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Hello guys
I'm planning to get a lumia 800. Since I always use the phone as a music player with my westone, I would like to ask whose bought lumia 800:
1. How's the sound quality of lumia?
2. In what extent the improved sound quality with the firmware update? I read the review in GSMArena and shown a disappointing result
English is not my native language, sorry for my bad english.
Many Thanks!
Audio quality
I am very disappointed with the audio quality.
If it was my only phone and I couldn't compare it to anything else I would probably think it's ok but yesterday in bed with my earphones on watching a youtube video I kept getting interference noise and the quality isn't as good as on my iPhone 4S.
Also I have tested both Lumia 800 and iPhone 4S sending audio via bluetooth to my car stereo (Nissan Connect) and the difference is shocking. The iPhone sounds as if the cable was plugged in and the quality is great but the Lumia makes it sounds like your listening to FM in a bad coverage area.
Don't worry about your english, it isn't my first language either.
If you really love your music I would recommend you stay away from the Lumia for now, also because battery doesn't last even a day. heh
Hope I could help.
Lumia really miss an equalizer
vassilihk said:
1. How's the sound quality of lumia?
2. In what extent the improved sound quality with the firmware update? I read the review in GSMArena and shown a disappointing result
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a Westone 3 user and the sound on my Lumia is beyond disastrous. I can totally confirm the GSMArena results. This was such a shocker to me when I first plugged my earphones I couldn't believe it.
Some users though report that their sound is fine (although it's difficult to sort out people who test sound on stock headset and such stuff).
I still haven't received the update, so don't know whether it helps or not.
But definitely try to test sound before buying this phone! I mean, here it's not just bad. It's totally ridiculously awful.
Soundwise you should look at three things:
1 call quality with phone earpiece
2 call quality with phone internal speaker
3 audio quality of internal speaker
4 audio quality to external device
5 mic
All have different character and should imo be included in a review. Furthermore audio is very difficult to objectively review as user experience is based on personal opinions.
anyway, my experiences with the Lumia are these:
1) call quality earpiece: normal phone calls in office, phone calls with a lot of background noise, and sound quality while in call are very ok, what you'd expect from Nokia. the volume level is okay too, the lowest setting is not too loud like on most phones.
2) call quality internal: okay, loud enough, not too much treble which is very please on prolonged phonecalls.
3) audio on internal speaker, what do you expect from a 3 mm driver in a very small cabinet. I think it's fine, not harsh, much treble and don't expect any bass.
4) audio to external:
a) tested on hi end phones, sounds very well, includes all frequencies, converters sound a bit flat but i'm sure most users won't notice.
b) bluetooth i had someone verifiy and this seems good quality
5) I had someone else call me with Lumia800 and this is as expected from Nokia
But, I'm a bit worried about "audio quality updates" like in the latest firmware. I'm sure they fiddle with algorithms, noise cancelling, auto volume, and minimal levels. I live with the philosophy that whatever is good, doesn't need to be changed.
htc12345 said:
I live with the philosophy that whatever is good, doesn't need to be changed.
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Click to collapse
That's a great philosophy, but it's obviously not good for all users. Whether an update can fix anything or this is a faulty batch of phones is another question.
htc12345 said:
4) audio to external:
a) tested on hi end phones, sounds very well, includes all frequencies, converters sound a bit flat but i'm sure most users won't notice.
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Click to collapse
Can't believe this. MANY users say the sound is awful and I can confirm it also. It just lacks MUCH low frequencies.
What is your HW version etc. ?
Many users have reported improved sound quality and better bass after update released yesterday.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
mjl_79 said:
Many users have reported improved sound quality and better bass after update released yesterday.
Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll definetely check this, but I'm almost on my way to cashback.
Thank you all
You guys do help me a lot!
I went to shop with my pair of hf5 and um2 to test the phone's demo (It still didn't release at my place.... sigh........ and the phone had not updated with the latest patch)
That's my experience
- NO BASS
- Other frequencies -> medicore
- Stereo is good, it felt like the music is surrounding you ( Better than my xperia pro )
- There are some noise when completed silent...
To be honest, I quite disappointed with lumia , its music performance (I should rephase it, lol) even cannot compete with 5800 3 years ago!
