In which I report on a usually forgotten feature of all modern Nokia smartphones - their stereo speakers. Why are these important (to me) and what sort of variation is there in volume and quality? I think you're going to be rather surprised - I know I was!
Read on in the full article.
When you get your hands on it you should throw the i8910 HD in the mix, I would say the speakers on that could rival the 5800
I care too. my i8910 has great speakers, and the stereo crosstalk is amazing when watching films with proper audio encoding. I think there are a lot of ways loudspeakers could be in handy, such as GPS navigation etc, but also, sometimes I feel like listening to music or w/e's on the phone and dont want to shove anything in my ears, such as when I'm at the beach with friends, this allows me to still be "social" with them, headphones just cut you off from the rest of the world.
the N97 probably sounds thinny because in practice the phone has to pack the battery, camera, keyboard, mothetherboard and speakers in half the space of a 5800..
I think it's very important. I use my N95 8GB for podcast's, music & iPlayer and 80% of the time use the speakers. And i'm very happy with it, with Bass Booster on.
Jon Pritchard:
I care a lot about the quality of speakers they should all be at 5800XM level and clarity.
How do the speakers on the old E90 compare to those on the 5800XM?
and they came in very handy a few weeks ago when at a busy party. We eloped to a quieter place with no music, and used Mobbler to tune in to Last.fm over the great speakers. When I woke up te next day however, I wondered where my 3G credit had gone!
theres loads of situations that loudspeakers come in handy and i wish they would be at the level of the n95 or above
the 5800 is so clear and loud and even better then the n95 it makes it a pleasure to use the sat nav and listen to mp3s on my desk at work , its also nice to be able to hear a conversation loudly and clearly when using handsfree in the car etc
i think that the n95s loudspeaker and above should be the the sort of standard we are looking at today
my n96 is jsut to tinny compared to my n95 and my 5800 just rips both to pieces
shame to see my next phone the n86 is lower then the n95 thatll be a bit dissapointing too
Good round-up, but I'd be more interested in a comparison of the quality of sound through the 3.5mm connectors.
I find the speakers on my E90 incredibly useful, mainly for listening to podcasts at work (or even in the car); I have no experience of other phones in this respect, but I find them more than loud enough under normal conditions.
However, I suspect it's one of those things that manufacturers frequently underestimate the importance of...
As an N97 owner and a podcast junkie, I find absolutely no fault with the N97.
Since the N97 has an FM transmitter, you can connect it to an actual boombox. I do this myself with my N97 in the bathroom with a boombox I got 15 years ago.
Oh no! Podcasts are one of the main reasons I was hoping to by an N97. My E61i is awful for podcasts (no bookmarking) (and slightly broken) and my ipod is giving up on me.
I think the N85's speakers could be a little bit better so i use its FM transmitter to listen to AAS podcasts when at home or in the car, and if walking i use headphones, so for me the built in speakers are adequate.
Congratulations Steve. The chavs of our country now know which phone to buy for there mini concerts at the back of our buses and trains,
That's the first negative thing I've heard from anywhere about the N86. Shame.
Tim
There you go again Slitchfield, convincing me again not to get the N97. I must agree with the comparison test you've done, my 5800XM is awesome in the sound department, especially when playing Mobbler, or Music or Podcasts.
Hey Steve, How are the speakers on the N97 compared to the E90? louder or softer? Better or worse?
steve nice article. I too like to listen to podcasts (especially aas!) and radio through the phones loudspeaker. The n95 was great for this. Its a shame the n97 isnt as loud as n95 or 5800. It was still audible in the shower though
a feature im just trying and loving is the fm transmitter.the gf is currently driving us to friends for a meal while the n97 feeds us some tunes through radio!
Better go typing and reading is making me feel sick
Steve nice article! u always shock me with all these unexpected articles!
my question is..how did the N95 8GB do? is it the same as the N95 classic?
and by the way, how come 5800xm and N97 has got the 3.5g icon, but the N86 and N95 classic only 3g icon?
Unregistered wrote:Steve nice article! u always shock me with all these unexpected articles!
my question is..how did the N95 8GB do? is it the same as the N95 classic?
and by the way, how come 5800xm and N97 has got the 3.5g icon, but the N86 and N95 classic only 3g icon?
Yes, N95 8GB has the same speakers as the classic, not surprisingly, it's essentially the same device.
3.5G? Probably different networks? I've got a fair smattering of SIM cards here...
Re: E90 - it's 'stereo' speakers are quieter than the N95 but louder than the N97's.... Guess I should find a way of quantitatively measuring all this. Anyone able to lend me a sound meter? 8-)
To answer the 3.5G question.
