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Hey!
I was previously interested in the Sony Z2 but returned it because of issues with call quality, mainly the speaker being sh*t. I reckon the new Z3 will be of similar style. Although probably one of the best phones in the market, I can't live with the waterproofing making speakers worse.
The idea of a stylus and sketching on a phone intrigues me since I get so many ideas where ever and have little ways to scribble them down. Therefore I'm really considering getting a Note 4 even though I realize the real usage may be nonexistent in reality. Now, my question is, how is the speaker on the Note 4? I don't necessarily need stereo speakers, as the value of stereo on a smartphone is questionable but I do prefer decent sound quality. I talk A LOT on speakerphone and I want it to be crisp and clear. Also, how are youtube videos on the speaker?
PS. I'm coming from a SGS3 and want better battery life and bugless UI.
Anyone have a say on the speakerphone quality? And the onboard speaker in general.
I find the sound from the speaker load enough but a bit tinny. Speaker phone is good and YouTube videos are acceptable however I prefer using ear buds.
Ditto on what tbparkey said.
What feature - functionality you feel is missing or is a big gain over you previous phone in your Moto Z Play?
I am yet to get the Z Play and currently having Moto Z 2nd gen which will go in exchange one the shipment arrives.
Missing things:
The things I could get from reviews that which I feel I will miss over my current phone are:
1. Form factor: Moto X 2 has got one of the best screen to form ratio. It has got thin bezzles at side as well as top and bottom. Z play has got massive bezzles at top and bottom making it a massive device over the X 2 without gaining significant screen area.
2. Noise cancellation mics: Moto X 2 has got 4 mics whereas Z Play seem to have 3. I always get crispy audio quality while recording videos. Never got any wind noise even in outdoor video. I doubt if Z Play will be able to do the same.
3. Infrared sensors for Moto Display: I can wake up Moto display withou touching it even in dark becasue of the infrared sensor on the face of it. Mot display feature is there in Z Play as well but can the display be woken up in the dark?
4. Attentive Display: Screen won't dim or shut off in X2 when users keeps seeing onto it. Didn't find any source mentioning if its available in Z Play.
5. Extruded bumper protectors on both speaker grills to protect screen: Not available in Z Play, even in any other phone that X2. And they have really helped in my case during few drops and also save the screen from getting scratched.
6. Loudspeaker audio quality: Its loud and crispy clear n X2. I have even stopped using hands-free audio system speaker feature in my car and feel the phone's speaker is enough. But the Z Play has got mixed kind of opinions on loudspeaker. Few even say the same speaker component is shared between earpiece and loudspeaker. If so then its very bad.
Gains:
1. Battery Life
2. Camera Quality
3. Fingerprint sensor Never used any screen lock so not a real gain but maybe I start using protection since I find fingerprint unlocking more convenient than entering pins or patterns.
4. Moto mods compatibility Not really interested at the moment so not a gain for me.
Overall I feel my loses are more than the gains.
What you guys feel when you compare the Z Play with your previous phones?
I changed from a Moto G 1st Gen so quite a lot of gains.
from x style to z play
loose stereo speaker, gain JBL speaker
loose 21mp camera, gain professional camera
loose 2k mon, gain battery life
loose 5.5 inch screen, gain hand grip
but i m using both for daily driver, so no concern lol
I am coming from OnePlus One to Moto Z Play
What I MIss
CyanogenMod
Developer Support for device (although this will pick up with time, but not like OPO)
Sultanxda
Loud speaker volume (Moto Z Play has a really low volume)
Notification LED
What I Gained
AMOLED screen
Fingerprint sensor
Monster battery life
Better camera (Laser Autofocus)
Metallic body
Dual Sim with VoLTE (Indian version)
Front camera flash
I come from a Moto G 2014, so every single thing is a gain. Except for the lack of stereo speakers. But it has a much better battery life, a much better screen, much better camera, much better headphone output, much better construction and a much better SoC. Can't complain at all.
Moto X Pure > Moto Z Play
Missing: QHD display, stereo spearkers, CDMA compatibility
Gain: Super Amoled display, Moto Mods, crazy battery life, usb type c, similar performing but more efficient processor, finger print sensor, laser autofocus
Edit: LTE works flawlessly on the Moto Z Play.
Jack Sparrow xda said:
5. Extruded bumper protectors on both speaker grills to protect screen: Not available in Z Play, even in any other phone that X2. And they have really helped in my case during few drops and also save the screen from getting scratched.