I miss my i9000 with voodoo sound... it is so hard to have a phone with nice looking , good music performance and not-a-iphone
If the sound quality is the most need of you, how do you like the mobile phone "Meizu" in China?
vassilihk, with the UM2, are you using loudness or eq on other phones if that is available?
i agree the sound quality of phones has decreased. everything is made smaller, faster, and lighter and you can see this in the build quality
htc12345 said:
vassilihk, with the UM2, are you using loudness or eq on other phones if that is available?
i agree the sound quality of phones has decreased. everything is made smaller, faster, and lighter and you can see this in the build quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not use equalizer, what i believe a good music player is simply deliver accurate output, pure frequency response is the best.
Let the earphone do the job, not the equalizer, that's what i believe, lol~
kefty said:
If the sound quality is the most need of you, how do you like the mobile phone "Meizu" in China?
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Click to collapse
Actucally I live in Hong Kong and Meizu planned to release MX on 1.1.2012
In fact, I do have a bias on china-brand phone for its built quality, goodwill... I did not know how's the foreigners think about Meizu
Ofcoz, I'll have a try on MX if it is good
vassilihk said:
I do not use equalizer, what i believe a good music player is simply deliver accurate output, pure frequency response is the best.
Let the earphone do the job, not the equalizer, that's what i believe, lol~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
true... true ..
so while typing this i listen to music using good, very good headphones. clean and crisp sound, bass included. no overkill in the bass but the frequency are definetely there. just don't use tiny in ear drivers to generate booming bass sound...
My in-ear beats headphones that came with my Sensation XL improve the sound output on the Lumia 10 fold. it's al about the headphones.
i have an a lumia 800 since 1 week and i am also pretty disappointed by the sound quality. there is no bass, even with the update :-(
i really like the phone, but this is a no-go because i hear a lot of music. if nokia diesn`t change this, i'll switch to an apple or samsung device.
i think we're running round in circles or that different phone users have different ears. however to the suggestion above of comparin hw rev numbers, noone replied.
Okay, I have finally replaced my unit and got one that has great audio quality. The difference is massive.
It has the same hardware revision number and everything is exactly the same, the IMEI is different by about 700, so they have been built in the same production run most probably. There's no way to tell apart from plugging in your earphones and testing for yourself.
Is there anyway to manually increase some frequency values?
It's frustrating as the Lumia 800 sounds great using my Denons, but the very low frequencies are flat, very flat.
I really hope there will be some fix for this because as a whole i like the device a lot and the music experience is great. That said music to me on the phone is easily on the top 3 features so it needs to work.
Hi everybody, I was wondering how is the call quality on the S3. I've been using HTC phones (S710 and Tilt2) for the last 5 years, and I haven't been happy with the call quality on either device, my old Nokias used to have much clearer sound.
josemald said:
Hi everybody, I was wondering how is the call quality on the S3. I've been using HTC phones (S710 and Tilt2) for the last 5 years, and I haven't been happy with the call quality on either device, my old Nokias used to have much clearer sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what i can tell its amazing. I can hear everything on this end of the call, if not too much, and the other person can hear me perfectly clear.
Thank you. It's very hard to find reliable firsthand info on call quality about smartphones.
josemald said:
Thank you. It's very hard to find reliable firsthand info on call quality about smartphones.
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I second that. Would like to hear more users about the call quality and reception. Especially in comparison with other devices.
WDawn said:
I second that. Would like to hear more users about the call quality and reception. Especially in comparison with other devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well compared to my Desire HD, its a lot lot better. Even little things like when you press phone, it does it instantly instead of a delay before it starts ringing.
I can confirm the superb call audio quality. I had a HTC Desire before, which was always too quiet when I was in a loud environment. No problems with the SG3 in that situation.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
I had a galaxy nexus before the sgs3 and i must say its a huge improvement. I had to push the nexus to my ear to hear my girlfriend -_-.. Now its so loud and clear i had to lessen the volume xD!
