Hows the vibration motor? - Google Pixel 2 XL Questions & Answers

I'm pretty picky about the strength and volume of my phones' vibration motors. I currently have the Note 8 and iPhone 7+ and I like how when I'm sitting in a meeting and receive a notification, everyone doesn't hear incessant buzzing going off in my pocket or bag. Previously owned the Pixel XL and felt it was a bit too loud for my preference. Can anyone provide any insight for the XL 2?

leet414 said:
I'm pretty picky about the strength and volume of my phones' vibration motors. I currently have the Note 8 and iPhone 7+ and I like how when I'm sitting in a meeting and receive a notification, everyone doesn't hear incessant buzzing going off in my pocket or bag. Previously owned the Pixel XL and felt it was a bit too loud for my preference. Can anyone provide any insight for the XL 2?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMO: Pixel 2 XL's vibration motor is more vibrate-less noise, than the Pixel XL vibration motor. In short, they got this right.
-jd

Thanks, that's what I was hoping for. October 24th can't come soon enough (barring any shipping delays)!

iPhone is still far better. But the Pixel 2 haptics are much better in terms of being less tinny... more of a deep vibration vs the original Pixel. Compared to the Note8, the Pixel 2 XL is a hair faster/sharper, but not as strong or deep in feel. This might be due to the intensity setting which isn't changeable in settings... will likely require root and a kernel to ramp up the intensity.

I personally am not a fan of it. It feels kinda cheap and weak, at least for haptic feedback when typing. Something I can deal with though. It does have the more vibrate less noise effect so I guess it is more functional for notifying you when in your pocket. I personally like the sharp and fast kind of vibration motors like my Nexus 6P had, although it wasn't very effective at notifying me when in my pocket, it just felt better when typing.

KHANrad_SIN said:
I personally am not a fan of it. It feels kinda cheap and weak, at least for haptic feedback when typing. Something I can deal with though. It does have the more vibrate less noise effect so I guess it is more functional for notifying you when in your pocket. I personally like the sharp and fast kind of vibration motors like my Nexus 6P had, although it wasn't very effective at notifying me when in my pocket, it just felt better when typing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd recommend you change the vibration strength of the keyboard then. If you're using the Google keyboard it can be found hnder preferences
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

Nitemare3219 said:
iPhone is still far better. But the Pixel 2 haptics are much better in terms of being less tinny... more of a deep vibration vs the original Pixel. Compared to the Note8, the Pixel 2 XL is a hair faster/sharper, but not as strong or deep in feel. This might be due to the intensity setting which isn't changeable in settings... will likely require root and a kernel to ramp up the intensity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using the phone for a few days now, I agree with Nitemare3219's assessment. Its definitely not as tinny as most other phones but it's not as deep as the i7+/N8 and it has resulted in me missing some calls bc I don't feel the vibration in my pocket. Wish it was stronger in intensity but not a deal breaker for me. There's so much else good about this thing over my other phones including: loud and even stereo speakers, insane battery life, no 4k video stuttering at all, and better still shots.

Serious question related to this thread: For those of you who have haptic feedback on for typing, etc. - why do you like this? Honestly it's one of the first things I do with every phone - turn that stuff off. Only time I like my phone to vibrate is when receiving a call or text.
Just curious as to what people like about it.

skw5115 said:
I'd recommend you change the vibration strength of the keyboard then. If you're using the Google keyboard it can be found hnder preferences
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried, but it only increases the vibration duration not the actual strength. I know you can change the actual strength of the vibration with a custom kernel, it was possible with elementalX on the Nexus 6P so I'm holding out for that. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Not sure if this was something the original Pixel and Pixel XL (Or phones have been doing it for some time) did but I did notice that ‎it has an interesting haptic feedback that kind of mimics Apple's Force Touch with a vibration when pressing and releasing for the keyboard and back, home, and multitasking buttons. It's subtle but there. For notifications I find it strong enough. I keep my phone in my front left pocket.
I did come from the Nexus 5X and wasn't a fan of that motor.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

