Related
To be fair to all those considering Note, after all praising (I still do think it's best phone in the world right now), there are definitely drawbacks.
Here is one for example:
The regular phone speaker above the screen (not the loud one on the back) is not pointing sound into one direction. You can even speak on the phone with back side of Galaxy Note put to you ear, you will still be able to hear everything clearly, even on low volume.
On top volume, it is comparable to speaker phone on some other phones, so if you pick up a phone while surrounded by other people (unless you are in very loud place) they will hear the other person.
While in the office, I noticed myself turning volume down a lot when I pick up the phone.
I dont have this kind of problem , my old Nokia phone does.
Sure someone can hear some of the content near the phone you are talking in a dead silent arwa, it's inevitable.
I feel Gnote already perform quite well compare to the other phones, like HTCs in this area
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
to be honest id rather it was loud and have the ability to turn the volume down than it be too quiet and unable to turn the volume up
as my mum used to say,if its cold its better to have a coat and be able to take it off if you get hot than be cold and need a coat and not have one
Richy99 said:
to be honest id rather it was loud and have the ability to turn the volume down than it be too quiet and unable to turn the volume up
as my mum used to say,if its cold its better to have a coat and be able to take it off if you get hot than be cold and need a coat and not have one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a question of whether badly working phone is better than no phone. It's a question of best phone being of high quality. In this case its potential privacy concern.
I switched from iPhones, where it was not an issue. If you put it tight to your ear in silent room, none else hears the person on the other end. Even on loud.
Like I've said above, on Note in silent room regular speaker (not the loud speaker) is comparable to loud speaker on some other phones. You can hear through the phone! Test yourself, make a call with screen side out, battery cover side to your ear, you might be surprised, that it's practically no difference what side you hold it to the ear, even on lowest in-call volume you can still comfortably speak with wrong side of the phone touching your ear.
I have not tried other Notes than mine, but I seriously doubt that it is one time occurrence, seems to me like an engineering issue, not enough sound insulation behind the speaker, just few thin layers of plastic.
If it is such a privacy concern, why not use a bluetooth headset or earbuds? Why not leave the room instead of taking the call in the room?
I mean there are more options that just sitting there letting everyone else hear your conversation if you feel that you have something to hide. But then again, your talking so they naturally are going to hear at least 1 part of the conversation no matter what. So I fail to see how you can really be concerned with privacy when they hear everything you say anyways, right?
If you were that worried about privacy you would send texts, emails or use an IM program to send messages so that no one knew what was being said or talked about. But since you are willing to sit in the room and let them listen to what at least you are saying, then you are not overly concerned with them at least hearing part of the conversation.
When I get a call that I dont want anyone else to hear I either leave the room, put on my earbuds or tell the person I will call them back when I can talk. So really it isnt about privacy concerns at all, it is just an inconvience for you to know that the speaker is loud. Louder than you are used to at least.
Fuuny that you mention this because i never thought i'll use those bt headsets until i own the Note. Each time i put it in my ear, my worry is not the volume but the number of heads turning towards me and the the sheepish grin that follows.
--- --- --- ---
A damn proud Galaxy Note owner.
Maybe try turn down the volume and using a case.
I wonder how those HTC phones perform because they all have ear speakers that are wide across the width of the phone itself.
eksasol said:
Maybe try turn down the volume and using a case.
I wonder how those HTC phones perform because they all have ear speakers that are wide across the width of the phone itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol..the speaker grill on HTC phone what we call it, is just a gimmick. If we see inside, the speaker none the less is only small portion on the middle side
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
Astrum said:
While in the office, I noticed myself turning volume down a lot when I pick up the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a really good point. Something else to improve in the Note2 along with moving power button!
Sent from my Amiga GT-N7000 using XDA Premium.
Anyone else use their shoulder to hold their phone while on a call? People say they can't hear me and I'm cutting out. This really sucks because I'm usually using both hands when talking on the phone.
That's crazy that you mention that. I've been having the exact same thing happen on my Nexus 6.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I'd assume if you're not holding the phone a certain way, noise cancellation thinks your voice is a background voice and blocks you out. If you're at home or in quieter environments, turning off noise cancellation to fix this shouldn't be much of a problem.
mosincredible said:
I'd assume if you're not holding the phone a certain way, noise cancellation thinks your voice is a background voice and blocks you out. If you're at home or in quieter environments, turning off noise cancellation to fix this shouldn't be much of a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a setting for this?
640k said:
There's a setting for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell if I know. I've been pending for like 18 days. I just know on my current phone, noise cancellation is very aggressive and gets in the way sometimes. Does the 6P have a setting for noise cancellation?
motox502 said:
Anyone else use their shoulder to hold their phone while on a call? People say they can't hear me and I'm cutting out. This really sucks because I'm usually using both hands when talking on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Headphones? Or perhaps Bluetooth ear piece?
Sent from a phone that is not a 128GB Frost Nexus 6P
Or speakerphone?
Sent from my LG-v410 using Tapatalk
I vaguely remember having this issue with my N6. It might be related to how stock Android does noise cancellation. I made the switch to a wired headset. So much easier/consistent.