I really like it.. Its like al the shortcomings of the galaxy nexus are gone and with free extra's like quad core.. BETTER screen without crappy smugdes in de back that u see if u scroll if u know what i mean. The camera is freakin awesome
So i went off topic.. all in all the phone has a very loud and clear soud for voicecalling
Thnx for the feedback. My Desire Z is perfect, but the call quality is horrible. It's not nearly loud enough. Glad to hear that it's way better with the Galaxy. Sorry HTC, i'll jump the ship for that reason.
aside from firsthand info from people who have just gotten the phone, there many reviews out already regarding this topic and all of them are in agreement that sgs3's call quality is very good.
i had a gs2 and 0 audio problems... now with S3 i have metallic voice when calling, solved turning off noise reduction. i'm italian, and other people here have the same problem too. dunno if is firmware problem or a bad unit.
my firmware is XXLE8.
Call quality is very good however several people have complained about not been able to hear me very clearly. I have had to hold mic pretty close to my mouth in comparison to HOX to ensure clarity when speaking.
Perhaps I have faulty handset, don't know.
I also have had people saying they can't hear me properly or that I am under water.
I have also noticed that the "startup" speed of the voice/microphone is slow... (if this is even possible) however that is how it feels e.g. someone calls, you say "hello" then they say hello? hello? then you say hello? then they can hear you, it's like sometimes they don't hear you at first until you repeat yourself.
in comparison with my Optimus 2x, the sound is far better, clear and loud on the S3..
Really better.
Ive got complains that i also sound underwater or "canned", i hear the other part perfectly but they say they hear me bad.
Hardware or software issue?
Scottymeuk said:
From what i can tell its amazing. I can hear everything on this end of the call, if not too much, and the other person can hear me perfectly clear.
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Click to collapse
its just amazing. far better than s2 and note. S3 is just awesome when it comes to call quality.
ergal said:
i had a gs2 and 0 audio problems... now with S3 i have metallic voice when calling, solved turning off noise reduction. i'm italian, and other people here have the same problem too. dunno if is firmware problem or a bad unit.
my firmware is XXLE8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much!
I'm on my second S3 because of extremely poor call quality, and this one had it too. I could hear people perfectly fine, but people could barely hear me and the sound was very badly garbled.
Odd thing is that it only seemed to happen when I was home, so I've been shutting off every electronic device I could find to see what was causing interference. Strange thing is that I didn't have a problem if I was using speakerphone.
Anyway, I disabled the noise reduction and my problem went away!!
jasbur17 said:
Thank you very much!
I'm on my second S3 because of extremely poor call quality, and this one had it too. I could hear people perfectly fine, but people could barely hear me and the sound was very badly garbled.
Odd thing is that it only seemed to happen when I was home, so I've been shutting off every electronic device I could find to see what was causing interference. Strange thing is that I didn't have a problem if I was using speakerphone.
Anyway, I disabled the noise reduction and my problem went away!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How to disable it?
Don't forget that there are three different voice settings for the earpiece.
I disabled noisereduction and callers hear me waaaay better now.
Anyone tried noisereduction on and some EQ settings?
If so whats the best settings you got for far.
jasbur17 said:
Thank you very much!
I'm on my second S3 because of extremely poor call quality, and this one had it too. I could hear people perfectly fine, but people could barely hear me and the sound was very badly garbled.
Odd thing is that it only seemed to happen when I was home, so I've been shutting off every electronic device I could find to see what was causing interference. Strange thing is that I didn't have a problem if I was using speakerphone.
Anyway, I disabled the noise reduction and my problem went away!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Experiencing the same on my second sgs3, people think I'm in the toilet/bathroom. Exchanged my first sgs3 cause people could not hear me well (garbled, metallic voice).
Will look into disabling noise reduction.
Hi everyone,
One of my motivations for moving from LG G2 to the Xperia Z2, is for 4K video. But in watching the different 4K clips posted on YouTube from the Mobile Congress, there appears to be a significant microphone issue.
It sounds as if there are no lows or mid-frequencies. The sound is very squashed and unlike anything I've heard from any cellphone I've ever owned. My concern also extends to phone calls. If the same mike and processing is used for phone calls, this doesn't bode well for call quality.Are there any Z1 owners having the same microphone issue?
i
debrandman said:
Hi everyone,
One of my motivations for moving from LG G2 to the Xperia Z2, is for 4K video. But in watching the different 4K clips posted on YouTube from the Mobile Congress, there appears to be a significant microphone issue.