I like the haptic feedback of Pixel 2 XL but vibration upon calls or messages is too weak: if phone is layin down on a hard flat surface, when I receive a call I cannot either feel or hear at all the vibration.

thegios said:
I like the haptic feedback of Pixel 2 XL but vibration upon calls or messages is too weak: if phone is layin down on a hard flat surface, when I receive a call I cannot either feel or hear at all the vibration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's relatively weak while typing or pressing the navigation buttons but I'm fine with that. Are you using it with or without a case? I hear vibrating notifications and calls pretty fine with my TPU case on. That's with regular ambient sounds and not in a busy office or anything.

thegios said:
I like the haptic feedback of Pixel 2 XL but vibration upon calls or messages is too weak: if phone is layin down on a hard flat surface, when I receive a call I cannot either feel or hear at all the vibration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was the same way on the 6p. Hopefully the kernel Devs can address the issue as they did with the 6p :good:

No case. It's not normal that a phone made of hard material, laying on a harder surface, does not make the surface itself vibrate. I cannot even hear the vibration sound.

thegios said:
No case. It's not normal that a phone made of hard material, laying on a harder surface, does not make the surface itself vibrate. I cannot even hear the vibration sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But if you can feel it in your pocket then it's doing the job. That's what ringtones and notification sounds are for. If you can't, then don't know what to say. It's not the strongest for sure but it's far from weak, at least on my unit.

Well I can feel it in the jeans pocket, not in the jacket pocket.

Its not samsung or iphone good. It still generate a bit of rattleing noise. But not too bad
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

It doesn't rattle like the rubbish you get on my S8+ or HTC 10, and you can't hear it, as it's for feeling not hearing, but you feel it in your trousers which is where it's meant to be imho.

Related

Metallic noise on vibration?

I have just received my HTC 10 (great phone overall) and vibration is really strong. Not ideal but not a massive problem, however haptic feedback is really annoying. You actually hear a metallic sound when you touch the fingerprint reader/home button or when typing in the keyboard, like a mild xylophone or something similar. And if the phone is sitting on a table it's very noticeable. Again it's not a typical vibration sound, it's more of a metallic thing. I was even wondering if the sound came from the speakers lol
Is this affecting other people? I wonder if if's just my handset.
xdn said:
I have just received my HTC 10 (great phone overall) and vibration is really strong. Not ideal but not a massive problem, however haptic feedback is really annoying. You actually hear a metallic sound when you touch the fingerprint reader/home button or when typing in the keyboard, like a mild xylophone or something similar. And if the phone is sitting on a table it's very noticeable. Again it's not a typical vibration sound, it's more of a metallic thing. I was even wondering if the sound came from the speakers lol
Is this affecting other people? I wonder if if's just my handset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very interesting.
I always use power saver and don't prefer vibrate anyway but just checked it out and the noise is very odd.
Verizon variant
andybones said:
Very interesting.
I always use power saver and don't prefer vibrate anyway but just checked it out and the noise is very odd.
Verizon variant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which is why i hate haptic feedbacks or vibrate
My Verizon variant does this as well. I describe it as kind of a hollow, metallic sound. I figured it was just due to the placement of the "vibrator(?)" within the metal frame.
I have just sent this unit back for replacement, let's see if the noise on the new one is any different.
I just read there are kernels which let you reduce the intensity of vibration (not just the duration like some keyboard apps do), this might be a workaround but you need a rooted device. If anyone gets to try this please share your results.

Vibration too soft?

