Counterclockwise: the brief popularity of stereo speakers

06 May 2018
High profile brands slowly adopted the stereo sound, but most are still stuck in the mono days. Some are trying to innovate, though.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • I8m
  • 06 May 2018

Clearly good sounding stereo ones are best

    • S
    • S6 User
    • sXg
    • 06 May 2018

    Of course high quality stereo be it 2.0, 2.1 or 4.1 speakers (where .1 is dedicated to the bass) are better than a high quality mono.
    Stereo is essential to create a balanced immersive soundstage.
    A 3.5mm jack is also essential for people like me who like to hook up their phone to headphones, car stereo, but especially through their home hi-fi stereo amplifier.
    A replaceable battery (maintaining IP68 is also possible).
    Manufacturers have taken these (& other) things away, lets hope we now see their return.

      • s
      • sergyu
      • spu
      • 06 May 2018

      i really love stereo speakers.. that's why i still have my n95 n73 5700 x3 6234 6110N w995 w595 and other old loud stereo phones... the single speaker is not loud enough for music especially in crowded places.

        • D
        • AnonD-558092
        • r7b
        • 06 May 2018

        Kiyasuriin, 06 May 2018Because iOS. Give me an ANDROID with that feature. Tab S3 (9.7 only, since there is only the 9.7)

          Anonymous, 06 May 2018Razer Phone, anything HTC flagship, any Sony flagship, Huaw... moreI meant four speakers. Those has only 2.

            • S
            • SER
            • K3e
            • 06 May 2018

            SpyC, 06 May 2018Guys at GSMarena, how hard is for you to understand than on... moreOwps. Hehe

              • A
              • Anonymous
              • 7BD
              • 06 May 2018

              It is absolutely not a gimmick. Stereo Speakers are amazing when used once. I had the HTC One M8 Harmon/Kardon edition and with my current LG V20, the sound quality outside of headphones just isn't working that well. It's probably 1 of the 4 reasons why the Pixel 2 XL sold so well.

              This is why I'm waiting to see what the Pixel 3 XL and Razer 2 Phone look because as long as they keep the front-firing speakers part, they already sparked my interest.

                • S
                • SpyC
                • a0t
                • 06 May 2018

                Guys at GSMarena, how hard is for you to understand than one cannot simply add a 2018 in a chart, while we are still at 1/3 of it?
                At least set a number about the full 2018 prediction, so your charts could be more accurate.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • pB$
                  • 06 May 2018

                  Kiyasuriin, 06 May 2018Because iOS. Give me an ANDROID with that feature. Razer Phone, anything HTC flagship, any Sony flagship, Huawei P20 Pro, Nokia 6, etc.
                  Want more?

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • pB$
                    • 06 May 2018

                    I find it very stupid when phone manufacturers incluee amplifiers for mono speakers (also in the upcomming Nokia flagship. The box got leaked).
                    I dunno why would you go the extra mile to make one single speaker sound amazing, when you could have 2 decent sounding ones, but with both channels or even Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 like in the old HTC days, which produced the best sound i've personally heard from a smartphone. The 3D-ness was surreal.

                    Nowadays """""stereo""""" speakers mean a twitter and a woofer that give extremelly unbalanced sound, and more importantly a poor 3D feel.

                    I tried Huawei P10 Plus and it was a disaster in terms of sound.

                    Nokia 6 TA-1000 (China) on the other hand, did it very well, although it had a speaker on the front and a speaker at the bottom.
                    It offered the same 3D feel as my HTC One M9. (Probably because it comes pre-packed with Dolby, unlike the worldwide version which still sounds really good... Actually better than the S9 i personally tested)

                    My conclusion is that if smartphones dont have dedicated front firing speakers, they should at least have the twitter-woofer as a standard.
                    Or even, as a bare minimum, Android should implement an option in the Developer Settings to enable media playback through both speakers.
                    (Instead of useless cosmetic-only updates. *cough* Android 9 *cough*)

                    And you know what the sad part is?
                    The earpiece speaker in most phones is actually pretty good.
                    When i tried a stereo mod for the Galaxy S6, it actually produced decent quality.
                    I was actually surprised by how loud and clear the earpiece speaker got.

                      The Scientist Pigeon, 06 May 2018Listening wise, I'm OK with this combination: Meizu - Pr... moreSaaame!
                      Except the speakers part.

                        Lightning McQueen, 06 May 2018Why not just buy the iPad pro. Got 2 pairs of stereo speake... moreBecause iOS.
                        Give me an ANDROID with that feature.

                          • L
                          • Lightning McQueen
                          • KSE
                          • 06 May 2018

                          Anonymous, 06 May 2018because thats just two speakers same like s9 and iphone tr... moreWhy not just buy the iPad pro. Got 2 pairs of stereo speaker that doubles the loudness, clarity and bass!!!!

                            • A
                            • Anonymous
                            • n@M
                            • 06 May 2018

                            The Oppo Find 7 has great stereo speakers, with MaxxAudio, which leave every other Smartphone, I've heard so far, behind. So I believe you need two powerful speakers and not one. :-) Let's see what RED brings

                              If you record video with mono audio, video/call using just one mic/ear, then having stereo loudspeakers is useless. Of course you listen to stereo sound on wireless, that is, if you get its stereo or compressed or limited in frequency.

                                • D
                                • AnonD-625621
                                • Dk1
                                • 06 May 2018

                                Anonymous, 06 May 2018I would feel insulted having to use that phone.Hahahaha

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 043
                                  • 06 May 2018

                                  AnonD-625621, 06 May 2018My wife has very old micromax a107. Which has front facing ... moreI would feel insulted having to use that phone.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 043
                                    • 06 May 2018

                                    Kangal, 06 May 2018The phones with the best speakers: 1- Razer Phone 2- ZTE ... moreS9? Really? Samsung speakers have been a joke, don't know about the S9 really but I can't imagine it to be better than iPhone at once. I also never heard that speakers would be particularly interesting on Pixel 2, and the Axon 7 as a whole isn't interesting. And the G7 doesn't even have stereo speakers.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 043
                                      • 06 May 2018

                                      It's a shame nobody cares about stereo speakers. It's like dual tone camera flashes not being cared about, or water resistance. No, a today's phone just has to have a notch and dual camera to be seen as a modern phone, nothing else seems to matter these days. 2014/15 were the golden times, were makers started implementing cool new features (like the ones named above) instead of just concentrating on the exterior design being fashionable and iPhone-like.

                                        Anonymous, 06 May 2018'Speaker on smartphones are not important at all, as they a... moreMy Tag heuer Connect, is in charge of ring and notifications. show my notifications.
                                        The Meizu is not my daily driver, It is in charge of music only.
                                        I use specific FM Radio Alarm to wake me up. It works well and wakes me up everyday at 5:00

                                        In my doctrine, Smartphones are gadgets to assist, as my PDA's were in past.

                                        Use one smartphone as All-in-One device need you to cut most of your favors and replace your handset, continuously as they will wear out fast in tough usage conditions.

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