It sounds as if there are no lows or mid-frequencies. The sound is very squashed and unlike anything I've heard from any cellphone I've ever owned. My concern also extends to phone calls. If the same mike and processing is used for phone calls, this doesn't bode well for call quality.Are there any Z1 owners having the same microphone issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
however i didn't see and hear about mic. problem But the point is those phones were demo units.
there were lots of bugs in ROM and kernel so maybe bad result for someones.
& as XZ1 user I didn't have any problem with mic.
:good:
x102x96x said:
however i didn't see and hear about mic. problem But the point is those phones were demo units.
there were lots of bugs in ROM and kernel so maybe bad result for someones.
& as XZ1 user I didn't have any problem with mic.
:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really hoping that is the case. The audio quality we've seen in the Z2 camera test clips in Youtube is just unacceptable. But then I think that isn't something Sony could mess up that bad, especially when the camera is a big selling point.
+the Z1 etc. were able to record nice audio.21 82299658
God damn can't post links since I'm a new user...
I've noticed that too and it sounds very weird to me.
But on this one it doesn't sound bad at all.
@chesterr
in crowd it s little bit low but it s so clear for me.
i don't know exactly but isn't it because of built-in digital-noise cancellation??
x102x96x said:
@chesterr
in crowd it s little bit low but it s so clear for me.
i don't know exactly but isn't it because of built-in digital-noise cancellation??[/Q
Z2's built-in digital-noise cancellation, works only with Sony's MDR-NC31EM Digital Noise Cancelling Headset.I just hope that this microphone issues that can be heard in the demo units, won't affect overall call quality!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always the stereo microphone accessory you can get? Surely with that it will blow every other phone away for video? I'm sure for calls it'll be fine.
debrandman said:
Hi everyone,
One of my motivations for moving from LG G2 to the Xperia Z2, is for 4K video. But in watching the different 4K clips posted on YouTube from the Mobile Congress, there appears to be a significant microphone issue.
It sounds as if there are no lows or mid-frequencies. The sound is very squashed and unlike anything I've heard from any cellphone I've ever owned. My concern also extends to phone calls. If the same mike and processing is used for phone calls, this doesn't bode well for call quality.Are there any Z1 owners having the same microphone issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there
I just bought the Z2 and everyone I have called or talked to over the phone, has complained that I talk too low :crying:
Right now I'm actually investigating if others had this issue and stumbled over your thread I too had a LG G2 and I changed, because the camera was so bad when taking pictures of people moving or not standing COMPLETELY still etc.
Anyway I haven't found anything yet with Google about the problem, But I do hope it's a software issue and not hardware, because everything else is just so good.
ken4000 said:
Hi there
I just bought the Z2 and everyone I have called or talked to over the phone, has complained that I talk too low :crying:
Right now I'm actually investigating if others had this issue and stumbled over your thread I too had a LG G2 and I changed, because the camera was so bad when taking pictures of people moving or not standing COMPLETELY still etc.
Anyway I haven't found anything yet with Google about the problem, But I do hope it's a software issue and not hardware, because everything else is just so good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because most users tend to pretend the issue doesn't exist if they don't use a particular feature often...i mentioned about the lousy mic and got ignored by everyone
For your benefit here's an example of the audio recording abilities for the Z2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCAJXDL_9k
To test the mic you really need the worst conditions possible..and there you have it. sounds exactly like my samsung galaxy S1 4 years ago, and possibly the worst among the flagships out there(iphone still has the best audio recording...damn. lol) no idea why sony messed this up. buying the STM10 mic doesn't change the fact that the mic is there to ENHANCE the sound...not cover up a subpar standard feature lol.
SexyIceCream said:
because most users tend to pretend the issue doesn't exist if they don't use a particular feature often...i mentioned about the lousy mic and got ignored by everyone
For your benefit here's an example of the audio recording abilities for the Z2 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoCAJXDL_9k
To test the mic you really need the worst conditions possible..and there you have it. sounds exactly like my samsung galaxy S1 4 years ago, and possibly the worst among the flagships out there(iphone still has the best audio recording...damn. lol) no idea why sony messed this up. buying the STM10 mic doesn't change the fact that the mic is there to ENHANCE the sound...not cover up a subpar standard feature lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damit, I didn't saw your early post about the mic. I don't experience it that bad as in the youtube clip, but it's not the best handling of sound. I do hope they or an xda member fixes it in the future. I'm still glad I chose this phone and wouldn't change it for a One M8 or a Galaxy S5...
debrandman said:
Hi everyone,
One of my motivations for moving from LG G2 to the Xperia Z2, is for 4K video. But in watching the different 4K clips posted on YouTube from the Mobile Congress, there appears to be a significant microphone issue.