Antenna is up in that glass near the camera. If you grab that part with your hand signal will drop. I imagine if it's pressed your shoulder same thing will happen. Not sure if that is the cause of the issue just something I noticed
motox502 said:
Anyone else use their shoulder to hold their phone while on a call? People say they can't hear me and I'm cutting out. This really sucks because I'm usually using both hands when talking on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Othoric said:
That's crazy that you mention that. I've been having the exact same thing happen on my Nexus 6.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
daewond3r said:
I vaguely remember having this issue with my N6. It might be related to how stock Android does noise cancellation. I made the switch to a wired headset. So much easier/consistent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My nexus 6 has the same problem. Haven't been able to find a fix. Was hoping it wouldn't be an issue on 6p
Othoric said:
That's crazy that you mention that. I've been having the exact same thing happen on my Nexus 6.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the problem with the Nexus 6 but haven't experienced the issue with my 6P.
daewond3r said:
I vaguely remember having this issue with my N6. It might be related to how stock Android does noise cancellation. I made the switch to a wired headset. So much easier/consistent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Noise cancellation is not a feature of Android, it's part of the electronics of the phone itself.
The 6P probalby uses Qualcomm's Fluence noise cancellation, which is built into Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets. Other phones have a separate chip for noise cancellation, like in the Nexus One, which used the Audience chip (now called Earsmart)--Audience is much superior to Fluence, but people are using it less and less (probably to avoid licensing feeds). The Nexus 6 uses Motorola's Crystal Talk (also better than Fluence). In any case, active noise cancellation is a hardware feature and has nothing to do with Android per se. Even Apple once used the Audience chip (in the iPhone 4)--now Apple uses it's own in-house and very much inferior solution (being cheap is universal).
In any case, the 6P has three microphones, two of which are used for noise cancellation. One of them is clearly right below the camera hump, on the back. You can easily see the hole. If you block that hole, you probably can cause problems with how the microphones are supposed to work in conjunction with each other. Given that holding the phone between your shoulder and your ear is going to press your shoulder against and cover up the top of the back of the phone, it seems probable that the microphone below the camera hump is being blocked.
The main mic that you speak into on the 6P is probably in the bottom speaker grill. I can't really figure out where the third mic is. In theory, three microphones, instead of two, should improve noise cancellation, but I haven't see anyone do a good review of this yet on the 6P (reviews pretty much ignore this feature these days, even AnandTech that used to do a nice test on it with new phones and post recordings for people to hear the differences).
The Nexus 6 has four microphones, so it would be even easier, I suppose to block a microphone on that phone and mess things up.
interesting thought. i wonder if there's a difference between "disabling" a mic and "blocking" a mic. if you think about it, your shoulder on the rear mic is probably louder than the one you're talking in to as you are rubbing against it.
Could someone test covering that mic with your finger and reporting the results?
cb474 said:
Noise cancellation is not a feature of Android, it's part of the electronics of the phone itself.
The 6P probalby uses Qualcomm's Fluence noise cancellation, which is built into Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipsets. Other phones have a separate chip for noise cancellation, like in the Nexus One, which used the Audience chip (now called Earsmart)--Audience is much superior to Fluence, but people are using it less and less (probably to avoid licensing feeds). The Nexus 6 uses Motorola's Crystal Talk (also better than Fluence). In any case, active noise cancellation is a hardware feature and has nothing to do with Android per se. Even Apple once used the Audience chip (in the iPhone 4)--now Apple uses it's own in-house and very much inferior solution (being cheap is universal).
In any case, the 6P has three microphones, two of which are used for noise cancellation. One of them is clearly right below the camera hump, on the back. You can easily see the hole. If you block that hole, you probably can cause problems with how the microphones are supposed to work in conjunction with each other. Given that holding the phone between your shoulder and your ear is going to press your shoulder against and cover up the top of the back of the phone, it seems probable that the microphone below the camera hump is being blocked.
The main mic that you speak into on the 6P is probably in the bottom speaker grill. I can't really figure out where the third mic is. In theory, three microphones, instead of two, should improve noise cancellation, but I haven't see anyone do a good review of this yet on the 6P (reviews pretty much ignore this feature these days, even AnandTech that used to do a nice test on it with new phones and post recordings for people to hear the differences).
The Nexus 6 has four microphones, so it would be even easier, I suppose to block a microphone on that phone and mess things up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info! I also had a feeling that, at least on the 6P, the mic hole on the back could cause issues if covered.
Hmmmwell sounds like there isn't a fix for this issue. VERY annoying.
motox502 said:
Hmmmwell sounds like there isn't a fix for this issue. VERY annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I'm having the same issue. I'm sure it's the noise cancelling feature because if I adjust the phone upwards then the problem is gone. However, it's not easy to shoulder the phone like that.
motox502 said:
Anyone else use their shoulder to hold their phone while on a call? People say they can't hear me and I'm cutting out. This really sucks because I'm usually using both hands when talking on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should stop doing that. You will mess up your neck/spine. Get a bluetooth.
