Consumer Reports on iPhone as a Phone
One of the most important things to think about when considering any new cell phone purchase is how well the device in question functions as a phone. Whatever other cool features it may have going for it: Internet access, sms, music and video playback or a camera, you will probably still want to make a few calls with it now and again as well.As a new iPhone user, I'm neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the iPhone's ability to make and receive calls or by its call sound quality -- I think its fine. Coming from a Blackberry, for me the iPhone pretty much sounds the same as my old phone, so I'm satisfied with it.. However, Consumer Reports takes a different view of iPhone's voice and call quality.
According to the site, the iPhone is "undistinguished at best" when it comes to call voice quality. They also highlight some other shortcomings of the iPhone as a phone including its lack of voice-activated dialing and the lack of an easy method for accessing frequently called numbers.
Maybe its me but I don't miss voice dialing and I don't find it very difficult to access frequently needed numbers. Sure, it would be great to just hold down one key to dial a saved number -- as I used to do with my Blackberry -- but the lack of that feature, or the others highlighted in the article, don't really cause me to like the device any less. What you iPhone users out there? How do you think the iPhone rates as a phone?
Thanks, Chris.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
David said 9:57AM on 7-09-2007
I am coming from a Blackberry and find the call quality to be pretty much the same. The ringer is not as loud, but that's fine. I never used voice dialing or speed dialing, so I don't miss those features now. If anything, "Favorites" is more closely aligned with my dialing habits than any speed dialing features my phone might have had in the past. I think the overall user experience of the iPhone trumps any individual issue.
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Mitch said 10:00AM on 7-09-2007
I'm surprised about the Consumer Reports report.
My iPhone as a phone has been a great phone in terms as sound quality.
The sound quality of the iPhone is at least as good as (and definitely better than some) any of my other phones:
Motorola SLVR on Cingular
Treo 650 & Sanyo PM-8200 on Sprint
Nokia 8260 on AT&T
In terms of voice dialing - never used so I don't miss it. The favorites work fine but is not as easy to use as other phones (especially when you are doing something else (like driving)).
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Eric M said 10:01AM on 7-09-2007
My only problem is that the speakerphone is way way to quiet.
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artifex said 10:02AM on 7-09-2007
I enjoyed voice dialing when I first got it -- back in 2001, on my first phone. It made it easier to talk to family when I was driving for hours. But I haven't used it in ages. And "favorite" numbers? Are you kidding? I don't remember what order the quick dial has anyone in. I don't care. If they're someone I talk to a lot, they're in my redial list. So from that standpoint, I don't use the features on my current phone, so I doubt I'd miss them on an iPhone. I would miss being able to set my own ringtone, however, if I couldn't.
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TheWirelessWizard said 10:06AM on 7-09-2007
I do, actually, miss the voice dialing a great deal. Most of the time I'm using my headset (a Jawbone) with the iPhone while driving; with other phones I am able to tap the button on the headset and name the person I want to call. With the iPhone I'm forced to take my eyes off the road and hand off the wheel to make my call. I've created a list of Favorites that takes some of the pain out of the process, but still, it's not as easy as voice dialing.
In regards to the call quality I find it to be better than most phones. The sound coming through the phone's earpiece is clear and sharp - anyone who doesn't find it that way needs to experiment with moving the phone around until it's in the right position on their ear (I had the same problem at first with the RAZRs - until you know just where to put it the sound can be fuzzy).
The speakerphone is better than most - I find that I can leave the phone in the dock and answer it with the speaker (however, you'd think that the phone would be smart enough to switch to the speaker automatically when it's in the dock... you have to proactively hit the "Speaker" button... does someone at Apple really think I'm going to lift the entire phone/dock assembly to my head to answer it??) and the sound is very good in both directions.
Just my 2 cents.
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karo said 10:08AM on 7-09-2007
@artifex
Ditto. I don't use speed dial or voice dialing most of the time. I just redial to my recent calls.
When I'm using a bluetooth headset, -then- I sometimes use voice dialing because I'm likely driving. But otherwise I don't need it.
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Greg said 10:10AM on 7-09-2007
So far, a few minor complaints. I worry about the lack of voice dial, since I do most of my calling while driving. Also, there is no "reject" option when the phone is locked- I can't automatically send a call to voicemail, I have to let it ring. Honestly, the lack of speed dial hasn't proven to be a huge annoyance yet, since I've never been in a Jack Bauer situation where I can't take the extra 5 seconds to touch through some menus.
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JamesS said 10:12AM on 7-09-2007
Umm... whats wrong with favorites? I suppose it's not as easy as hitting a single button, but there aren't any single buttons...
The thing that really shines for me with the iPhone is it's excellently implemented bluetooth headset features! Big buttons letting me change from the headset, to the iPhone to the speaker phone. No ambiguity no strange labels that I dont understand (my old sony-erricson treated a blue tooth headset as some strange sort of voodoo which sort of worked.. sometimes...) but the same headset on my iPhone works great. And the iPhone volume controls control the volume of the headset! No more trying to hit the stupid volume buttons on the headset and accidently disconnecting.
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Greg said 10:19AM on 7-09-2007
@JamesS
I'd like to have the bottom row of my Home screen be 4 "quick call" shortcuts- they'd just display the picture assigned to the contact, and I could tap them to automatically initiate a call to the assigned number. That way, I can initiate a call in 3 taps, which is as good as any other candybar phone - 2 taps to unlock, then a tap for speed dial.
