Bell Sensation: speakerphone quality

**andy957** · 09-06-2011, 11:32 AM

So I got the Sensation from Bell over the weekend, as with a 3-yr contract (I know, in Canada it's 3 not 2 yrs like in the US) they were offering the phone for $0 at Future Shop.

The phone looks beautiful. I like the look and feel, I like Sense 3.0 very much compared to other Androids.

However I am finding the quality of the speakerphone to be less than desirable. I had it cranked up to maximum while watching a YouTube video (Lady Gaga "Bad Romance") that sounds very loud and crisp on my BlackBerry or Nexus S or iPhone 4 but is really poor on this device.

Did I get a bad unit or is this a known issue with the Sensation? Is it software- or hardware-related, do you think? If it's software-related, I think I could wait for an update but if it's a hardware thing, i.e. can't be fixed on this model, then I might return it, even though it was completely free.

Coming from a BlackBerry, whose speakerphone is the best in quality, hands down (IMHO), this is surprising for me.

Would like to hear people's reactions and experiences. Thank you in advance.

P.S. I also find the screen to be a little "laggy", whereas in YouTube video reviews it appears to be very, very fluid.

**david7598** · 09-06-2011, 12:12 PM

It will all be fixed in the 2.3.4 update

the US got the update not to long ago. So I'm sure you'll get it eventually.

**andy957** · 09-06-2011, 12:32 PM

Thanks David. Bell has already pushed out the 2.3.4 update...which I downloaded and installed the same day I got the phone.

**EDIT: Sorry, I misspoke. The phone is still on 2.3.3.

**danperde** · 09-06-2011, 04:57 PM

Originally Posted by andy957

Thanks David. Bell has already pushed out the 2.3.4 update...which I downloaded and installed the same day I got the phone.

It's a software issue. Do what almost anyone here did: download Volume+, you can adjust a lot of settings in it (for speaker, headset, bluetooth). After I installed it, I can finally hear my phone. Be careful with the settings though, if you go all the way up you could burn your speaker. You can find the app for $1.62, or you can for free. I hope this helps.