The Speaker Quality of the iPhone 4

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 18, 2019

After sifting through article after article of early iPhone 4 reviews, I still have one large question unanswered. We all know about the new high res display that Apple has touted around, and 3rd party reports have verified its beauty.

But what I'm desperately wondering is if the audio quality has been improved. Speaker phone quality as well as general media volume is very inadequate for such a premier device.

I wondered if maybe I had just been spoiled by my work phone, a Motorola Droid, but in my quest for an answer I actually came across several different forum threads on various Mac and gadget blogs where users have had the same complaints. As a device used to watch and listen to your media and share funny YouTube videos with your friends on the go, headphones are not always readily available.

I noticed how bad the speaker quality was when I tried to watch a funny YouTube video with a few co-workers out to lunch one day, and you couldn't hear a word on full volume, and there was very little background noise.

The exact same video on my Motorola Droid however was easy to hear at 2/3 volume. I also enjoy listening to music sometimes without headphones, when I'm playing Madden on my Xbox or watching Sport Center late at night. With my current 3G iPhone, it's just not possible.

So although it certainly wasn't mentioned in Steve Job's keynote, and has yet to be commented on in early iPhone 4 reviews, I still have my fingers crossed that there will be an improvement to the external speaker quality. But judging by the picture of the tiny speaker port above, I shouldn't hold my breath.

Currently, speakerphone is also a joke, whether in the car, or sitting at my desk, it's almost impossible to hear the other caller with any type of background noise. It would be nice to have speaker quality reflecting the technical advances in the rest of the device.

But when attempting to make a lot of advanced technology fit inside such a small, thin casing, something's gotta give right? Chances are the speaker port is kept so small to not intrude on the aesthetics of the phone.

Either way looks like the jury's out on this one until June 24, when the first real hands on reviews will start pouring in. Seems though if you were dreaming of higher quality audio in your new iPhone 4, chances are your going to be disappointed.

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The Pros and Cons of iOS 4

Sébastien Page ∙ June 21, 2010

Many people have been sending emails or tweets asking me whether or not they should update their iPhone to iOS 4. The short answer is there is no right answer. It all depends on your needs and the state of your iPhone (ie. is it jailbroken?).

iOS 4 will now be released in a few minutes and before hitting the "update" button in iTunes, I will try to weight the pros and the cons of updating to iOS 4.

Pros of updating to iOS 4 Multitasking - although not a full multitasking solution, Apple is now allowing certain apps to run in the background. Wallpapers - You will now have the ability to add custom wallpapers to your springboard. Folders - iOS 4 will allow you to create folders to organize your apps better Improved email - iOS 4 enhances the email experience by bringing unified inbox and threaded conversations to the iPhone. The cons of updating to iOS 4 There is no jailbreak or unlock for iOS 4 yet, although the Dev Team confirmed these tools will be available soon. Most of the new features of iOS 4 can be replicated or even improved by jailbreak apps (see 7 ways jailbreaks apps can make iOS 4 jealous).

Clearly there aren't many cons to updating your iPhone. I heavily rely on my favorite  jailbreak apps on a daily basis for work and making the decision to update was not an easy one.

What motivated my decision is the fact that I will get my iPhone 4 in a few days and there won't be a jailbreak for it right away, so no matter what, I will be jailbreakless. At the end of the day, only you can make this decision.

Can you think of more pros or cons to add to the list? Will you update to iOS 4?

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Jailbreakers Should Stay Away From iOS 4 for the Time Being

Sébastien Page ∙ June 21, 2010

iOS 4 is supposed to ship out sometimes today. This new iPhone OS will bring many new features to the iPhone, including multitasking, folders, and more.

Although the Dev Team has confirmed that a jailbreak and an unlock will be released for iOS 4, it is safe to hold off on the update for a few days if you really rely on your jailbreak/unlock.

iOS 4 will be compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 3G. Not all features will be compatible with all devices. For example, multitasking is available only with iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS.

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How to Make Sure Your iPhone is Ready for iOS 4

Sébastien Page ∙ June 20, 2010

iOS 4 will be released in just a few hours and depending on your setup, there are a few steps you should take to ensure that you and your iPhone are ready for the latest software update.

1. Make sure YOU are ready

If you jailbreak/unlock your iPhone, you have to understand there won't be a jailbreak or unlock out at least for a few days. If you rely on your jailbreak/unlock, don't update to iOS 4 yet.

2. Make sure your device is compatible

The iPhone 2G and the first iPod Touch won't be getting the iOS 4 update. The iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G will only get a "partial" update as not all the features of iOS 4 will be able to run on these two devices (ie. multitasking) because they aren't powerful enough. The iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 3G will get the full update.

3. Update iTunes to 9.2

In order to download and install iOS 4, you will need to have the latest version of iTunes.

4. Sync and backup your iPhone

Before hitting the "update" button, make sure to sync and backup your iPhone. If something goes wrong, you'll always be able to revert back to your old settings.

5. Make sure you know what your jailbreak apps are

Before updating to a newer OS, I always take screenshots of what apps are installed on Cydia, as well as all my sources. Taking screenshots is much quicker than writing down the name of all your apps and sources.

6. Keep your App Store apps in order

Just like I do for jailbreak apps, I take a screenshot of every page of apps on my springboard. This allows me to remember in what order these apps are installed. Once my iPhone is updated, I make sure the apps on the first page of the springboard are in the same order as prior to the update.

