Speakerphone (loudness, clarity)

Speakerphone (loudness, clarity) - Google Pixel 3 XL Real Life Review

Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Google Pixel 3 XL's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

Speakers are horrible at low volume. Anything below 50% is muffled. When they are turned up they sound amazing.

Compared to my HTC U11 I replaced with the Pixel 3 XL, they sound terrible, the bass is non-existent and the clarity is terrible. They do get loud though, wish Google made them sound a little bit better.

I was just doing some testing/comparing with what I came from (Moto E4 Plus), and the XL blows it out of the water. I tested some music, and YouTube videos. So much louder, crisper, clearer, and has full body bass. The other thread about the vibration being so bad I can't agree with either. Yes I have some vibration, but at full volume on both phones, the XL has about doubled the vibration of the Moto, but it isn't a deal breaker. It's nothing I would complain about considering how much the sound is more like a home theater for me compared to the Moto.

Speakers are muffled, but louder then my Pixel 2 XL.

My top speaker is muffled and only about 10% of the total sound. Almost like there is hardly any sound coming out of the top speaker

dontbeweakvato said:
My top speaker is muffled and only about 10% of the total sound. Almost like there is hardly any sound coming out of the top speaker
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's by design from Google. There's a bunch of articles on it, and I think even in some threads here. The top speaker is to compliment the bottom, not to be equal.

Makes sense. I do think I remember hearing something about that

The speakers are not that impressive, especially at low volume. Sound is muffled and there is distortion or white noise when watching YouTube reviewers like JerryRigEverything or LinusTechTips.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using XDA Labs

I am not to impressed with the audio volume on speaker phone as well. At least compared to my Galaxy S8+ that I would rate as "ok" . I would rate the Pixel 3XL as "poor" for a speaker phone. I wanted to love the Pixel after almost a week of use I am returning it back to Google today. It was hard to justify spending $950 on a phone and trading in a S8+ that is just about better at everything for what I use than the Pixel. Screen brightness in the sun was another issue I had against the Pixel.

My speakers sound good. I watched JerryRigEverything and I eventually did hear the distortion but I had the volume so low that I had to put it up to my ear and couldn't watch the video. I've played songs and at different volumes I don't hear any distortion.

I have the 3xl, and find the speakers at full volume sound better with the screen face down. I suspect the vibration of the phone backside makes full volume clarity worse on a hard surface.

I just got my Pixel 3 XL.
I also have the speaker problems.
First:
Watching YouTube Videos with Music or voices.
Absolutely not clear, it is distorted.
It is the bottom speaker.
Then I called Google service.
During call (I used normal phone function with top speaker) I could hear some sounds. Not very loud but frequently repeating. Something like vibration or a "cricket". Not easy to describe. Especially when the volume of conversation is not so high.
Now Google wants me to do some other solution possibilities and if it's still not working then I shall contact my provider/dealer.
I guess finally they wanna exchange the devices.
The wording sounded that they already know very good about that issue.

My notifications sounds are really wierd and there's distortion when I listening to podcasts ... That's was the deal breaker for me . I can't justify spending 1.5k on a phone with really bad speakers and hoping for a update. Sadly I was loving this phone besides of that issue.

can anyone report if the December update improved the speakers when listening to media?. Distortion might've been addressed in this update.

Marsh10 said:
can anyone report if the December update improved the speakers when listening to media?. Distortion might've been addressed in this update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far, since installing the update I haven't had any at all. Some people on other threads are reporting the same. While some say there are still certain (really specific) use cases and frequencies where they are experiencing the buzzing/distortion.
I personally had muffled sound issues at low volumes, which for me is totally gone so far. It is crisp and clear now.

tyea said:
I have the 3xl, and find the speakers at full volume sound better with the screen face down. I suspect the vibration of the phone backside makes full volume clarity worse on a hard surface.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same way about the phone's backside vibrating at high volumes, I also noticed that it can be affected by a case that has a little bit of play like mine does.