The difference between 3G and 3.5G is the speed, generally "3G" is used to indicate the 3rd generation of mobile networks which is faster than the 2G/EDGE.
"3G" speeds are up to 384 kbit/s, as for "3.5G" it's the same 3rd generation network with the same technology but with faster speeds "called HSPA", they generally advertise 7.2 Mbit/s speeds on 3.5G.
Now as to why the icons are displayed on the 5800 and the N97 is for a very simple reason, the older symbian S60 (non-touch) on the N95 and the N86 only displays the "3G" icon even if your network supports "3.5G", and they only display the "3.5G" icon when you start using data like opening the browser for example.
Now the new Touch S60 displays the "3.5G" icon if it's supported on the network even if you're not using data connections.
One final note, generally most 3G networks now support the higher transfer speeds "3.5G".
As a longtime E90 user and having tried out pretty much every S60 phone, I can say that E90 is a 10 or even 11 on this scale, with an excellent speakerphone and excellent playback of music and podcasts on the loudspeaker, which I would use while washing dishes, while bathing, even walking down the street with the phone in my top pocket and without needing any headphones.
By comparison the 4 for N97, which I am using right this minute, is very accurate. The worst, tinniest speakers I have heard music through since the early 1990s. Very disappointing because . I shall have to see if I can use the FM transmitter or external bluetooth speakers to alleviate the pain. The speakerphone equally sucks, with the same tinny loudspeakers, and a mic that picks up nothing.
Listening to Ewan on the E90 was bad enough but on the N97 his whines make my brain melt.
What's a phone without Sound ? Not a phone really !
What's a Smartphone without Sound ? Not very smart really and not a phone either !
Even oldfashioned landline phones without display need , yes : Sound . It's as easy as that .
My E90 has decent sound - speakers . They are the best on a hard surface , like a wooden table . Also right for a conference call , music , podcast .
After your article , I suppose all coming phones will be furnished with the 5800XM speakers ( except for the initial earpiece !) .
😊 Regards jApi NL
Hmm, speakers are v important to me, for speakerphone and music use. I have an N95-1 and am considering getting the N97. Are you sure this is the hardware. I notice that my N95 speakers sound a lot richer at higher volumes. Could it not be a firmware issue that the max volume is set too low?
Also, I note that in your overview/review you write "sseakers which are pretty good (but quiet)". You do not say "tinny" there.
Rafe - where would you put the N93 speakers in this equation - I always thought that was the gold standard for Nokia until maybe 5800
For that matter - how do they compare to the N800/810 speakers
Re: E90 volume: in fairness to the E90, mine is a prototype, so the speakers may not have been final hardware. So yes, maybe production units are even louder 8-)
Re: initial N97 'review' - don't forget that was my initial take on the device after only a couple of days - I've lived with the device much more and tested it much more since then.
I'm fast coming to the conclusion that the N97 is mainly a 'social media' device - its 'all rounder' status is coming under fire from all directions, it seems. And it's certainly not a flagship, despite the pricing, because of some bad hardware design decisions: tiny speakers, wrong video focus, d-pad in wrong place...
slitchfield wrote:Re: E90 volume: in fairness to the E90, mine is a prototype, so the speakers may not have been final hardware. So yes, maybe production units are even louder 8-)Re: initial N97 'review' - don't forget that was my initial take on the device after only a couple of days - I've lived with the device much more and tested it much more since then.
I'm fast coming to the conclusion that the N97 is mainly a 'social media' device - its 'all rounder' status is coming under fire from all directions, it seems. And it's certainly not a flagship, despite the pricing, because of some bad hardware design decisions: tiny speakers, wrong video focus, d-pad in wrong place...
- video focus depends on your needs. there is no wrong or right.
- Dpad also not in the wrong place, cause its dedicated for gaming
- and your speaker test well....without professional euqipment that you stated you dont have it just depends on your own ears. and thats simply not enaugh to judge the device.
Thanks Steve, for this good article.
I rely on the built in speakers of my 5800 for listening to podcasts and some music when I am on business trips. I am very satisfied with them and happy that I don't have to carry any external speakers.
I thought, I would upgrade to the N97 soon, but the more I read about it, the more I think that I stick with my 5800 and wait for Nokia to come out with something better.
Your title "Nokia Smartphone Speakers" is not right. You should have added E90, E75 etc. to the test. As well as the 5700ME which has excellent sound too. You must have the phones, put the one track on these devices and make a better list.