Never use bent neck/shoulder. Prefer Speaker phone.
Anyone else think this? Everyone sounds muffled
abraxo said:
Anyone else think this? Everyone sounds muffled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC, this is a common issue with some Nexus devices. I saw somewhere that a 6P owner fixed the issue on their device by changing a line in the build.prop, as done here on the Nexus 5. Apparently you have to change the value of "persist.audio.influence.voicecall" from "true" to "false". Of course, you have to be rooted to modify the build.prop, and I think modifying the build.prop breaks OTA updates because of system block verifications.
Edit - apparently the muffled sound issue is a result of the noise cancellation microphone picking up your voice as background noise, meaning it attempts to reduce the volume of your voice. It's probably some sort of design flaw, but I don't think it's worth RMAing when it can be fixed with a simple software modification to the build.prop. Alternatively, you should be able to fix the issue by covering whichever microphone is the noise-cancelling microphone on the Nexus 6P (for the Nexus 5, I read that it was the top microphone)
Codename13 said:
IIRC, this is a common issue with some Nexus devices. I saw somewhere that a 6P owner fixed the issue on their device by changing a line in the build.prop, as done here on the Nexus 5. Apparently you have to change the value of "persist.audio.influence.voicecall" from "true" to "false". Of course, you have to be rooted to modify the build.prop, and I think modifying the build.prop breaks OTA updates because of system block verifications.
Edit - apparently the muffled sound issue is a result of the noise cancellation microphone picking up your voice as background noise, meaning it attempts to reduce the volume of your voice. It's probably some sort of design flaw, but I don't think it's worth RMAing when it can be fixed with a simple software modification to the build.prop. Alternatively, you should be able to fix the issue by covering whichever microphone is the noise-cancelling microphone on the Nexus 6P (for the Nexus 5, I read that it was the top microphone)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll definitely check those fixes out. I don't think losing ota updates are too big a deal since you can't use otas when you're rooted anyway
abraxo said:
Thanks, I'll definitely check those fixes out. I don't think losing ota updates are too big a deal since you can't use otas when you're rooted anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go: I'd go ahead and post here to add to the "pile" of people confirming this as a legitimate issue. Someone from Google confirmed earlier they were looking into it. https://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/nexus/g70qCHkqLA4
(Also, the desktop view looks WAY better)
Yes it's weird. Also I am surprised other party cannot hear if you place the phone on the table. What is up with that...
Google can't seem to get noise cancellation right. I remember the issue with my N5. I left myself a voicemail back then and was surprised how muffled I sounded. After that, I understood fully why people would keep asking me to repeat things while on a call. I'm still subscribed to the threads on Google Product Forums and it seems they never actually fixed it.
I suggest calling your Google Voice number or something and leaving a message to test.
Yeah, noise cancellation is kinda funk though I've actually been pretty pleased with it on the 6p. I do notice times with both the 6p and the 6s+ that sound gets muffled and I assumed noise cancellation was the cause.
coolguy949 said:
Google can't seem to get noise cancellation right. I remember the issue with my N5. I left myself a voicemail back then and was surprised how muffled I sounded. After that, I understood fully why people would keep asking me to repeat things while on a call. I'm still subscribed to the threads on Google Product Forums and it seems they never actually fixed it.
I suggest calling your Google Voice number or something and leaving a message to test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ironically, Google once had the best noise cancellation there ever was and was possibly the first to put it in a smartphone. The Nexus One used the Audience chip (now called Earsmart). It was amazing. People regularly thought I was at home when i was in a noisy cafe or out on the street. Subsequently Apple put the Audience chip in the iPhone 4 and it also got rave reviews for noise cancellation.
But it's been downhill since the Nexus One. The Nexus S had no (!) noise cancellation. The Galaxy Nexus had something crappy that I have never figured out what it was. Then the Nexus 4 turned to what is now the default in most phones, Qualcomm's Fluence--it's built into their chipsets; Fluence is pretty medicore and tends to have a lot of issues, compared to the Audience chip. The Nexus 5 also uses Fluence and has had a lot of issues cutting off the beginning and end of people's statements. The Nexus 6 uses Motorola's Crystal Talk and has four microphones (instead of two) for noise cancellation; it seems to be a step up from Fluence, but nothing like the Audience chip. And now I assume with the Snapdragon 810 chipset in the Nexus 6P Google has gone back to Fluence; however the 6P has three microphones, which is interesting; I read at least one person saying it's better than the Nexus 6.
Anyway, probably people should blame Qualcomm, rather than Google. As their chipsets have become more and more common, Fluence has become the default noise cancellation on many phones and it's never been that great.
Strangely, Apple dropped the great Audience chip in the iPhone 5, and people noticed that was a real step backwards. And Samsung, which used to put in in all the Galaxy S and Note phones has now dropped it with the S6. So for whatever reason (probably companies not wanting to pay licensing fees) the Audience chip seems to almost be unused these days, even though it is the best and was a pioneer in the field. Noise cancellation started out great and has only gone down hill ever since.