I've had a Pixel XL since Friday and I've found the vibration to be very soft. Has anyone else had this issue? I normally leave my ringer off and just rely on vibrate but I think I won't be able to with this phone. Thanks
Yeah it is really bothering me, waiting for root and kernel controls so I can increase the intensity.
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
Is it softer than the 6p? It barely vibrates at all
It does seem fairly soft, I don't notice it most of the time (though I've always relied on sound anyways). But I do have a fairly think case on so that could definitely be absorbing the vibration on my end.
I find the vibration is not necessarily weak, but subtle by design. Not quite as strong as the 6P, but not a problem as such. I suppose I prefer this vibration motor to most others (anything is better than the chainsaw the Nexus 6 was!)
technician4 said:
I find the vibration is not necessarily weak, but subtle by design. Not quite as strong as the 6P, but not a problem as such. I suppose I prefer this vibration motor to most others (anything is better than the chainsaw the Nexus 6 was!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I missing my chainsaw a little right now after I found this thread. Hopefully my case that arrives tomorrow will help.
I find it is quite strong
ysihaoy said:
I find it is quite strong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's much better than my 6p!
Root + the new ElementalX kernel + EX Kernel Manager, will give you vibration options.
Make vibration softer or stronger. Your choice.
Working as of today.
Its hard to rely on sound if at work you need to turn it on vibrate... i wonder if some peoples pixels are stronger than other pixels
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app

5T vibration on strong setting?

I noticed a rattling noise when the vibration is set to strong setting. Medium and light setting seems to be fine but only happens on strong setting. Does anyones 5T does this too?
Nothing here... Only saturation whith earpiece when in call volume is at max setting
"Strong"
Damn, the motor in my 5T is weak af.
Its nothing compared to my 3T at least.. This thing feels like a baby bee is stuck in here.
imatts said:
"Strong"
Damn, the motor in my 5T is weak af.
Its nothing compared to my 3T at least.. This thing feels like a baby bee is stuck in here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You may have a defective device. My 5T's vibration is very strong. I had 2 different 3Ts and a 3 and not one had a decent vibration motor. My 5T's vibration is also a lot stronger than the Pixel 2 XL that I had.

Weak vibration?

Is it me or vibration is very low?
I have 8.1 DP2 and if phone is on vibration and laying down on a flat hard surface, I cannot hear it at all.
I'm not sure if this will help with notifications, but the vibration strength can be set in gboard under preferences.
Right now Google has the best Haptic Engine/Motor in Android!
And it's more like Apple's "Taptic" Engine. But as far as your concern
I'm sure Google will add the "Strength" option back to settings menu or
just wait for a custom Kernel to be built with one.
I'm actually talking about vibration when receiving a call or a message
This is driving me nuts!!!
When phone is in vibration and laying on a hard flat surface, I cannot feel it... Unbeliveable!!!
thegios said:
This is driving me nuts!!!
When phone is in vibration and laying on a hard flat surface, I cannot feel it... Unbeliveable!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will second this. I just switched from my gs8+, still have it though. The vibration is next to worthless for receiving phone calls and text messages. You cannot even hear the vibration at all let alone feel the vibration in your pocket. It's pathetic and I'm considering returning the pixel 2 xl back to Verizon and going back the gs8+. It's that annoying. I've only been testing the pixel 2 xl for barely 24 hours.
Dutt1113 said:
I will second this. I just switched from my gs8+, still have it though. The vibration is next to worthless for receiving phone calls and text messages. You cannot even hear the vibration at all let alone feel the vibration in your pocket. It's pathetic and I'm considering returning the pixel 2 xl back to Verizon and going back the gs8+. It's that annoying. I've only been testing the pixel 2 xl for barely 24 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can feel the vibration in my pocket. You can't hear it because you're not supposed to hear it. It's a decent motor rather than the old rattly crap you get on other phones. I feel the vibrate in my pocket better than my S8+ or my HTC 10.
samteeee said:
Right now Google has the best Haptic Engine/Motor in Android!
And it's more like Apple's "Taptic" Engine. But as far as your concern
I'm sure Google will add the "Strength" option back to settings menu or
just wait for a custom Kernel to be built with one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google don't have the best Haptic feedback, far from it. it doesn't come close to iPhone X, best haptic feedback on Android pones is in LG V30. and there is so many places where LG uses haptic feedback. if I've to rate few phones which I've tried and rate there haptic feedback it would be like
1. iPhone X
2. LG V30
3. Pixel 2 XL
4 Samsung S9+ ( they uses haptic feedback very less, fingerprint sensor don't even give you any feedback which I don't like )
Oneplus 5T vibrates a lot. but OnePlus 5T vibrations makes you feel you using a cheap phone.