I came from a Samsung S7 and feel like it had a better quality sound specially, after a mixer path mod. Also had a scenario the other day when I made a phone call and it sounded like someone else was there like when you use a land line and someelse in your house trys to make a phone call not knowing you where using the phone. Also 2 different people told me they couldn't hear me but when I call them back they hear me fine.

Wow okay. Nice speaker. My phone have mx player and it's really nice too.

Related

Speakers not loud enough?

I noticed that the sound coming from two front facing speakers are tiny, even at 60-70% range of the volume slider.
I have to crank it up further, like 2-3 clicks away from the max volume and all of sudden it sounds much louder but still, even at max volume I wouldn't consider it impressively loud considering that my previous phone (LG V10) was equally loud and it's not even stereo front facing speakers.
Also, I can't quite shake off the feeling that the center of the screen appears more yellowish than the bottom portion of the screen. Is this normal or did I get a crap unit?

dzlove98 said:
I noticed that the sound coming from two front facing speakers are tiny, even at 60-70% range of the volume slider.
I have to crank it up further, like 2-3 clicks away from the max volume and all of sudden it sounds much louder but still, even at max volume I wouldn't consider it impressively loud considering that my previous phone (LG V10) was equally loud and it's not even stereo front facing speakers.
Also, I can't quite shake off the feeling that the center of the screen appears more yellowish than the bottom portion of the screen. Is this normal or did I get a crap unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've kind of noticed the same issues with the speaker. That is until I installed ARISE Genesis which has the made sound a lot louder and improved the quality. I however have not noticed any of the screen issues.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Loud speaker pretty loud, but not crystal clear.

I just got my G4 Play yesterday, and noticed right off that the loud speaker gets pretty loud, but the sound is not the best. I'm coming from a G3, and to me the G4 sounds distorted, and even a bit of a tin can sound when at max. Is this normal, or do I have a bad speaker? The G3 could go max, and be crystal clear with rich sound.

I may have to retract my statement. I decided to fire up the 3. I took about a half hour comparing the two. Playing music, videos, games, etc. I've got to say the 4 was louder, and much crisper, than the 3. I have no idea why I thought the 4 was worse. It's not. The 3 actually sounds low, and kind of muffled. Anyway that my findings if anyone cares.
Sent from my Moto G Play

With a lot of discussion on the positives and negatives on this phone, I figured I would give my personal review after spending a day with the phone compared to my XL 1. I will first address what a lot of people are griping about. I used this phone as my personal and business line, so they both get heavy use all day. I will update this thread as I spend more time with the phone.
Screen- In a nutshell, the colors are not as vivid as the original XL because the have the SRGB turned on with no way for us to turn off. I think Google will address in a future update since enough reviews/people complain about it. Regardless, I run both phones with adaptive brightness off and set at about 25%. At that level I actually prefer the XL2 screen over my original XL. Its actually brighter despite the colors being more natural. I lay my phone lay on my work desk and viewing the XL2 and XL the XL2 does have a slight blue tint. Its honestly not a big deal to me at all. I can still read everything just fine and its nice to know i can see the screen outdoors with sunglasses easier. I can not comment on the burn in as I have only had it for 1 day, but what I can confirm is that my original XL does have burn in. I honestly never noticed it until people started complaining about the XL2 getting burn-in so quickly. Dont know if that will be a long term issue or how bad the ghosted nav bar will show in other applications.
Sound- Since I had both phone side by side I played the same song at the same time on both laying flat on my work surface. I placed both at about 75% volume. The XL2 is much louder and brighter. The mids and highs are much more pronounced on the XL2. The original XL did seem to have more bass but was really lacking in the mid and highs. Since its a phone, I prefer the XL2 for music and conference calls by far. If I want full sound I will connect to bluetooth and listen on a real speaker. The speaker phone works really well for me as I am on conference calls hours each day.
!!Cellular Signal!!- So this is a big topic for me as its my primary phone. I can say that for me on Verizon the XL2 has a much better signal strength. Sitting in the exact same location I have sometimes twice as much signal as my original XL. My original XL had to switch over to WiFi calling quite frequently and the XL2 has not switched over once. I am very happy so far with this. The real test will be later this week where I always had dead spots while driving. Will update.
Battery- I think we all agree the XL2 has an advantage over the XL. The XL2 still needs a few days to break in, but it drains a lot slower than the original XL.
Performance- The XL2 is MUCH faster in all around daily use. Scrolling on websites, loading apps, fingerprint reader, etc. Its all much faster on the XL2. I thought my original XL was fluid and snappy, but the XL2 is really nice.
Feel- Although I have seen the XL2 can scratch with sharp objects easier, I will say that it feels better in hand that the original XL. It has a textured back that is much easier to grip and hold on to.
Headphones- Have yet to test against original XL if there is even a difference.
Weird stuff-- I do not heard the clicking and high pitches sound a few people reported about.
Negative- I personally dont like how the screen curves and the metal/plastic has a lip between the screen and edge of the phone. I feel like it will collect a lot of pocket lint/junk if you dont have a case. I never use a case.
Let me know if there is anything else people care about that you want me to comment on.