*
For those experiencing muffled voices, it's possible that the way you're holding the 6P is blocking one of the noise cancelling mics. There is a whole under the camera hump on the back that is one of the mics. I'm assuming the main mic is in the speaker at the bottom of the front of the phone. I'm not sure where the third mic is.
If you block one of the mics that can create issues with call quality. So you might try moving your hand around to see if that improves call quality.
If you take the advice above to disable noise cancellation in the build.prop, your voice will be more clear in quiet places, but you will have no noise cancellation at all and in noisy places it could really suck--every tiny little background sound will probably be picked up and overamplified, for your caller.
cb474 said:
Ironically, Google once had the best noise cancellation there ever was and was possibly the first to put it in a smartphone. The Nexus One used the Audience chip (now called Earsmart). It was amazing. People regularly thought I was at home when i was in a noisy cafe or out on the street. Subsequently Apple put the Audience chip in the iPhone 4 and it also got rave reviews for noise cancellation.
But it's been downhill since the Nexus One. The Nexus S had no (!) noise cancellation. The Galaxy Nexus had something crappy that I have never figured out what it was. Then the Nexus 4 turned to what is now the default in most phones, Qualcomm's Fluence--it's built into their chipsets; Fluence is pretty medicore and tends to have a lot of issues, compared to the Audience chip. The Nexus 5 also uses Fluence and has had a lot of issues cutting off the beginning and end of people's statements. The Nexus 6 uses Motorola's Crystal Talk and has four microphones (instead of two) for noise cancellation; it seems to be a step up from Fluence, but nothing like the Audience chip. And now I assume with the Snapdragon 810 chipset in the Nexus 6P Google has gone back to Fluence; however the 6P has three microphones, which is interesting; I read at least one person saying it's better than the Nexus 6.
Anyway, probably people should blame Qualcomm, rather than Google. As their chipsets have become more and more common, Fluence has become the default noise cancellation on many phones and it's never been that great.
Strangely, Apple dropped the great Audience chip in the iPhone 5, and people noticed that was a real step backwards. And Samsung, which used to put in in all the Galaxy S and Note phones has now dropped it with the S6. So for whatever reason (probably companies not wanting to pay licensing fees) the Audience chip seems to almost be unused these days, even though it is the best and was a pioneer in the field. Noise cancellation started out great and has only gone down hill ever since.
*
For those experiencing muffled voices, it's possible that the way you're holding the 6P is blocking one of the noise cancelling mics. There is a whole under the camera hump on the back that is one of the mics. I'm assuming the main mic is in the speaker at the bottom of the front of the phone. I'm not sure where the third mic is.
If you block one of the mics that can create issues with call quality. So you might try moving your hand around to see if that improves call quality.
If you take the advice above to disable noise cancellation in the build.prop, your voice will be more clear in quiet places, but you will have no noise cancellation at all and in noisy places it could really suck--every tiny little background sound will probably be picked up and overamplified, for your caller.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet the main microphone is the one in the back and that is ****ed up choice by whoever made this phone. You cannot have a vonference call and lay the phone on the table while speaking because microphones get muted.
anglerstock said:
I bet the main microphone is the one in the back and that is ****ed up choice by whoever made this phone. You cannot have a vonference call and lay the phone on the table while speaking because microphones get muted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The main microphone is absolutely not the one on the back. The main microphone is always the one positioned closet to the mouth, when you hold the phone to your head. There is no other way noise cancellation could work. The back of the phone is a very typical place for a secondary, noise cancellation, microphone. There is nothing wrong with that position. It needs to be faced away from the source of your voice (your mouth) and towards an other external sound surrounding you (the rest of the room, space around you, etc.). Otherwise, there would be no way to distinguish what's background noise, from what's your voice, and filter the background noise out. What matters is the hardware chip that does the signal processing. Some (e.g. the Audience chip) are much better than others (e.g. Fluence).
cb474 said:
The main microphone is absolutely not the one on the back. The main microphone is always the one positioned closet to the mouth, when you hold the phone to your head. There is no other way noise cancellation could work. The back of the phone is a very typical place for a secondary, noise cancellation, microphone. There is nothing wrong with that position. It needs to be faced away from the source of your voice (your mouth) and towards an other external sound surrounding you (the rest of the room, space around you, etc.). Otherwise, there would be no way to distinguish what's background noise, from what's your voice, and filter the background noise out. What matters is the hardware chip that does the signal processing. Some (e.g. the Audience chip) are much better than others (e.g. Fluence).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Main microphone is on the back. Put your phone on a desk and make a call. Good luck having other party hear you
anglerstock said:
Main microphone is on the back. Put your phone on a desk and make a call. Good luck having other party hear you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are just completely wrong about this and do not understand how noise cancellation and microphones on cell phones work. The reason placing the phone on the desk may interfere with call quality, is because it may block the secondary noise cancellation microphone on the back and cause the noise cancellation to improperly filter out your voice (as if it were background noise), because it can't tell what is background noise when this secondary mic is blocked.
