Google did not get the full memo on 2017 smartphone design. Instead of having two all-screen phones in stores this year to take on the iPhone X and Galaxy Note 8 phones of the world, Google is innovating by placing dual front speakers on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, intended to offer users an improved sound experience.
But it’ll be interesting to see whether the Pixel 2 phones will actually have better audio quality than the iPhone 8.
That’s right, the iPhone 8’s dual stereo speaker performance appears to be “way ahead of the competition” according to a Phone Arena review.
When comparing the iPhone 8 models to the iPhone 7, Galaxy Note 8, and an LG V30, the site found that Apple managed to significantly improve its speaker technology, and then some:
The more authentic reaction of the author, who also has some background in audio engineering, would read like this: the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have spectacular speakers that should not be technologically possible, yet they are. The sound they deliver is outstanding and way ahead of the competition.
Mind you, the review came out before Google actually unveiled the new Pixel 2 phones, which means Phone Arena was not able to test the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL’s dual speaker setups.
The iPhone 8 did better than all the other phones when it comes to sound quality and loudness, with the iPhone 7 coming in second, ahead of the V30 and the Galaxy Note 8. However, the scores offered in the report aren’t exactly backed up by any scientific explanations. I’m not saying they’re meaningless, but just like the camera, not all of a speaker’s features can be objectively measured so quality scores seem unnecessary. That said, the conclusion still stands: the iPhone 8’s speakers are better than what’s available from the best alternatives out there today. Read the review at this link