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Click to collapse
Hello moto. Moto x pure has speakers grills that protect glass when faced down. Willing to bet the pure has louder speakers. And are you sure it had 4 noise cancelling mics? Sometimes when a phone has multiple mics they serve different purposes and moto isn't known for the best noise cancellation. iPhone and phones that use audience tend to do very well than Qualcomm's on chip offering.
@rbiter said:
Hello moto. Moto x pure has speakers grills that protect glass when faced down. Willing to bet the pure has louder speakers. And are you sure it had 4 noise cancelling mics? Sometimes when a phone has multiple mics they serve different purposes and moto isn't known for the best noise cancellation. iPhone and phones that use audience tend to do very well than Qualcomm's on chip offering.
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Click to collapse
As per the specs I remember, Moto X 2nd gen (2014 version having 801 krait) has 4 mics and they are to help better noise cancelation as well as stereo recording.
I always got great life like audio quality in my videos recorded through this phone without any interfering wind noise etc like what we usually get when record video on most of the phones and cameras. Though i haven't been on other side of my X2 so can't tell how does it sound but never heard any complaints from other people hearing me.
I don't think iPhones have good mic setup or any cutting edge tech. One of my friend whom i regularly talk has iPhone6 and I struggle many a times hearing him compard to many other people having other phones whome I regulrly talk. Even network reception is not good on his iP6 and he keeps swithing service providers.
Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk
@rbiter said:
...and moto isn't known for the best noise cancellation....
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Click to collapse
this is very wrong
motorola started with noise cancelation in their phones many years before anyone else (in past, they called it crystal talk)
not to mention Bluetooth headsets which are always top notch regarding noise cancelation
Just because they started it doesn't mean it is great in their phones. And wasn't talking about Bluetooth. Last Motorola Bluetooth earpiece I bought many many moons ago stopped working after 3 months. And it wasn't cheap.
---------- Post added at 12:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 PM ----------
Jack Sparrow xda said:
As per the specs I remember, Moto X 2nd gen (2014 version having 801 krait) has 4 mics and they are to help better noise cancelation as well as stereo recording.
I always got great life like audio quality in my videos recorded through this phone without any interfering wind noise etc like what we usually get when record video on most of the phones and cameras. Though i haven't been on other side of my X2 so can't tell how does it sound but never heard any complaints from other people hearing me.
I don't think iPhones have good mic setup or any cutting edge tech. One of my friend whom i regularly talk has iPhone6 and I struggle many a times hearing him compard to many other people having other phones whome I regulrly talk. Even network reception is not good on his iP6 and he keeps swithing service providers.
Sent from my XT1092 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPhone noise cancelation is a mixed bag. Wind noise is harder to cut. Also, placmemt and type of mic used. And iPhone still uses a very low bitrate when recording videos. Eager to see if the lg v20 lives up to its promise of clear recording ecen at high dB.
Since I'm still using my 2013 Moto X, anything is an upgrade.
Gain
- battery life. Coming from a 2 year old Note 4 that could barely get me to lunch, I was amazed yesterday to get from 6am to 3am with 40% batter remaining. Moderate use throughout the day, bit of gaming, bit of surfing etc.
Missing
- Miracast/ Screen mirroring. I used this all the time with my Note and Roku. I have no idea how to watch Kodi now so any advice would be gladly received.
Cheers
Battery life is only a hair worse than note4, but sometimes better. I got 6h58m SOT first full charge. 5.5h second charge in a more demanding environment but also had 15% left. Exceeded my expectations for battery and some might do better. Does screen sharing work for the above poster. Haven't tried it yet.
too big display for me, so maybe I will change it back too iPhone 6 xD
also I don't like "shh", which you can hear time by time when music or other sounds are on the low volume level
Love this phone
Coming from note 5
lost
1. Bigger screen and better resolution.
2.Best camera I have used on mobile phone.
3.Note 5 aesthetics are top notch.
gained
1. Battery Life no more 3hrs on screen time.
2. Fingerprint sensor way better than note 5.
3.Expanded storage through micro sd.
4.No att samsung bloatware
Overall the battery life on this phone just makes me love it more than any previous phone owned. Plus moto software it always on point form me :good: Also forgot to way less lag even with less processing power than note 5
Lost: RAM and a few steps on the camera quality scale. Dash charging.
Gained: Battery life
I came from a OnePlus 3. The drop in RAM is noticeable. I feel like almost every time I try to multitask and switch back to an app it refreshes on me. Also been very disappointed in the camera quality on the MZP. Battery life (my #1 priority) has made up for those 2 faults though.
Cons compared to Nexus 6:
-Had a slightly better camera in HDR mode. Particularly because of OIS
-Was nicer to hold.
-Android 7.0
-Higher resolution screen was a little nicer for VR.
