a result, it has a lot more to offer the consumer, according to experts.

“Building modems for today’s cellphones is an extremely daunting task,” said Sundeep Rangan, an engineering professor at New York University who specializes in wireless technologies. “It has to support a dizzying array of features and get the chips down to a form factor and low power performance.”

Follow me on Twitter @aatilley or send me an email: atilley@forbes.com

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504 replies

Sep 24, 2016 5:06 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

I have the same issue with my brand new regular iPhone 7. What should I do? Wait for Apple update (maybe iOS needs some bugfixes) or it's technical issue and I should return it? Mhm...

@edit

obviously tried everything from this topic and nothing helped.

bee_easy

Level 1

4 points

Sep 24, 2016 11:23 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

I Have notice the same problem with my iPhone 7. It's even worst with the provided earphones

namitche

Level 1

18 points

Sep 26, 2016 7:51 AM in response to Marketsync

I'm having the same issue with my iphone 7 plus. Twice I was on calls and the called told me it was bad. One told me to hang up and call back with a landline. @ Marketsync did you trade yours in at the ATT store. Ipurchased mine online but thinking of goign to att store but don't know if they'll have any plus's to exchange it for?

Sep 26, 2016 8:41 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

i have an iphone 7 plus from Tmo and same thing call quality is very poor. i am consistently getting a "what..?" on the other end when talking to someone! with the phones on backorder, it's hard to get a replacement....

Sep 26, 2016 10:16 AM in response to namitche

I bought my AT&T phone 7 plus from the Apple Store Online using the AT&T next upgrade program. I originally got the Iphone plus, but I returned it and got the regular iPhone 7 256. They did the trade at the Apple Store. I was surprised they had the regular ones in stock. I imagine if I wanted to trade it in for another plus, I would have to wait.

osc707

Level 1

4 points

Sep 27, 2016 10:26 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

My wife is having this issue as well with her iPhone 7+. At first we thought it was the phone case, we removed it, still no change. Then we tried the article in Support regarding sounds, ringer, bluetooth, and no change. We are on Verizon and she had the iPhone 6 before and there was no issue, only now.

So is the solution to go to Apple and get a replacement? Or our carrier (Verizon)?

Antomik

Level 1

4 points

Sep 27, 2016 11:46 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

I have the same problem.

We just bought iPhone 7 and first thing we notice is bad call quality.

We have iPhone 6 and we compare it with 7.

While 6 have clean quality during voice call 7 have noticeable difference - it is hollow, less clean, distorted.

Since I am from Russia and there is no Verizon or AT&T - problems seems to be related to the phone itself.

also IPhone 6 and 7 are on the same operator, so it is definitely iPhone 7 problem.

Have already ordered a replacement, will see in 2-3 weeks if replacement will be any better.

Thanks

Sat_B

Level 1

4 points

Sep 28, 2016 10:26 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

Same issue here with my 7 plus. Spoke to a tech who run through some checks to see off if the mic was being obstructed, then rebooted the phone. No joy, so have a genius appointment next week. Have been told to back up my data and take back the phone, box, cables etc, as it may have to be replaced. Bummer!

dh121212

Level 1

4 points

Sep 29, 2016 11:21 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

Yes, absolutely, same issue here.

Sep 29, 2016 8:16 PM in response to Steven Fisher1

I have the same problem poor sound quality with my iPhone7 256. The sound is going up and down and when I am on a phone call people are complaining. I noticed even when I play a video the sound went real loud by itself

I took it to a sprint store and they cleaned a three day old phone and said it was fine Then, I took it to the Genius Bar and they said there was nothing wrong with it. The Apple Store blamed the Sprint network.

Apple is ordering me another one I purchased it through Sprint but I'm having trouble contacting them.

I may just go back to my iPhone 6s Apple said that I can't if I accept the second phone. I really don't know what to do with the quality is very poor

Sep 29, 2016 8:49 PM in response to Steven Fisher1

yesterday I bought iphone 7.The audio of incoming call is very low and I need to talk only with speaker .any suggestions pl//

Seppeldu

Level 1

4 points

Sep 29, 2016 11:24 PM in response to Steven Fisher1

I Have the same issue with my iphone 7. Sound quality during calls is very poor. Also the microfon seems to have problems cause the person on the other side can barely hear me. Going to the apple store today

Sarez72

Level 1

4 points

Sep 29, 2016 11:52 PM in response to Steven Fisher1

I Have this issue as well with iPhone 7+. exactly as described in this post. Took to Genius Bar but it was very loud in get store so hard for them to assess. They are going to replace my phone when stock available. I'm in Australia so i don't think this is likely to be an issue with certain carriers.

Sep 30, 2016 12:16 AM in response to Sarez72

yesterday I bought iphone 7.The audio of incoming call is very low and I need to talk only with speaker .any suggestions pl//

JOeg6791

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2016 4:38 AM in response to Steven Fisher1

I got the 7+ a few days ago and noticed that when speaking to someone, I could barely hear them. When I pulled the phone away from my ear, it was actually pretty loud so it was almost as if the ear speaker was turned the wring way and was maybe facing the back of the phone. I restored the phone, called apple and verizon and then returned it for a new one, which has the same issue. When I talk to people, they can hear me perfectly, but I can't hear them very well unless I'm using speaker or the earbuds. I hope it's not a hardware issue.

iPhone 7 Plus Phone Call Sound Quality