Speaker Comparison: iPhone X vs. Samsung's Galaxy S9+
Last year we compared the speakers on the newly launched iPhone X to Samsung's then-current flagship and the iPhone destroyed in loudness, bass, mids, and highs. Will it do the same against the all new Galaxy S9+?
As we detailed in our iPhone X vs. Galaxy Note 8 comparison in November, Apple's use of iPhone's earpiece speaker to output stereo sound gave the handset an edge against Samsung's phablet. With the launch of the Galaxy S9 and 9 Plus, Samsung is punching back with its own dual speaker configuration identical to that of the iPhone X.
Even with a high quality microphone, it's hard to perfectly capture audio as you would hear it holding the phone in your hand.
In our tests, we found the iPhone X reproduced a full range of tones with clear mids that beat out Samsung's S9+. Bass reproduction was similar on both handsets, but the iPhone output sharper high tones, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference.
Overall, the S9+ is a bit louder, though it's hard to tell in the video since a good chunk of the extra volume comes from the down-firing loudspeaker as opposed to the earpiece. This arrangement is similar to Apple's iPhone 7 and 8 models, whereas the X uses its speakers more evenly.
This is the closest speaker comparison we have ever run, and both setups sound really great for smartphones.
As we detailed in our iPhone X vs. Galaxy Note 8 comparison in November, Apple's use of iPhone's earpiece speaker to output stereo sound gave the handset an edge against Samsung's phablet. With the launch of the Galaxy S9 and 9 Plus, Samsung is punching back with its own dual speaker configuration identical to that of the iPhone X.
Even with a high quality microphone, it's hard to perfectly capture audio as you would hear it holding the phone in your hand.
In our tests, we found the iPhone X reproduced a full range of tones with clear mids that beat out Samsung's S9+. Bass reproduction was similar on both handsets, but the iPhone output sharper high tones, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your preference.
Overall, the S9+ is a bit louder, though it's hard to tell in the video since a good chunk of the extra volume comes from the down-firing loudspeaker as opposed to the earpiece. This arrangement is similar to Apple's iPhone 7 and 8 models, whereas the X uses its speakers more evenly.
This is the closest speaker comparison we have ever run, and both setups sound really great for smartphones.
Comments
I often listen to my X as I'm going to sleep, so music/movie audio quality is important to a certain extent.
Until the new Samsung S9/S9+ phones came out, if I was looking to purchase an Android phone the lack of stereo speakers would have been a dealbreaker for me.
Personally, I enjoy these comparative articles. If you (and others) don't then why go the forum section of the article to comment at all? I say this as someone who has no intention of buying either of these devices, and likely will never buy a Samsung phone for personal use, and yet I enjoy the efforts of these articles to compare features.
If I had one request, it would also be to compare YoY iPhones, but there are plenty of other YouTube videos that do that so while I'd like AI to put their flare on it's not like I'm without other sources to get ballpark estimates and ranges as to how components have improved (or differ from competing devices).
Anecdote: Someone I know had an iPhone X speaker that didn't sound as loud as they expected it to (mostly for speaker phone calls). I had no idea what it should sound like and until yesterday I didn't know of a link I could send them so they can could test it against there device. I set up an Apple Store appt. for them, which was conveniently located (but that isn't always the case), and they replaced the device because there was something wrong with the device. This video would've probably saved both of us some time.