-Used to have front facing stereo speakers.
Pros:
-Tripled battery life.
-Fingerprint reader.
-Style mods.
-Smaller screen (I have big hands and the N6 was still a touch too big)
-Dual tone flash.
-Front facing flash.
-No strange colour cast when the screen is dimmed.
-More responsive camera
Performance is sort of an outlier, since I think it's about the same. I think the Nexus 6 may have even been a bit faster.
_jfo_ said:
Lost: RAM and a few steps on the camera quality scale. Dash charging.
Gained: Battery life
I came from a OnePlus 3. The drop in RAM is noticeable. I feel like almost every time I try to multitask and switch back to an app it refreshes on me. Also been very disappointed in the camera quality on the MZP. Battery life (my #1 priority) has made up for those 2 faults though.
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Click to collapse
I just don't understand why people have such an insane amount of apps open, don't you ever close anything? 3gb is pretty much the standard.
_jfo_ said:
Lost: RAM and a few steps on the camera quality scale. Dash charging.
Gained: Battery life
I came from a OnePlus 3. The drop in RAM is noticeable. I feel like almost every time I try to multitask and switch back to an app it refreshes on me. Also been very disappointed in the camera quality on the MZP. Battery life (my #1 priority) has made up for those 2 faults though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably the ram management and how the app is programmed. Like xda doesn't like to stay in ram. Seems it wants to reload 80% of the time when you come back to it.
coolkingler1 said:
I just don't understand why people have such an insane amount of apps open, don't you ever close anything? 3gb is pretty much the standard.
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Yea, it's insane that this happens when I have 3 or 4 apps running....
Proper etiquette aside (hint: don't use speakerphone while doing your "business" in a public bathroom), rate this thread to express how you think the Google Pixel's speakerphone performs. A higher rating indicates that you love it: it's loud and it's clear.
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
Very average for me. Not as loud as I would have hoped.
Still waiting for mine to come in (should be in Tuesday). Will compare it to my S6 and see what happens.
Average at best. My friend and I were playing Battlefield 1 last night and talking on speaker phone, he also has the Pixel, at times we could not hear each other very well. I actually think the speaker on the 5X was better....
I would have to agree that the speaker is average at best when it comes to call quality. My Galaxy S6 was louder. Though audio playback for non-calls seems to be a fair amount better than my S6.
Anyone having issues turning their speaker all the way up and when watching video get like a popping sound?
falcon26 said:
Average at best. My friend and I were playing Battlefield 1 last night and talking on speaker phone, he also has the Pixel, at times we could not hear each other very well. I actually think the speaker on the 5X was better....
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Click to collapse
It's not the loudest I've heard but boy, compared to the 5X the 5X is a joke (I have both phones).
Sound is louder, deeper and more clear. Comparing to the 5X it's in a completely different level...
Used to have hands free conversations while driving with the phone in a cradle... but with the Pixel I can barely hear someone even with the volume at maximum. Not brilliant.
Better quality and clarity from the single speaker than I expected.
wahsu88 said:
Anyone having issues turning their speaker all the way up and when watching video get like a popping sound?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, totally. If you've heard a blown speaker, it kind of sounds like that at the higher levels.
Can other people either confirm out deny this? I'm wondering if this is a "feature" or a defect.
Thanks.
I chat with support and they told me that it is an audio issue with the videos since the issue wasn't consistent. They said to factory reset my phone. I did that, played the same vdieo over and over and the issue is no longer there.
wahsu88 said:
I chat with support and they told me that it is an audio issue with the videos since the issue wasn't consistent. They said to factory reset my phone. I did that, played the same vdieo over and over and the issue is no longer there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only noticed it when I was using the speakerphone during a call. I had to factory reset it later for a different reason so I'll check on it tomorrow but it still sounds tinny as Hell. And I'm coming from a Droid Turbo 1st generation.
Very average speaker! Waiting for Root so we can do some audio modifications and make it atleast decent quality.
Yeah it isn't as loud as my Nexus 6P, nor is it front facing. Or a dual setup. But it isn't as bad as I'd feared. Still plenty loud and crisp.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
subhani said:
Yeah it isn't as loud as my Nexus 6P, nor is it front facing. Or a dual setup. But it isn't as bad as I'd feared. Still plenty loud and crisp.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Click to collapse
I wanna eat my words and some humble pie too. The speakers are almost as loud as the 6P if not equally loud. The 6p has better dynamic range but I felt that in some tracks, the Pixel was crisper. It's really a toss up.
