Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The speaker on mine sounds fine. I can do max volume and it sounds nice and clear. I’m actually surprised by the speaker as that was my main concern.
Same here - week of use and speaker sounds very clear and crisp.

Perfect for calls, FaceTime, voice mail retrieval, etc...

Haven't used it for media streaming - that is the job for either my EV Apple Carplay or my Studio Max Mac with Bose sound system.
 
This just developed on my Air. I have had this phone for one week now. Calling Apple.
You probably had it at alone. All of them do. Since it’s a single speakers the upper volume limit has been set higher by Apple. Pumping that much air through a small speaker will cause any speaker to distort at high volume.

Takes an ear to hear it.

Try taking a call on speaker phone, pump it to max volume. You’ll hear it crack or distorts on certain tones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MaxVerstappen
You probably had it at alone. All of them do. Since it’s a single speakers the upper volume limit has been set higher by Apple. Pumping that much air through a small speaker will cause any speaker to distort at high volume.

Takes an ear to hear it.

Try taking a call on speaker phone, pump it to max volume. You’ll hear it crack or distorts on certain tones.
No I did not have it all along and even at a lower volume speaker phone or not I still have an issue. Apple tech said it could be the carrier.
 
Does this really surprise anyone? There is a reason an iPhone has never previously had a single earpiece speaker.
 
It’s just the capability of the smaller speaker. You will notice harshness and a tinny quality at max volume and higher pitches. You’ll hear it different times because people speak differently. Listen to some voicemails and you can reproduce it.

If it makes you feel better, the pro and base phones also have this characteristic at times, albeit to a lesser degree. With the Air’s smaller mono speaker, any distortions are more obvious. Having stereo speakers creates a richer sound, particularly for music. For calls, it may help to remember that the speaker is at the very edge of the phone and placing that directly next to your ear hole is important since the volume is slightly less on the Air. For day-to-day notifications, most people won’t be too put off by the difference. Particularly if they don’t have both phones to do side-by-side comparisons like a psycho..
 
  • Like
Reactions: empoweredtrader
This is my main deal breaker with the Air. I use the speaker phone a lot when driving my classic car.

I know I can just use AirPods and problem solved, and funnily enough I always use them when in a modern vehicle, but when in my old car I want to hear it and the experience is without AirPods for me.

I didn’t think I would care that much, but I do. So I’m sticking with my 15 PM another year, for as nice of an upgrade the 17 PM would be, I don’t see enough of an upgrade for my use case.
 
This is my main deal breaker with the Air. I use the speaker phone a lot when driving my classic car.

I know I can just use AirPods and problem solved, and funnily enough I always use them when in a modern vehicle, but when in my old car I want to hear it and the experience is without AirPods for me.

I didn’t think I would care that much, but I do. So I’m sticking with my 15 PM another year, for as nice of an upgrade the 17 PM would be, I don’t see enough of an upgrade for my use case.
The Air is a whole 10db quieter than the Pro. You wouldn't be able to make out anything if you were watching a show or on FaceTime while in the kitchen with the extractor fan on.
 
The Air is a whole 10db quieter than the Pro. You wouldn't be able to make out anything if you were watching a show or on FaceTime while in the kitchen with the extractor fan on.
And I agree with Dave2D on that statement (I watched the video yesterday). But in all honesty, I couldn’t hear others while on speaker with my 15PM with the exhaust fan on either. Not that I’m trying to defend the Air, but just giving insight on the reality of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4sallypat
And I agree with Dave2D on that statement (I watched the video yesterday). But in all honesty, I couldn’t hear others while on speaker with my 15PM with the exhaust fan on either. Not that I’m trying to defend the Air, but just giving insight on the reality of it.
Yeah, I watched Dave2D's video prior to making the post. I don't think I would ever speak to someone on FaceTime with the extractor fan on but I certainly do have videos on and my regular 13 does a fine job of being loud enough to overcome the background noise. The Air (even the 8) would be too quiet for me at times.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.