I Can Be Your Hero
Well-known member
- Aug 14, 2012
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"The dud" comment was in part a nod to the fact I needed to RMA the phone in the first place for an overheating issue that very few others seem to have so far experienced/been able to replicate.
But secondly, I'm confused that anyone could think the under display speaker is anything other than sub-par, based on my experience with a single p5. I'm going to withhold further comment until I hear the replacement phone, but I'm not holding my breath for an audio improvement. If the sound is as poor as the first one then I'll be swapping it for a different model as it isn't fit for purpose.
The below was my first post on the issue, FYI:
Ah ok, I got ya.
My issue with the speaker isn't when watching youtube/music out loud (which I rarely do anyway), it's when I'm on calls. The speaker is so poor, and the volume so low, it's extremely difficult to hear people outside in traffic, to the point I had to tell them I'll call them back and had to hang up so I could go to the office where it's quieter and try the call again then.
IMO that's a huge design blunder by Google.
Add to that, the vibration motor is worse than my previous Pixels, the phone feels shallow/flimsy plastic, takes longer to process images, feels a beat behind my Galaxy S10+ and the Pixel 3XL I had previously. I've experienced bouts of lag, which I don't think I've really experienced before in a Pixel phone.
I think they cut too many corners with the 5. Would like them to go back to making flagships. Sure have a $700 phone option for consumers who want them, but I personally would like an actual high-end offering from Google. Though I know it won't happen as they don't sell well at all.
One small slit on the top would make it perfect.. I'm curious to listen first hand... Gotta hit up my connects...
Yah I don't get why Google didn't just do this. The 4a and 4a 5G have a small speaker grille on the top of the phone, and they seem to have similar sized bezels at the top. Would have been easy for Google to put a grille at the top so sound can escape, rather than try to push out through a solid, sealed glass front. But hey, this is what they decided to do, and phone call sound quality suffers for it.