TUAW reader Navarro P. traded in his 8GB iPhone for a slick new 16GB model -- and noticed that the speaker seemed much improved. He writes, "I have to say the speakerphone is dramatically louder. Or at least it seems louder. I had real trouble hearing conversations in the car with the window down and now it's not a problem." I'm sticking with my 4GB model for the time being ,but Navarro wonders if any other TUAW readers have noticed improved playback volume on the just-introduced models. Let us know in the comments.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
2-11-2008 @ 6:07PM
Chris said...
Damn. I sure hope this isn't the case. If this is indeed true it will smash my current "holding out for a big revision". I simply find the speaker phone nearly useless on my 8GB iPhone. I can't hear anything!
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2-11-2008 @ 8:52PM
Colin said...
Same with me. The speakerphone actually seems quieter compared to not having it on. I often wonder if I'm living with a defective 8 GB iPhone. I wish there was an easy way to find out how good my speakerphone is compared to others.
2-11-2008 @ 6:11PM
Tyme said...
I recently had to take my 8gig in for repairs, so they gave me a new one, and I feel that the speakerphone is louder on that. Just after leaving the store i received a text message and I noticed then that the speaker was louder...
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2-12-2008 @ 6:52AM
ChrismUSAF said...
Same here. About a week ago I took my iPhone in for repairs and got a new one with a louder, crisper speaker. I notice it mostly with music.
2-11-2008 @ 6:12PM
fishbert said...
I traded my day-1 8GB iPhone for a 16GB flavor this past weekend. I haven't noticed the speaker to be louder for music/podcasts, but it is certainly louder for other sounds such as the key clicks, SMS notification, ringer, etc. Easily noticeable.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:21PM
kakapo said...
it is snappier but not much louder!
;)
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2-11-2008 @ 6:23PM
bender said...
article said "traded in his 8GB iPhone for a slick new 16GB model". are they allowing upgrades now? i was an early 4gb..and would love a nice slick 16gb upgrade.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:30PM
matthew said...
Wondering this myself (although I'm confident that this is TUAW's untied use of words, per usual).
2-12-2008 @ 1:43AM
Adam said...
You can upgrade for the full price and you do not have to renew your contract
2-11-2008 @ 6:36PM
blah said...
I can confirm this. it was the first thing i noticed. It is much better. but new 8gb models could have the same improvement. so you might want to check those out
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2-11-2008 @ 6:36PM
Raindogg said...
He said "I traded my day-1 8GB iPhone for a 16GB" If it's less than 14 days you can bring it back and buy the 16GB version.
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2-12-2008 @ 3:12AM
fishbert said...
day-1 meaning June 29th, 2007
2-11-2008 @ 6:38PM
Adam said...
Actually, I recently underwent the process. They certainly don't give you any price breaks on the device, and they force you into 2 additional years of AT&T bondage but yes, you can 'upgrade' without penalty, despite the bull-oney that I was told by the reps in the At&T store that I would incur an early contract breech fee. I'm also not sure if the speaker is louder, but I certainly didnt use the 8gig speaker with any frequency. I'd like to believe it!
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2-11-2008 @ 6:39PM
Thayne Miller said...
I had to get my 8gig serviced a few weeks ago and the first thing I noticed was it was MUCH louder!
In fact, it was TOO loud. I found the trick to lowering the keyclick volume though, just adjust the ringtone volume slider all the way down to zero, then exit out of prefs and use the side buttons to ramp the ring volume back up to where you want.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:39PM
EJ said...
My new 16 GB iPhone is substantially louder than my launch-era 8 GB one. Much happier about that!
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2-11-2008 @ 6:44PM
Kevitivity said...
How does one to a "trade in". How much can you expect for get in a trade in? I would love more details about this.
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2-11-2008 @ 6:45PM
Craig said...
I doubt Apple upped the volume. I know that overtime dust particles get through the tiny speaker holes, hence the poking needle fix that many iPhone users have done. I just think that because the 16GB iPhone is new, it is also cleaner in this particular area and so the volume may seem louder. But I could be wrong...
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2-11-2008 @ 7:07PM
EJ said...
From Day 1 the 8 GB phone's speaker seemed quiet; I'd never hear when I got an email alert, for example, unless the phone was in my hand at the time. So no, try again.
2-12-2008 @ 11:22AM
Mystic said...
No, they have CHANGED something. I've had two 8GB that were quiet from day one. My wifes first one was quiet from day one. Her refurbished exchange however, is almost 2x as loud from day one.
2-11-2008 @ 6:46PM
Tim said...
I cracked the glass that covers the screen, is my warranty void? Everything works perfect
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