It sounds as if there are no lows or mid-frequencies. The sound is very squashed and unlike anything I've heard from any cellphone I've ever owned. My concern also extends to phone calls. If the same mike and processing is used for phone calls, this doesn't bode well for call quality.Are there any Z1 owners having the same microphone issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Z2 records perfect sound. With all the frequencies apparent and clean.
Any news about terrible sound quality?
Hi.
I record some videos on a festival last week. The sound is absolutely terrible. Especially if there is loud music.
If i see videos from the Festival that are all record with other phones, they sound very good . Even my Xperia ZL makes fantastic sound if i record a video.
So is there any solution for this?
To buy the "Sony STM10 Stereo Microphone" cannot be a solution.
Thanks
Not good is it? I find the G3, M8 and almost all Lumia's adjust the levels for better audio where the Z2 does not. So perhaps you are supposed to buy the mic!
All sony phones have the same problem.
Mic working great
It's well known that Xperia Z2 has a very sensible high gain microphone because of water isolation. That makes your recordings, specially high decibels recordings such as gigs, sound awful. There is a great solution for this, install niaboc's rom (Existenz 3.1.0) and change the microphone gain to low, that will make you record with great quality.
I made some video recordings at a music festival with my z2. And it was awful. I was abit disappointed. It was all distorted. But then again that's very loud noise at a festival. Although it should be better than it is. Like I say it was all crackly and distorted and can't hear the music properly at all from what I recorded.
Will probably sound and record alot better with the mic accessorie. Though in my opinion, it should be fine without it.
But other videos recorded not at festival sound fine
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Free mobile app
Someone else is listening a noise like a fan coming from the rear camera when starting the camera app? It's normal or a product fault?
When recording a video the hiss is recorded too in background...
Same, someone help ?
Hi kristian12 for my experience I decided to not send rhe phone to assistance. After some weeks of daily use the noise/hiss has become slightly less and with a protective rear cover it's now better and not too annoying, but still present. Let me know what you think to do too.
Same problem here. Has it got any better since your last post (maybe the camera just has to warm-up )? Nevertheless, I am concerned about it and I think I will make a complaint...
Had the same issue with the Nokia 7.1 I received today. (4GB version, steel, in Denmark).
Went to the store and got the money back (the didn't have any other 7.1's in the store).
Went to another store and got another 7.1. Same issue.
Exchanged it for another one. Same issue again.
Ended up getting my money back.
So 3 out of 3 phones with audio noise coming from the camera itself. So weird.
Here's a guess for what might be causing the noise:
It might be from the ceramic capacitor used for the flash?
It doesn't pick up in any video recording I've done (super rare I record video anyway) but I can confirm mine has a strange almost-speaker sound hiss on my TA-1085 anytime the camera is active for photo or video. Almost sounds like listening in a seashell and more bass-y than I expected.
Today I went to yet another store that had the 7.1 on display.
And that too had noise from the camera. So for me it is now 4 out of 4 tested 7.1's that have had noise from the camera.
This leads me to suspect that it is an issue with all 7.1's. So I don't understand why there isn't a lot more people talking about this?
Do people not notice? or care? or maybe it is only in some versions, like the ones available in Denmark...
If the noice isn't picked up by the mic, like UCFJake experiences, then I could live with it myself.
I only had the opportunity to test the phone in a quiet area for a short time, so maybe I was mistaken by that part, and the noise I heard in a recorded video was just normal background noise amplified.
So to those of you with a 7.1, I would really appreciate it if you could help me by checking if your phone has noise from the camera, and then record a video in a quiet place, and see if there's audio noise picked up in the recording?
Because if there's not, I will go back and get the 7.1 anyway.
Morton_Fizzback said:
So to those of you with a 7.1, I would really appreciate it if you could help me by checking if your phone has noise from the camera, and then record a video in a quiet place, and see if there's audio noise picked up in the recording?