cb474 said:
The main microphone is absolutely not the one on the back. The main microphone is always the one positioned closet to the mouth, when you hold the phone to your head. There is no other way noise cancellation could work. The back of the phone is a very typical place for a secondary, noise cancellation, microphone. There is nothing wrong with that position. It needs to be faced away from the source of your voice (your mouth) and towards an other external sound surrounding you (the rest of the room, space around you, etc.). Otherwise, there would be no way to distinguish what's background noise, from what's your voice, and filter the background noise out. What matters is the hardware chip that does the signal processing. Some (e.g. the Audience chip) are much better than others (e.g. Fluence).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cb474 said:
You are just completely wrong about this and do not understand how noise cancellation and microphones on cell phones work. The reason placing the phone on the desk may interfere with call quality, is because it may block the secondary noise cancellation microphone on the back and cause the noise cancellation to improperly filter out your voice (as if it were background noise), because it can't tell what is background noise when this secondary mic is blocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for clearing that up, I've seen the same ignorance on different forums besides XDA from people who made a big deal out of this and blew it way out of proportion. This is as ridiculous as one post I saw that demanded there be an LED notification on the back so he can place his phone face down.
cb474 said:
You are just completely wrong about this and do not understand how noise cancellation and microphones on cell phones work. The reason placing the phone on the desk may interfere with call quality, is because it may block the secondary noise cancellation microphone on the back and cause the noise cancellation to improperly filter out your voice (as if it were background noise), because it can't tell what is background noise when this secondary mic is blocked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In any case, some basic uses like putting phone on table and holding between ear and shoulder results in no mic/voice capture. This is a serious issue. I have experienced at least the latter on more than one occasion and it was extremely frustrating.
omnius1 said:
Thank you for clearing that up, I've seen the same ignorance on different forums besides XDA from people who made a big deal out of this and blew it way out of proportion. This is as ridiculous as one post I saw that demanded there be an LED notification on the back so he can place his phone face down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you use your phone for phone calls maybe you would understand
subhani said:
In any case, some basic uses like putting phone on table and holding between ear and shoulder results in no mic/voice capture. This is a serious issue. I have experienced at least the latter on more than one occasion and it was extremely frustrating.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say it wasn't an issue. I was just clarifying what and where the different microphones are, since some people have complete misunderstandings about this.
Given that one of the two noise cancellation microphones is on the back of the phone, just below the camera visor, and given that covering a noise cancellation microphone will always disrupt call quality, obviously holding the phone between your ear and shoulder (which blocks this microphone) is going to be a problem. Complaining about it isn't going to change it, because the only solution would be for Huawei to redesign the phone. I wouldn't hold your breath for that to happen. If holding the phone that way is a crucial functionality for you, then obviously the 6P is not the right phone for you (though frankly, really? this is important to people?).
On the other hand, it is reasonable to expect the phone to work properly when placed on a table in speakerphone mode. So if that is a problem with the 6P (no everyone is reporting this), then that is a true design flaw. But still, I wouldn't hold my breath for a fix, because there may be no software solution for this (other than disabling the noise cancellation, as some have done--but then of course, you have no noise cancellation, which isn't great either).
anglerstock said:
If you use your phone for phone calls maybe you would understand
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do, the NC mic is located way at the top back of a quite tall phone. It's nearly impossible to grip a phone to your head and have your hand be anywhere near that mic unless your hands are literally half a foot or more wide. So that leaves sitting it on a table in speakerphone or shouldering it. I don't shoulder phones, but I have used it on a table in speaker without any issues. And it's not happening to that many people anyway.
abraxo said:
Anyone else think this? Everyone sounds muffled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think everyone in this thread misunderstood your question. From your question I take it you are the one using the Nexus 6p and you are the one who hears everyone else muffled. Which would not have anything to do with your mic but everything to do with the top speaker.
I don't know about you but I personally think this phone is the best sounding phone for calls I've ever owned when it comes to hearing people on the other end. Whether they can hear me OK or not, I don't know. I haven't heard complaints.
cb474 said:
I didn't say it wasn't an issue. I was just clarifying what and where the different microphones are, since some people have complete misunderstandings about this.
Given that one of the two noise cancellation microphones is on the back of the phone, just below the camera visor, and given that covering a noise cancellation microphone will always disrupt call quality, obviously holding the phone between your ear and shoulder (which blocks this microphone) is going to be a problem. Complaining about it isn't going to change it, because the only solution would be for Huawei to redesign the phone. I wouldn't hold your breath for that to happen. If holding the phone that way is a crucial functionality for you, then obviously the 6P is not the right phone for you (though frankly, really? this is important to people?).
On the other hand, it is reasonable to expect the phone to work properly when placed on a table in speakerphone mode. So if that is a problem with the 6P (no everyone is reporting this), then that is a true design flaw. But still, I wouldn't hold my breath for a fix, because there may be no software solution for this (other than disabling the noise cancellation, as some have done--but then of course, you have no noise cancellation, which isn't great either).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was an answer straight out of Steve Jobs' mouth . Jokes aside. If there are faults, one shouldn't dismiss them simply out of the view that it may need a HW revision, when the solution may be simpler. One certainly mustn't assume that a phone with one stated defect is simply not for me, since really that is for me to decide and at no point have I given the impression that this is a deal breaker for me.