Too much vibration from speakers??

I was reading an article from bgr (link below) and they talked about a flaw that has not been talked about with the new pixel phones. They claim the speakers vibrate soo much when playing back music or video etc. that it feels like the vibration motor in the handset is on and is actually vibrating soo much you don't even want to hold the phone in your hand while audio is playing out the speakers.
The funny thing is I must have watched a zillion review videos and no one else has mentioned this. It would be weird that no one else caught this. I hope this is an isolated case if a case at all.
Anyone else heard of this issue?
https://bgr.com/2018/10/16/pixel-3-xl-review-supplement-design-flaw/
There's a huge difference between a flaw, and a feature/side effect. According to what is happening here the speakers are vibrating the phone from the sound of the speakers. There is no distortion, or sound issue, but a vibration side effect on the phone itself. It's like turning up your car stereo, or home theater, and the doors on the car vibrate, or the home speakers vibrate, and may even shake the walls. That is not a flaw, but a result of loud, sound speakers.
bobbyphoenix said:
There's a huge difference between a flaw, and a feature/side effect. According to what is happening here the speakers are vibrating the phone from the sound of the speakers. There is no distortion, or sound issue, but a vibration side effect on the phone itself. It's like turning up your car stereo, or home theater, and the doors on the car vibrate, or the home speakers vibrate, and may even shake the walls. That is not a flaw, but a result of loud, sound speakers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true but they claimed it was also significantly vibrating even at 50% volume. That's something I would expect at max volume. Either way we will see soon enough.
bsg411 said:
That's true but they claimed it was also significantly vibrating even at 50% volume. That's something I would expect at max volume. Either way we will see soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because of the IP68 rating, its pretty sealed, and thats why youre getting that vibration. Theres nowhere for that air to go so its going to bump into the case.
There is definitely a bit of vibration on my phone when music is played through the speakers but I currently don't find it to be an issue.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
It's there AND the speakers are much louder than the 2 and quite crisp. I'll take the trade off
A good case might absorb it some....
I think it’s a flaw. I’ve seen so many reviews praising the speakers of the pixel and I was surprised to find out that the audio experience is really subpar. Compared to my iPhone XS Max the sound is night and day. The iPhone is louder, more clear, and overall more pleasing. Another user in another thread described the pixel audio as “everyone in videos sound like their mouths are full peanut butter when they talk” and it’s a very accurate description of the sound. Not to mention the phone does indeed vibrate a ton when you get anywhere north or 35% volume and most of the sound emitted comes through the bottom speaker making the whole auditory experience sound unbalanced and not truly stereo. Both the iPhone and Pixel have the same IP68 very but the iPhone absolutely smashes the pixel as far are speakers are concerned.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I just got my pixel 3 xl setup and WOW im shocked at the amount of vibration from a video. I played a video of us singing happy birthday to my daughter on my Pixel 2 xl at 50% volume and near max say 90% and there is some vibration at the edges not much at the center. i then did the same test with the pixel 3 XL and its bad at 25% volume and gets worse from there the whole back vibrates right from the center out. both test with no case. Im going to pick up a case today and see if it absorbs some. This could be a deal breaker for me, i like to watch videos on my phone and that will just get annoying
Yeah there is a lot of vibration from the speakers thru the whole phone, my 2XL did not have that, the sound is a lot Fuller and louder then that phone though.
I have the Google fabric case and it does not reduce it at all.
It does not bother me to much, the buzzing/distortion on my lower speaker bothers me a lot.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
My phone arrived today and I have a spigen case waiting for it. When I get home Ill test this out and report back how it feels.
After some more use there is some odd sound issues , sending a text through the stock app the sound makes an odd sound that is not present on my pixel 2 xl . is like a tiny crackly vibration sound . i have similar sounds from pokemon go as well ...man this really stinks , i expected the sound to be like my pixel 2 xl