Add they're not front firing, I have no issue calling up assistant for time or weather when I'm in bed. Yes, I'm that guy who always places phones face down. The audio just pumps out the grill without any muffling whatsoever.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA-Developers mobile app
I haven't had enough time to test but mine seem to sound fine for what they are. Definitely not loud enough, but quality is on par to all the phones ive used minus an htc m9.
I actually prefer bottom speakers or speakers on the back for my particular use. I use my phones primarily for Google maps in my semi. I've used the sony z3 compact, htc m9, moto x, moto x 2nd gen, iphone 5s/6(s)/7., and oneplus 3
The best phone for audio i can actually hear while driving has been the 1st gen moto x. Sony,htc, snd 2nd gen moto x with front firing speakers are the worst. Iphone 6s better, iphone 7 best for iphones. One plus 3 probably in at #2 but they are not the best quality (more on the tinny side w/ lack of mid-low range).
I will have to compare the pixel next week.
Are there any mods yet for this? I would like my speakers to be loud as well coming from S7 Edge boy this speaker needs help! Anyone?
kingrichards said:
Are there any mods yet for this? I would like my speakers to be loud as well coming from S7 Edge boy this speaker needs help! Anyone?
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That's certainly odd. I did an EDM/Dubstep, standard voice, rock, and opera music test on the Pixel and Pixel XL compared to my Droid Turbo 2 and the iPhone 7 and 7+. This is what I came to:
-Pixel and Pixel XL are quite loud for a single/mono speaker setup, about equal in loudness to my Droid Turbo 2. All were quieter than the iPhone 7 and 7+, which is expected given their stereo/dual speaker setup.
-The iPhones possess a thin, metallic, tinny sound from both speakers, with a miniscule amount of bass or depth to the sound. The mids and highs were somewhat ear-piercing and overly sharp, and were overall not managed well. However, this is better than the S7 Edge from what I can tell, which sounded muffled, quiet, and tinny to me, when I watched a video on a Verizon display unit. However, I will have to do another test to truly give comparative results.
-The Pixels were quieter than the iPhones off the bat, which is to be expected, since they have mono speaker setups. But, the sound out of both of them was exactly as loud as my Turbo 2, and the Pixel's speakers have an impressive amount of depth. Bass was definitely present here, moreso than the Turbo 2, and the sound was not thin by any means. The mids and highs were present and did not sound tinny or not properly recognized by the speaker. However, the treble lacked the "wow" factor in comparison of the Turbo 2, whose treble was more crystalline and more alive, as well. Not that the Pixels sounded dead by any means, because their treble was also well represented and sound, at that high of frequencies, was not distorted, like it was a little bit with the iPhones, playing high-frequency sound (treble) in the soundtracks I used, but the highs and treble were more enhanced. So, it seems like the Pixel is better suited for bass and lower frequency sounds, whereas my Turbo 2 is better suited for treble and higher frequency sounds.
-In conclusion, the iPhones are OK in loudness for a dual-speaker setup, though their sound is thin, metallic and tinny, offering little to no depth of sound, especially compared to the Pixels, and not representing higher frequency sounds or voices properly, often falling apart in the treble compared to my Turbo 2. The Pixels are quieter than the iPhones, but offer the most depth of sound and bass of the three, and tie with the Turbo 2 for the least distortion of sound. Thehigher frequency sounds and the treble are present and well-represented with little distortion, but my Turbo 2 has a more crystalline, more alive upper register than the Pixel and especially the iPhone 7.
---------- Post added at 08:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:46 AM ----------
BTW in loudness, all three of the aforementioned smartphones are a joke compared to my 6P. In quality, however, the Pixel and my Turbo 2 come close to my 6P. The iPhone 7 gets decimated by my 6P though.
Low and bad quality
In call volume is definitely lower than my old Zuk Z2. Now I have to crank up the volume to max and still have a hard time in noisy locations. The speaker quality is acceptable. But I expected loud speakers when we are paying top dollar.
Overall, Pixel gives off an average phone vibe with overpriced price.
I am a music addict. I listen to a big varienty of styles: Metal, Electronic, R&B, you name it. Beeing an audiophile in my beginnings, I do not only care about how music is produced but also how it is reproduced. I already own the RMA T20 for on-the-go music consumption. Although they are a great pair of in-ear buds, they still are tied to cables. Since my Pixel 2XL comes without audio port, I was looking for a decent pair of true wireless earbuds that do not need any kind of cord.
Half a month ago, I bought the Bang&Olufsen Beoplay E8 that I find to be the most ambitious true wireless earbuds for audiophiles available today. I tested them thoroughly over the last 2 weeks and want to share an honest review.