TLDR; it IS an issue for some. Is there any solution? How widespread is the problem? Nothing too complicated guys. This IS the 'Help' section of the forum.
subhani said:
That was an answer straight out of Steve Jobs' mouth . Jokes aside. If there are faults, one shouldn't dismiss them simply out of the view that it may need a HW revision, when the solution may be simpler. One certainly mustn't assume that a phone with one stated defect is simply not for me, since really that is for me to decide and at no point have I given the impression that this is a deal breaker for me.
TLDR; it IS an issue for some. Is there any solution? How widespread is the problem? Nothing too complicated guys. This IS the 'Help' section of the forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I thought of making a steve Jobs joke when I wrote that. But if ever there was a case of don't hold it that way, this is it. With the iPhone 4, the problem was you couldn't hold the phone in the most normal way, during calls, that almost anyone would do. Whereas shouldering the phone to your head, especially with cell phones that are so thin and not conducive to this, is a pretty limited use case.
Sure, it could be a deal breaker for some people, but I don't really see this as a design flaw. That noise cancelling mic needs to be on the back of the phone and as far away from the mouth as possible, for noise cancellation to work. The position it is in makes a lot of sense. There aren't a lot of other good places for it, where it wouldn't be more likely to be covered by a finger (like on the side of the phone). If the trade off for functional noise cancellation is you can't shoulder the phone, that's a pretty sensible trade off, I think. You can't please everybody and catering to a very small use case scenario doesn't make sense.
On the other hand, if the phone doesn't work properly in speakerphone mode when sitting non a table, an incrediby common and normal use case scenario, then that to me seems more like a legitimate design flaw.
That aside, part of my point is also, whatever people think of the design and whether it works for them. If they are hoping that mic on the back is going to be repositioned in a revision of the phone, so people can shoulder it, they are deluding themselves. This is not an issue that's going to be addressed. But other noise cancellation issues, that might have to do with the algorithm might get addressed, although it would require more than an update to Android, since the noise cancellation is built into Qualcomm's chipset. I don't even know if it can be updated. So again, whatever one thinks, you probably should take it as a point for deciding whether you want the phone, because I think it's pretty unlikey there will be a "fix" for these "issues."
The most likely thing that might get fixed is just if there are quality control issues, having to do with the position of the microphone inside the phone and the gaskets between them and the holes in the body of the phone. Tiny misalignments can be surprisingly detrimental to the performance of both mics and speakers. That's something Huawei could correct, without having to physically redesign the phone.
So it's prefectly okay to hate the 6P for having these issues and not want the phone. But I think people should set there expectations pretty low if they think they will be fixed. It's much more complicated than as simple update to Android.
TLDR: Don't hold it that way. And now may be the time to lose all hope. (But by the way, some people report the call quality on the 6P is great and it would be nice to hear more from those people.)
So... I found this out by mistake.
Check out the video.
You will have to turn up the sound in the video since its just a humming sound. Sounds like capacitors charging.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEQx9Zjo7_0
I'm pretty sure that the note is not supposed to make that sound.
Wow pretty scary especially when you're in a loud place
matteosaeed said:
Wow pretty scary especially when you're in a loud place
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is is really not supposed to make any noise. From close it sounds like a microwave
It's the speaker making noise. I can confirm mine does the same thing
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Root-Maniac said:
It's the speaker making noise. I can confirm mine does the same thing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
doesn't sound like the speaker.
Don't hold it to close to your face. If it's a short or a battery problem you don't wanna be close to it if it blows or catches on fire
Sounds like it to me. Coming from the speaker on my unit.
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
Root-Maniac said:
Sounds like it to me. Coming from the speaker on my unit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still... I don't understand why or makes nose
apatcas said:
Still... I don't understand why or makes nose
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1. It shouldn't do that...
Sent from my SM-N930T using Tapatalk
I'm going to see if it sounds louder or does anything starting this and charging the phone.
Wish me luck...:fingers-crossed:
I guess none of you have used Smart Switch before? It's something I used on the daily working at T-Mobile to transfer data on customers' phones. The noise you're hearing IS coming from the speaker, it's an ultra-sonic noise emitted that the receiving phone that would be running Smart Switch, would pick up with its microphone and use it as a means of pairing. Think of it like the new Google Nearby API... If you ever play with a Nexus running Nougat, you'll have a similar experience transferring accounts and app install lists. It used to be an NFC pairing, now using the Nearby API it scans wifi, Bluetooth, and ultra-sonic pairing noises are probably also possible using it.
flamingblue8z said:
I guess none of you have used Smart Switch before? It's something I used on the daily working at T-Mobile to transfer data on customers' phones. The noise you're hearing IS coming from the speaker, it's an ultra-sonic noise emitted that the receiving phone that would be running Smart Switch, would pick up with its microphone and use it as a means of pairing. Think of it like the new Google Nearby API... If you ever play with a Nexus running Nougat, you'll have a similar experience transferring accounts and app install lists. It used to be an NFC pairing, now using the Nearby API it scans wifi, Bluetooth, and ultra-sonic pairing noises are probably also possible using it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never thought of that. I guess i never expected it to be that loud.