Because if there's not, I will go back and get the 7.1 anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey,
I got 7.1 in Germany yesterday and the noise is present. When you record a video, yes, there is a noise picked up but to hear it when playing you have to put the volume almost to the 70% level and then the noise from the loudspeaker is on the same level as the original one from the camera (you have to get really close to the loudspeaker to hear it). Hope that explains...
Also, a lot of people in the Russian forum complain for the same.
The biggest concern for me is that the noise won't get worse over time (like the dying capacitor in PSU, if one ever heard it) or the camera won't stop working.
Thanks for the info!
For me it's absolutely unacceptable that such a defect has been allowed to be present in the finished product.
So I'll start looking for another phone to get.
(If anyone in the Copenhagen area wants an unused clear 7.1 back cover, they can get mine)
From the other hand, I tried to record the video from the front camera and there's also a small noise when you play it on high volume, but that camera is silent. So this recorded noise might be a microphone issue (it's normal, more or less, you will never get an absolute silence). The difference in noise level between videos made on main and front camera is not significant, I can hardly tell, it's rather different frequencies of the noise - one is a little bit higher, another one is lower, like purple vs white noise.
So I don't know, @Morton_Fizzback, maybe you've heard exactly that noise on your recording when you had it, maybe you can still live with it...
I was just at the store looking at the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1, since it should have near stock android, but I was a bit annoyed by the pre-installed Facebook and Instagram apps that could only be disabled and not removed. So I'm considering the 7.1 again. Thanks for the testing @Summer Son !
So I tried again with another 7.1.
Again, as expected, it had the noise from the camera, but I think I might have been wrong with it being picked up by the mic.
I did some comparisons with another phone in a quiet room, and when recording and then playing a video with the volume turned up, they seemed to have about the same level of noise. So I guess what I heard the first time, might just have been normal static noise amplified.
So like others, my only small concern now, is that the noise isn't an indication that a part in the phone will be more prone to fail early.
Hi everyone
I have bought my 7.1 from France and i have notre had any noise problem from the camera until Pie update last weekend.
Since last sunday, noise from caméra is awful.
I suppose an update will arrive soon.
@Nathan03, it was there before, you just haven't noticed it.
Hello All. This is my first Sony phone and the volume output is abysmal on this thing. Even in a quiet empty room it seems you can hardly hear anything useful until the volume bar is at halfway. Is there a fix for this to increase the total output of the speakers? (Also seems to have low volume with wired headphones)
well, sony certainly is not among the louder ones, think that this goes a waaaaaaaay back when EU put some regulation on how loud portable devices can be. Back then it was really terrible, NC phones were nonexistent, just like chinese IEMs. Not much to chose from and to pick something with higher sensitivity. Mine sound OK with the earphones I have, even with XM2 on cable. Could it be louder? Yes. Does it need to be? Probably not. So try some more sensitive headphones or try some DAC, those are cheap and really portable this days. If you have a decent headphones, it might even improve the sound.
And the phone itself.......don't have anything in the same class and age to compare with. Seems OK or as crappy as any other phone TBH. BT speakers are dirty cheap today and any single one will outperform a phone, just like a soundbars and TVs, so I never really use phone speakers when I wanna listen something. For messages and useless videos is fine
Very good suggestions. Just seems odd that a flagship phone is this low. Even old phones I have laying around are louder. Its about as odd as the flashlight brightness. SMH lol
well, wifey has a poco f2 pro. And that one can be heard on the other floor of the house. And while certainly louder then xperia it is also certainly way worse sound the higher you go. I mean, there is only so much you can do with speakers and enclosure of that size. Clearly, bass is not something that is expected so forget that. But highs on poco getting terrible after some 75% volume, you just want it to go silent. I can tolerate the noise from xperia at max level but can't the one from poco. SONY was all about sound quality on promo materials so that might be the reason. lower volume but "better" sound quality.
Back in the days I had N900, that was a thick brick, also with stereo speakers and remember it as one of the better sounding phones.
No issue with mine for bluetooth headphones, never listen to videos/music direct on the phone so not something that concerns me at all, I always have headphones nearby. Having said that, just tested it listening to music and volume seems in line with expectations and my other phones....sorry