Notice: I paid the full price (~260 EUR on Amazon.de) and did not recieve any discounts or incentives in order to write this review. I have no relation to B&O whatsoever. So this review is unbiased and reflects my personal opinion.
TL;DR
Pros:
great sound
precious looking buds and case
nice app with versatile EQ
transparency mode lets environmental sounds through
works nice with phone calls
multiple gestures
dropouts close to none
lipsync audio/video
Cons:
expensive
Micro-USB port
mediocre battery lifetime (~3h)
skip forward gesture often mistaken for a pause gesture
Review
Package
The package contains the 2 earbuds, a charging case, a thin USB-A to Micro-USB cable, several silicone earpieces (L, M, S, XS) and Comply earfoams (M).
Looks
The buds are a little big bulkier than what competitors like the Apple AirBuds offer but they look really precious in my eyes. The case comes with a leather coating and also offers nice haptics. The buds come in two color flavors: Black and charcoal (greyish). Both look nice, I own the black ones.
Pairing
Pairing works painlessly: Holding both touch areas for some seconds, the LED in the right bud indicates that pairing is now active. Then just use the normal bluetooth pairing of your phone.
App
The app is nicely designed and shows some informations about your buds like serial no and battery but also allows making settings.
You can choose EQ presets and make your own ones by placing an indicator in a sound-grid and tuning spacial levels. Sounds complicated but is actually rather intuitive. The app also notifies about firmware updates and does them only fly.
Functionality / Use
The buds provide an average playime of ~3h while the case provide enough power for 2 additional charges.
The interaction concept is based on two touch-sensitive areas (one per bud). A couple of gestures allow turning on, skip forward/backward, pause/play, volume control, transparency mode, call control and voice assistant activiation. Even if the sheer amount of gestures might be confusing for some, I find them easy to learn. Most of the time, they work pretty well. An sad exception is the "skip forward" gesture (double-tip right bud) that is often mistaken as pause (single-tip right bud). Besides this, the control is superiour to every other true wireless bud out there that I tested.
A highlight is the lip-sync audio/video (<0,2s lag) that makes videos a pleasure to watch. I tested other buds with a lag > 1s that made videos almost impossible to watch.
And when talking about comparisons with other buds: Most suffer from dropouts. These buds don't. At least almost. My greatest fear was that frequent dropouts would kill my pleasure. But these buds do really have a stable connection as long as the phone is not to far away from the right bud (master) and the left bud (slave) is not too far away from the right bud. In fact, I only faced short dropouts only in very few moments: While walking through a safety-scan door (interference) and crouching with my phone sticking in my jeans pocket (too much body between the phone and the buds). I don't know wether the up-to-date firmware is responsible for this, but I have absolutely no complaints in this department.
The transparency mode lets you percieve your environment in 3 flavors: environment only, mostly environment with soft music and 50/50.
Phone calls work like a charm and will even work while wearing only the left bud (master).
When put back in the case, the buds turn off automatically.
Sound
The sound is where these buds really do shine. They provide the B&O signature sound. This means: Transparent sound with clear, non-hissing hights, rich mids and present, defined lows. If you favor a modulated sound instead of a neutral one, you will love the EQ that the app features. Even if the sound reproduction cannot fully compete with audiophile cable headphones, I'd call it "almost audiophile". It is by far good enough to satisfy demanding music lovers. The sound is far ahead of any true wireless competition that I've checked.
Comfort
The buds really fit my ears well and despite their size, they have a tight fit that made me never afraid of having a bud dropping out of my ear.
Verdict
These are really great true wireless in-ear buds for audio lovers that unfortunately come with a hefty price tag. If you are into music on the go, you cannot go wrong. If you are looking for a sports companion, you might want to look somewhere else.
I upgraded from a Pixel 4XL and sound quality of Pixel Buds is less in my Pixel 6 Pro. I checked and the settings are the same on both phones. Anybody else having same results?
Check your isp aint lowered your audio bitrate to skimp on what you pay for, when you upgraded, it could be they cant provide everyone top quality, audio is first to take the hit in skimping on service... put sim back in old fone to test. Poor signal drops audio bitrate first followed by streaming visuals, see, you'd notice it less in visual than audio. If you notice it in audio, plug in a ps3 using wifi hotspot, check the graphics, if they are lower quality than your used to, then you'll know.... now that the ps5 is out, watch the same happen to the ps4, lowered graphic quality.
Example:
I live in a common stair with 6 houses. If all six opt to buy 150mb service, we'd only get around 50mb actual speed, because they cannot provide full 150 to all through the very thin fibre optics, they are currently rewiring my street from inch thick fibre to 3 inch thick fibre...
This is the case thoughout the uk.