apatcas said:
Never thought of that. I guess i never expected it to be that loud.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to Samsung's newest speaker in the Note 7 lol. It may not have much oomph, but clarity and loudness are high on the list.
flamingblue8z said:
Welcome to Samsung's newest speaker in the Note 7 lol. It may not have much oomph, but clarity and loudness are high on the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah... still my phone gets hot and i still have a perfectly working note 5. I think I might just go back to that. Started SmartSwitch on that and can a very fain noise, not even comparable with the note 7.
TL;DR: It's fine, no one has a malfunctioning speaker in their Note 5 or Note 7.
Grab another device or 2, non-Samsung, and try Smart Switch to hear how each device's speaker is audibly different. Don't worry. It's by design for both phones. It's the limitations of the N5 speaker that prevent such a wide dynamic range to be reproduced. The speaker on the 7 has to also be water resistant. You ever hear any phone inside a Lifeproof case? The biggest complaint I hear is that it muffles the sound. Samsung didn't want that compromise the speaker experience when they went for their resistance rating. Just wanted to try and tamper down the hatred on an otherwise beautiful (if pricey) device. The battery fiasco sucks for them right now. No need to go all TMZ and try and put salt in their wounds by causing mass hysteria. Even the few other replies in this post could be quickly read and someone flies off the handle and goes to the nearest store.
#TheMoreYouKnow
For those who DO care about the retail aspect of this recall, this is going to be a VERY rough time for T-Mobile Reps, they're put under a TON of pressure to hit sales goals, and if they spend too much time doing customer service, their numbers suffer and they lose their jobs. Trust me, I know, I worked just shy of 2 years at a corporate kiosk in a mall that's probably going to be closed before the holidays. It was already a losing battle trying to hit goals, doing exceptional customer service to promote "Brand Loyalty" in yourself as a sales rep was a recipe for not even hitting 50% during the month of December.
#FirstHandExperience
#LegereTakeMeBack
First joke I've cracked in 9 years on this site haha.
flamingblue8z said:
TL;DR: It's fine, no one has a malfunctioning speaker in their Note 5 or Note 7.
Grab another device or 2, non-Samsung, and try Smart Switch to hear how each device's speaker is audibly different. Don't worry. It's by design for both phones. It's the limitations of the N5 speaker that prevent such a wide dynamic range to be reproduced. The speaker on the 7 has to also be water resistant. You ever hear any phone inside a Lifeproof case? The biggest complaint I hear is that it muffles the sound. Samsung didn't want that compromise the speaker experience when they went for their resistance rating. Just wanted to try and tamper down the hatred on an otherwise beautiful (if pricey) device. The battery fiasco sucks for them right now. No need to go all TMZ and try and put salt in their wounds by causing mass hysteria. Even the few other replies in this post could be quickly read and someone flies off the handle and goes to the nearest store.
#TheMoreYouKnow
For those who DO care about the retail aspect of this recall, this is going to be a VERY rough time for T-Mobile Reps, they're put under a TON of pressure to hit sales goals, and if they spend too much time doing customer service, their numbers suffer and they lose their jobs. Trust me, I know, I worked just shy of 2 years at a corporate kiosk in a mall that's probably going to be closed before the holidays. It was already a losing battle trying to hit goals, doing exceptional customer service to promote "Brand Loyalty" in yourself as a sales rep was a recipe for not even hitting 50% during the month of December.
#FirstHandExperience
#LegereTakeMeBack
First joke I've cracked in 9 years on this site haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I edited the title so it doesnt look like im trying to hurt Samsung.
apatcas said:
doesn't sound like the speaker.
Don't hold it to close to your face. If it's a short or a battery problem you don't wanna be close to it if it blows or catches on fire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it explodes, you're holding it wrong..
Wrong advice, here's a list of what should happen.
1) Find a lucky coin.
2) Change your name to Harvey Dent
3) Hold Note 7 close to your face until it explodes
4) Fight Batman
slaapliedje said:
If it explodes, you're holding it wrong..
Wrong advice, here's a list of what should happen.
1) Find a lucky coin.
2) Change your name to Harvey Dent
3) Hold Note 7 close to your face until it explodes
4) Fight Batman
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Extremely good and useful advice. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to write this
Hello,
does anybody hear an coil whine from the speaker during phone call?
Many people especially older people can't here that, so it would be nice to get feedback from someone who usually can hear that.
No one?
I can hear the coil whine from the top speaker even when not in a call. Just put the phone up to my ear and it's there.
It's not very loud so I'm just dealing with it. I heard it in my first phone before I replaced it due to screen gaps also.
Not the end of the world I guess
I hear it sometimes, but not all the time. And even then only when the room is completely 100% quiet. In a room with normal background noise I don't notice it at all.
