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Jason B

macrumors 6502
Original poster
May 21, 2010
363
32
I got an XS yesterday and came from a 6s. What don’t the speakers on this new XS sound any better? Playing music, videos, etc I was expecting to see a big improvement. Not so. Is something wrong with my phone? It also barely any louder than the 6s!!!!

What's going on. I expected to be blown away... One speaker is at the bottom left on the XS and the other comes from the earpiece.

Also, is there a test like this for all newer models???

https://www.cultofmac.com/310378/speaker-test-ranks-every-iphone-model-order-loudness/
 
Maybe you have a defective unit because the speaker difference between the Xs and the 6s is very noticeable.
 
One speaker is at the bottom left on the XS and the other comes from the earpiece.

If you’re looking at the screen, the speaker is on the bottom right, along with sound coming out of the earpiece. Left is a microphone.
 
The difference from 6 to 7 was huge, and the X/Xs is supposed to be a big improvement on that.
 
Thanks everyone!

1) Ok, I rebooted and the sound is better... Much louder than the 6s, like it should be. I was expecting maybe it would go louder and I'd be completely blown away, coming from a 2014 Iphone 6s, but it DOES sound much better. Just thought it might go louder....

2) The earpiece speaker when you're making a phone call and the phone is on your ear, not on speakerphone... It seems sound quality isn't quite as crips as before. Like there's a lot less treble, slighty mono sounding (the other persons voice). I called numerous people. I know the earpiece speaker is upgraded over the 6s and is now doing many other functions, but I can tell. It's almost like there's more bass but the treble was taken away some.

Anyone else notice this? I did also see the the cutout rectangle for the earpiece on the XS is much smaller than the 6s actually too.
 
The difference from 6 to 7 was huge, and the X/Xs is supposed to be a big improvement on that.

My favorite feature of the iPhone 7 Plus was the stereo speakers, and then Apple actually amplified that by 25% for the iPhone 8, and the XS Max, sounds just as good, and even seems somewhat more distinct with the bass.
 
My favorite feature of the iPhone 7 Plus was the stereo speakers, and then Apple actually amplified that by 25% for the iPhone 8, and the XS Max, sounds just as good, and even seems somewhat more distinct with the bass.
Definitely. I never used to use speaker phone before the 7. Now I don't mind it at all.
 
Playing music, videos, etc. I was expecting to see a big improvement. Not so. Is something wrong with my phone?
Maybe with your ears. You should at least notice the difference between mono and stereo speakers. And if your top speaker was defective, you couldn’t even make a call.
 
I noticed my XS seemed quieter lately. The earpiece speaker wasn’t emitting sound. Rebooted the phone and it’s working again.
 
Thanks everyone!

1) Ok, I rebooted and the sound is better... Much louder than the 6s, like it should be. I was expecting maybe it would go louder and I'd be completely blown away, coming from a 2014 Iphone 6s, but it DOES sound much better. Just thought it might go louder....

2) The earpiece speaker when you're making a phone call and the phone is on your ear, not on speakerphone... It seems sound quality isn't quite as crips as before. Like there's a lot less treble, slighty mono sounding (the other persons voice). I called numerous people. I know the earpiece speaker is upgraded over the 6s and is now doing many other functions, but I can tell. It's almost like there's more bass but the treble was taken away some.

Anyone else notice this? I did also see the the cutout rectangle for the earpiece on the XS is much smaller than the 6s actually too.

We’d have to know what cellular network you are on. It sounds like maybe you are on CDMA for voice. VoLTE sounds great with Verizon here. It also depends on the person you are calling to a degree too.
 
Of course.....the sound quality is 75% worse for peak audio performance. A10 and up devices are nothing but paperweights...the audio quality is trash
 
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