I carried round a Pixel 7 Professional as my main telephone for a number of months and loved many points of it — however the audio that got here from its audio system was thin and feeble in comparison with flagships from Apple, Samsung, and others. And this wasn’t a brand new flaw within the Pixel line by any stretch: it’s one thing Google has neglected over a number of years now.
I’d argue that issues actually went off the tracks starting with the Pixel 5, when Google changed the standard earpiece speaker with an over-engineered, under-display various that used vibrations to provide sound. The outcome was one thing that was satisfactory for voice calls however underwhelming for the rest. It was a noticeable downgrade coming from completely satisfactory stereo audio system that Google had included on the Pixel 4 and 4 XL.
The bizarre speaker experiment was short-lived; Google reverted again to a extra conventional setup with the Pixel 6. However for no matter purpose, the fullness of the sound produced by these audio system by no means returned to the kind of high quality that I’d count on from any firm’s flagship telephone. It was, at greatest, effective. Some individuals turned to EQing them using an Android tool called Wavelet to steadiness issues out somewhat higher. However nobody ought to have to try this.
I’m not somebody who’s ceaselessly listening to smartphone audio system, thoughts you. I evaluate earbuds, in any case, in order that’s how most of my music listening occurs. And I’m fast to throw a glare at anybody blasting their telephone’s speaker in public. However on the identical time, there’s one thing inside me that will get deeply upset once I activate a brand new telephone solely to be met with tinny audio. I need it to be good for these instances I take advantage of it when hanging on the sofa or mendacity in mattress.
However mercifully, it might appear that somebody on the Pixel {hardware} crew lastly made a case for fixing this example with the Pixel 8 lineup. For those who’re the engineer who mentioned “we are able to’t preserve settling like this,” please settle for my thanks. I can’t communicate for the smaller telephone, which I haven’t used a lot but, however there’s genuinely a world of distinction between the drivers on the Pixel 8 Professional and its predecessor.
Now you can take heed to music from the loudspeakers and have a nice expertise doing so. Watching movies on YouTube, I don’t discover the identical ear-piercing high quality to vocal frequencies that have been current on the 7 Professional. Google didn’t point out any speaker enhancements throughout its keynote, however imagine me, they’re there. Perhaps a part of it has to do with the truth that the 8 Professional not has a curved show (and the thinner aspect rails that went with it). However no matter adjustments have been made, they’ve introduced the 8 Professional again as much as par. Effectively achieved, Google. Contemplating the $100 value enhance, I might’ve been fairly irked if the streak of mediocre audio system had continued.
I don’t know that the 8 Professional is fairly on the degree of an iPhone 15 Professional Max; nonetheless you are feeling about Apple or iPhones, there’s no denying how good the corporate is at extracting good sound (and even some noticeable separation) from cell gadgets. That’s been the case for years. However Google’s audio system at the moment are proper up there with the Galaxy S23 Extremely in fullness and tone. One thing that’s been a draw back for just a few years operating is now again within the professionals column. Let’s strive to not regress once more this time.