The fact the phone is vibrating without distortion is pretty awesome.
It indicates fuller sound with more audio being produced in the low end.
This is fantastic news.
I'm sorry ya'll wimpy hands can't handle vibrations.
CZ Eddie said:
The fact the phone is vibrating without distortion is pretty awesome.
It indicates fuller sound with more audio being produced in the low end.
This is fantastic news.
I'm sorry ya'll wimpy hands can't handle vibrations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It’s not a matter of hands being bothered, at least not for me, it’s a matter of the sound being **** because there is too much low end frequency and resonance and the highs and mids become almost inaudible. I won’t use it without headphones now cause I just can’t understand and clearly, the sound coming from the music or videos. Either that’s or I’ll just pick up my iPhone because it sounds like a damn IMAX Dolby experience in comparison lmao
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
CZ Eddie said:
The fact the phone is vibrating without distortion is pretty awesome.
It indicates fuller sound with more audio being produced in the low end.
This is fantastic news.
I'm sorry ya'll wimpy hands can't handle vibrations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My pixel 2 xl sounded nice with out the annoyance of a vibrating phone on every sound. i like fuller sound to a point. sure my hands can HANDle it ( lol sorry just being silly and had to bold hand) but do i want or like it is another story. i watched the same few videos and they sounded good on both phones ans sure the 3xl was a bit fuller but the vibrating was sorta distracting for me , there might even be some distorting from it as well.
razor237 said:
My pixel 2 xl sounded nice with out the annoyance of a vibrating phone on every sound. i like fuller sound to a point. sure my hands can HANDle it ( lol sorry just being silly and had to bold hand) but do i want or like it is another story. i watched the same few videos and they sounded good on both phones ans sure the 3xl was a bit fuller but the vibrating was sorta distracting for me , there might even be some distorting from it as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my exact experience! If I’ve been watching videos on my pixel and then pick up my iPhone to watch a video it’s like I’ve steeped into an imax theatre with the Dolby atoms experience it’s so much better [emoji23]. Google needs to push an update to the sound tuning ASAP
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Pure+ said:
This is my exact experience! If I’ve been watching videos on my pixel and then pick up my iPhone to watch a video it’s like I’ve steeped into an imax theatre with the Dolby atoms experience it’s so much better [emoji23]. Google needs to push an update to the sound tuning ASAP
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i was comparing to my pixel 2 xl figured it was a fair comparison both with similar front firing speakers .... i i remember correctly my nexus 6P had some sound issues that was solved by updates so maybe they can reduce it a bit
razor237 said:
Yeah i was comparing to my pixel 2 xl figured it was a fair comparison both with similar front firing speakers .... i i remember correctly my nexus 6P had some sound issues that was solved by updates so maybe they can reduce it a bit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was just totally shocked because I’ve seen so many reviews praising these speakers especially when compared to the two new iPhones and that’s just not been my experience at all. Maybe it’s preference but I can’t imagine how these things are define as clear, crisp, etc
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I love the phone but hate the distortion of the speakers, I don't listen to music that much but it is so bad, even on YouTube videos.i might have to return this thing.
I have seen 3 phones so far and they all have that issue. Maybe I have to switch to the 10s Max.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
marcocb8 said:
I love the phone but hate the distortion of the speakers, I don't listen to music that much but it is so bad, even on YouTube videos.i might have to return this thing.
I have seen 3 phones so far and they all have that issue. Maybe I have to switch to the 10s Max.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah everyone was going on about the notch and that's not too bad at all but the sounds is more of an issue for me at least , the 10s Max does sound good and doesn't vibrate like the 3xl, i was just comparing to my wife's. but man the only issue with that is using iOS

Categories

Resources