7. Restore, don't update!

This one can be a bit controversial. Usually people prefer "updating" their iPhone rather than "restoring" in order to keep all the settings in place. It's fine if you run a stock OS. However, if your iPhone is jailbroken, I suggest you restore and set up as a new phone. Sure you will have to set up your iPhone all over again, but it's a good way to make sure the upgrade to iOS 4 doesn't bring unwanted parts of your jailbreak.

8. Seek help in the forum

If you have any problem during or after the update, you can find help in our iPhone forum. Simply create a new thread there and the community will be here to help.

9. Check back here again

If you're a jailbreaker, make sure to check back iDB on a regular basis to find out when the new jailbreak is available. For up-to-date information, subscribe to the RSS feed, become a fan on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

Any other tip, feel free to share by leaving a comment below.

[Credit image TiPb]

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Apple Cancels Some iPhone 4 Orders

Sébastien Page ∙ June 20, 2010

While some iPhone 4 orders are being shipped, others are reportedly being canceled. Apple has indeed sent the following emails to some people who had pre-ordered via the online Apple Store.

Dear Customer,

We were unable to complete the authorization process for your iPhone order. As a result, we had to cancel your iPhone order. To complete the purchase of your iPhone, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an AT&T company-owned retail store.

To locate an Apple Retail Store near you, please visit http://www.apple.com/retail/storelist/.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

Sincerely,

Apple Online Store Team

We're not sure why these orders are being cancelled but the word around town goes that it might be due a to a failure to authorize or people clicking the "submit" button several times.

If your order has been canceled by Apple or AT&T, please let us know in the comments.

[via TiPb]

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iOS 4 Confirmed to Be Unlockable

Sébastien Page ∙ June 20, 2010

In a tweet sent yesterday, Musclenerd confirmed that tomorrow's iOS 4 will be unlockable. Even better than that is the fact that the iPhone 4 itself will most likely be unlockable too.

Those of you on an iPhone 3GS with baseband 05.12.01 will now be able to unlock as well.

The Dev Team has been keeping this exploit secret for a while and saved it for the major update that iOS 4 is.

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My iPhone 4 Has Shipped. It Is Now In Hong Kong

Sébastien Page ∙ June 20, 2010

Yesterday I was telling you that my iPhone 4 was being prepared for shipment. Today me and many others received an email from Apple saying that our order had shipped.

It is currently in Hong Kong and is scheduled to be delivered by June 24th at 4.30 PM. I sure hope it will be there before 4.30 PM!

I remember last year my iPhone 3GS was scheduled to be delivered one day before the official date. However FedEx put it on hold and it came in the day it was supposed to.

Has your iPhone 4 been shipped yet?

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iPhone & iPad News You Missed This Week

Sébastien Page ∙ June 20, 2010

Here is the weekly wrapup of all the articles that were published on iDB this past few days:

Flash on the iPad? Man offers to trade weed for an iPad on Craigslist You will be able to get the iPhone 4 anywhere Comex gives us a preview of Flash on the iPhone Your iPhone needs to grow some balls Proswitcher for iPad beta Pre-order your black iPhone now Unlocked iPhone 4 available in France, UK and Canada USB Typewriter makes best obsolete accessory for iPad The iPhonecalypse AT&T faces yet another security breach AT&T runs out of iPhone 4 White version of iPhone 4 not available at launch How to pre-order your iPhone Apple Store running out of iPhone 4 too My experience pre-ordering a $742.69 iPhone 4 600,000 iPhone 4 pre-ordered Poll: where you able to pre-order your iPhone 4? Infographics: iPhone 3GS vs iPhone 4 UltraSn0w updated to unlock baseband 04.26.08 on iOS for for 3GS iTunes 9.2 is out. Jailbreakers beware! iPhone jailbreak about to be legalized? How to set up Hotmail for MS Exchange on iPhone RedSn0w 0.9.5 for Windows now available Original iPhone 4 ad in Tokyo metro The banned iPhone 4 promo video Manage your torrents from your iPhone with uTorrent Web iPhone 4 has twice the RAM of iPhone 3GS and iPad iPhone 4 camper already in line The banned iPad promo video iPhone 4 prepared for shipment Dev Team releases RedSn0w 0.9.5b5-2 Facebook for iPhone gets an update
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Facebook for iPhone Gets An Update. You Can Now Watch Facebook Videos

Sébastien Page ∙ June 19, 2010

Facebook for iPhone has been updated to version 3.1.3. From the largest social networking in the world, you would expect more than this disappointing update that brings very few new features:

You can now watch Facebook videos. You can now view and write on walls of events. Uploaded photos are now 720px wide.

Facebook still hasn't updated their application to be compatible with the iPad. It's not a big deal to me as I usually go to Facebook directly from Safari to get the full experience.

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Dev Team Releases RedSn0w 0.9.5b5-2

Sébastien Page ∙ June 19, 2010

The Dev Team just updated RedSn0w to version 0.9.5b5-2 which adds option for battery percentage and verbose boot mode. It also lets you individually select whether multitasking and homescreen wallpaper are enabled.

RedSn0w 0.9.5b5-2 is probably as close as we'll get to the official release of this jailbreak tool.

The RedSn0w beta is still only for 4.0GM on iPhone 3G and iPod Touch 2G (non-MC version). You should not use the beta if you use yellowsn0w/ultrasn0w/blacksn0w!

[via iPhwn Wikee]

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iPhone 4 Prepared for Shipment

Sébastien Page ∙ June 19, 2010

Woop woop! My iPhone 4 has been "prepared for shipment". It's probably somewhere in China right now being loaded in a UPS aircraft on its way to Kentucky.

Has your iPhone 4 been prepared for shipment yet?

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