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Sam G. said 10:22AM on 7-09-2007
I love how review sites (CNet's also guilty of this) decry the lack of certain features while not analyzing how many people actually use these features. I know of absolutely no one - NO ONE - who uses "quick dialing" and only one person who uses voice-activated dialing, but that's only because he's always on the road. Sure, having those features would be nice for some, but I don't think the lack of those features is really that big a deal.
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Dave Chartier said 10:24AM on 7-09-2007
It really could use voice and speed dialing, both because these have become standard features on phones big and small these days, and because the iPhone's button-less UI more or less demands it. If Apple hasn't added these features via software updates by the time we begin hearing about car accidents being caused by some jackass fumbling with their iPhone, people will demand these features from Apple as both a common sense move and a necessity given the device's design.
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Rob Erekson said 10:25AM on 7-09-2007
@ Greg: Use the lock/unlock button at the top of the phone to reject a call.
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Bhavesh Patel said 10:26AM on 7-09-2007
actually, you can reject a call when someone is calling. just hit the little black button at the top (i forget what they named that button). it turns off the ringer and lets the call go to voicemail.
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Johnny Thrash said 10:26AM on 7-09-2007
I didn't use the 1 button dialing on any Motorola I had... it wasn't that important and I only had 1 voice activated contact in my address and never used it... it was just as easy to hit the down button for my address book, then hit 6 to drop it into the M's and hit DIAL.
I'm not missing anything.
My only wish at this point is, I wish there was a Contacts button on the main screen instead of having to go to the phone, since I use my contacts for more than just dialing.
People are just nit-picking now that it's been out for a week. They are just trying to denigrate it in any feasible way because it's new, and not what they are used to. Well wake up because it's a new day in the cell phone industry.
Adapt.
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GadgetGav said 10:29AM on 7-09-2007
You can press and hold 1 to get to voicemail, like you can with other Cingular phones, so maybe the 2-9 speed dial numbers will become available with future upgrades.
Voice dialing from a BT headset is something I miss when driving, but it was never that reliable with my RAZR - sometimes it would confirm a completely wrong name so I never had many programmed in.
@Greg,
You can reject calls: either press and hold the mic button in the headset or click the sleep / wake button twice quickly. Also, if it's in phone mode, there is a decline button on the screen. All of these will send the call to voicemail.
As for Consumer Reports, why don't they consider Recent or Favorites as good ways to get to frequently called numbers..? Seems like they had an agenda...
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Bhavesh Patel said 10:31AM on 7-09-2007
on the "features" note, i love how people complain about the fact that memory can't be expanded...it's got 4 & 8 gigs! what other phone has that? does it *need* expanding with a 1 or 2 gig SD card?? it's like saying a nano or other ipod is not expandable.
i have a 1gig microSD card in my blackberry pearl...totally useless. the phone and memory access is so slow, that I doubt I've even used a tenth of it.
and regarding the battery....geez, how many people replace their cell phone batteries anyway? I haven't used an extra cell phone battery since 1997 or something. by the time the battery is horrible, it's time for a new phone anyway.
i just dont know a lot of people trying to stretch old phones by replacing batteries. it's not that I don't see where there is occasion for it, but i think in reality, it's a non-issue for most people.
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Gene Cowan said 10:34AM on 7-09-2007
One hallmark of Apple's designs is the limiting of functions -- they concentrate on the functions that the vast majority of people use, and simply dump the ones used by, say, 5% of people. This leads to a simplified interface and, in this case, a phone with only a couple of buttons.
Of course, this also leads to that 5% of the market raising all kinds of complaints and insisting that Apple has made a lackluster product.
But how has the lack of a radio tuner harmed the sales of iPods? Are iMacs selling poorly because the user can't add expansion cards?
Like others commenting here, I don't know anyone who uses voice dialing or one-button speed dial. They are both excellent functions for those worried about making calls quickly, but I submit that those people have hundreds of other choices for mobile phones. The lack of these features hasn't impaired my use of the telephone in the least.
As for the call quality, I will admit that the sound level could be a bit higher on the handset and speaker; but the quality through the headphones is fantastic. Perhaps Apple assumed that most people would be listening to the iPod when a call comes in?
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Jon said 10:40AM on 7-09-2007
#16: Agreed. I hear people saying "Oh my God. I can't even CONSIDER an iPhone without removable batteries / non-expandable memory / [insert useless feature here that the person probably never uses]. Even my [name of 3 year old cell-phone] has that!"
It really gets on my nerves.
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C.G. Blogs said 10:47AM on 7-09-2007
I almost always disagree with Consumer Reports. From their car and appliance reviews to their cell phone reviews, I've always found them too focused on getting "the most bang for the buck." While that's a good thing to want, they tend to focus on cost more than anything and often overlook quality, appearance, design, and subjective factors that make someone feel good about a large purchase. I also feel they tend to nit-pick on things that, I feel, don't matter much and certainly wouldn't make or break a decision to buy.
Bottom line, when CR reviews a product, I dismiss it. Focus on what the people say and not some overly scientific and cost biased reviewers.
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z said 10:50AM on 7-09-2007
what? lack of easy to find frequent contacts? you mean "recents" or "favorites" ... tards .. just like some dude at gamestop trying to tell me the iPhone was buggy because it did not have one touch button email .. asked me where it was so i pointed to the email icon and asked where is your email button .. he pointed to something that looked like a volume button on the left side of the device.
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