@iceman4357 nice review. I am like you, this is going to be my primary phone. Would like your take on call quality from both sides. Especially if the people on the other end can hear you clearly. Thanks

Extra Virgin said:
@iceman4357 nice review. I am like you, this is going to be my primary phone. Would like your take on call quality from both sides. Especially if the people on the other end can hear you clearly. Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you with certainty the headpiece is a lot louder on the XL2. I had to turn down the volume a few times on calls. I spoke with my father for about 30 minutes and he said I sounded a little louder than my previous phone. He is on ATT and I am Verizon. HD voice was turned on.

So far I have spoke with about 5 people today that have confirmed I sound better on speaker and standard phone. Most people say that I dont even sound like I am on speaker.

Update-- Signal strength is definitely better on the XL2. Every Thursday/Friday I drive through dead zones where my original XL would drop call or cut out completely. The XL2 never dropped a call and never cut out.

Thank you for your nice review. Really looking forward to get mine on november 15th.
But still a bit afraid because of that ****ty display ..

Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Google Pixel 4a 5G's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

"The Pixel 4a 5G’s audio quality leaves a lot to be desired, though. With the top speaker clocking in at a maximum volume of 78dB and the bottom firing-speakers maxing out at 94dB, the phone has a boxy and unbalanced soundstage. Like most phones, bass is pretty much nonexistent, while mids are muddled at higher volumes." https://uk.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/129327/google-pixel-4a-5g
"While the Pixel 5 hides the ear speaker at the top of the display, the Pixel 4a 5G has a grille in the bezel, like the smaller Pixel 4a, which lets the sound out. That, combined with the main loud speaker on the bottom of the phone, makes for a much better audio experience than the more expensive Pixel 5. Calls sound better, the stereo effect is better, and the experience when watching video or playing games is better. It's a better solution overall, and that plays to this phone's positioning with a larger display for those more interested in watching video or gaming. " https://www.pocket-lint.com/phones/reviews/google/154245-google-pixel-4a-5g-review.amphtml

Returned my Pixel 5 due to the top speaker under the screen quality and now have the 4a 5g on order.

I got my 4a 5G yesterday and I really like the speakersound. Clear and loud enough. Lack of Bass, but thats physical. I like it...

Sounds good to me. But always willing to try any kind of better EQ setting if someone has anything good

I kept the 4a 5G and returned the 5 because of the top earpiece/speaker. The 5's sounded tiny and cheap which was annoying. The sound on the 4a 5G is ok.

At first, I thought that the speakers on my Pixel 4a with 5g were having issues. until I rralized that I still have the original plastic film on top of the top speaker and vibration was making the sound weird. that was until I removed the film on the top of the top speaker, and then... it was beautiful ;P