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
No, as I have the old speaker grill.
You have posted a negative / snarky post on every thread I've looked at today - what is your deal?
Sent from my PH-1 using Tapatalk
"good" to hear that i'm not the only one. It's really weird that it's noticable without even calling someone. Sometimes I can hear it while laying in bed and that bothers me a lot.
I wrote essential and they just said that they can't do anything for warranty while I'm living in germany. So I told them to just forward my problem to an technican and they did.
So everyone else with the same problem, send essential an message and describe the problem. They just start helping if there are enough people with who complain! Maybe they can fit it via firmware update.
Look at the OnePlus, since the oneplus 2 or 3 there was a microphone bug and it was fixed after the OP5 was released just because there wasn't enough people who complain. I don't want to wait that long.
I definitely have coil whine in my brand new essential ph-1. Pretty persistent when in apps....has anyone else tried antutu benchmark? Mine is much more noticeable then (heavy load)...also it is much more noticeable in the back of the device than the front (I listen by the camera)
I also have a OnePlus 5 and an iPhone 7 that do the same thing...the OnePlus actually makes the noise with the screen off for a while, so the fact that the essential phone is at least silent when off is a plus I guess? I am tempted to ask for a replacement but I feel like every one will have this...it's just an insulation thing
I recieved my second Essential Phone and I can hear a little buzzing from the top speaker but it's ok.
No loud coil whine I think. I didn't test it that much, but the second dosen't bother me that much.
Ordered a third one because on the second one there are bigger gaps between frame and backside.
Maybe there is the same problem like with the pixel 2 devices. Google announced that they will provide an fix via update.
Not to beat a dead thread but I just received 2 essential phones from the amazon sale, and I am happy to report, BOTH devices have the same noise as you describe. Why am I happy? Because I can confirm that what you are hearing is the completely normal sound of coil whine!
Coil whine has been an oft documented phenomenon throughout most electronic devices, especially computers, but seems to be making its way into the cell phone world lately (just google Hiss-Gate if you don’t believe me). The fact of the matter is, all electronic devices can produce a hiss from electric coils as more and more current is drawn through them. The hiss actually comes from these coils vibrating with the current load. This is why you may see an increse in noise while gaming or filming 4K etc.
Why, then, are we only hearing about it recently? And why does the essential phone have this “problem”? I’m glad you asked You see, up until about the iPhone 6 era, phones were heavy, large, thick, and had terrible battery life. This all adds up to manufacturers having much more ability to dampen this coil whine. Whether it be through applying a paste like substance over the coils to prevent vibration, or simply thicker chassis material to “trap” noise in. We also hear of it more now because internals in phones are becoming much more powerful, and demanding much more current to run the more complex apps and games that exist today. The more current needed to power these internals, the more chance for coil whine. We also hear of coil whine more and more lately because, historically speaking, the generation of users who noticed the problem (ie the younger generations) are able to detect higher frequencies of sound than the older generation. Coil whine is a high frequency noise.
The reason you are hearing the noise by the speaker is simply because the speaker is located near the coils in this device, and provide an opening for the sound to escape the chassis. There is no water proofing membrane here to trap noise a bit better, so it is a little louder than your galaxies or iPhones (also why the Pixel is seemingly “plagued” more than other phones)
So long story short: this sound is completely normal. Nothing to RMA about (because, well, you’re just wasting time sending a phone back only to get one with the same sound in return). After viewing the teardown, I would actually be MORE concerned if you have a device that didn’t have some coil whine, as that may be a sign that current is not being properly distributed to the components, causing them to attempt to operate without the proper juice.
Thank you for your detailed answer. You saved a lot of time, trouble and money for me because I live in Germany.
That's a bad news actually because after a time it feels like a headache for me because those sounds bothers me a lot. The printer in the office makes me crazy with that sounds but I'm the only one who hears that.
Essential told me their hardware team is working on it so maybe we can just hope that the second Essential Phone don't have that coil whine. .
I had three Essential Phones and the third of them don't have the high pitched noise. It's more like a buzzing and it dosen't bothers me like the high pitched noise. It's the one which seems to have the baddest build quality of them, and the speaker grill come of. Same problem with the second one so I will keep the first one.
Essential offered me an exchance but they can't send it to germany. I think you are right, so the exchance wouldnt help either.
I hear ya. I can pick out abnormalities on phones almost immediately, so I’ve been driven crazy by the humming and chirping of coil whine for over a year now with other devices. At this point I can’t imagine Essential would release a silent version of the Ph-1 with some putty over the coils or something, so if it really bothers you, I’d say hope that they release an update to unclock the internals a bit and leads to a lower power draw (they’ve fixed the camera through software so it could happen!). Just for reference, I am bit of a tech snob and have had many phones this past year, and ALL of the high end phones from iPhone to Samsung can experience this under load. From my brief time with the ph-1, it is in the middle end of the spectrum in terms of noise, not the loudest, not the quietest! At least it’s nearly half the sound as the Pixel 2 non XL!
It’s just the old “they don’t make em like they used to” argument.