Does the back facing speaker even matter?

[TechTinker]

Back facing speakers get a lot of hate, I mean for the most part, most of them suck. But I like the X's, I mean its speaker is good either way, but on its back I feel like it helps the sound (at least into a certain direction) better than just having the speaker facing up.

 

[delrey1900]

All by personal preference. If you are watching a video and holding it up, I can see having front spacing speakers would be beneficial. I have noticed with my OG X that when I have music playing and sitting on a dresser or desk, the sound is fuller since it's bouncing right off the surface. Again, this is all preference. You can blame the HTC M8 since it has great sounding speakers in the front, though I've never heard them before.

 

[PapaGary]

I think it's great. It seems that when I summon it with "Okay Google Now" it is lying face down on a table on the passenger seat of my car.

 

[UncleMike]

It's a phone - not a home entertainment system. As long as it's loud enough without being distorted, it's fine. For me, that means being able to have a conversation on speakerphone without struggling to understand the other person despite background noise, and being able to clearly hear audible navigation instructions while driving, even over road noise with the window open. My Moto X excels at both of these.

A front facing speaker might perform even better under either of those circumstances, but I don't think I would benefit from it much, if at all.

 

[drew_sf]

It's best used with a reflecting surface like a table top or your palm. Otherwise the sound is projected away from you. Obviously you can still hear the sound but it is not as loud or clear as a direct facing speaker.

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