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Does the iPhone 7’s hissing sound really matter?

Updated Sep 21st, 2016 11:52AM EDT
iPhone 7 vs. iPhone 7 Plus vs. iPhone 6s Hissing
Image: Apple Inc.

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There’s a new iPhone in town, which means there will be some issues to deal with, at least for a while. One of them is a hissing sound that can be heard when the larger iPhone’s processor is under a heavy load, or when you hold the back of the phone very close to your ear. We’ve already discussed the iPhone 7’s “Hissgate” issue, but more videos have been uploaded on YouTube that further investigate the matter.

DON’T MISS: 7 ways Apple’s iPhone 7 is much better than any Samsung phone

The entire hissing doesn’t really appear to be an issue, and it will not affect iPhone performance. However, as many people pointed out, this particular sound goes against everything Apple wants the iPhone to stand for.

YouTube channel Unbox Therapy makes one solid point about this problem. If hissing appears while recording video and any of the iPhone’s microphones pick the sound up, that would be a problem. But thus far, nobody has experienced a scenario where the hissing might ruin a video recorded on iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus.

Unbox Therapy goes one step further and puts a professional mic to the iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 6s looking for hissing noises. As far as I can tell, there’s hardly any hissing coming from either of these two iPhone 7 units.

On the other hand, there are videos on YouTube that isolate the hissing sound much better. Like this one, from DetroitBorg:

512 Pixels has an even better example:

“As my iPhone 7 Plus was restoring from iCloud, I thought I noticed some sound,” 512 Pixels notes in the video’s description. “After picking the device up from my desk, it was clear the sounds are coming from back of the phone, possibly from the CPU. It seems to get worse if the iPhone is under load, and can be heard while the phone is sitting on a table.”

Apple has yet to address this matter publicly or offer a fix for it. But we can only hope that, after removing fan noise from its Macs starting with the MacBook, Apple won’t bring a similar sound to the iPhone now that its mobile processors are getting better than ever.

That said, if you’re experiencing any other common issues with your brand new iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus, check out this guide to find some answers.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.