The Samsung Galaxy S9 range is, in the main, a modest updated over the Galaxy S8. However, one area in which the device takes a giant leap forward is through those AKG-tuned stereo speakers.
In our recent review of the Samsung Galaxy S9 review, mobile editor Max Parker wrote: “A big complaint levelled at Samsung phones in previous years has been their poor speakers. The down-firing mono speaker that sat along the bottom edge of the Galaxy S8 was awful – thankfully, it’s a better story here.”
The new device features an additional speaker at the top for stereo sound has much better bass performance, less distortion at higher volumes and access to Dolby Atmos surround sound tech.
Now, in a blog post, Samsung has explained how it set about curing the audio ills of the near-perfect Galaxy S8.
“To turn the Galaxy S9/S9+’s sound quality into a three-dimensional experience, we wanted to place another dynamic speaker in the phone,” the firm writes.
Although the look of the phone didn’t change much on the outside, this took a major reimagining of the internal jigsaw puzzle, Samsung says.
It added: “The top of the phone was the best location as this would allow the device to play sound in stereo. This meant we had to rearrange the internal components, like the front camera and iris scanner, to make room. On top of that, we had to design a speaker that is powerful yet slim enough for the new phones to maintain Samsung’s Infinity Display.”
The firm said it spent an entire year modifying the kinetic structure of the speaker in order to make enough room for it within the S9. Because there was a slight difference between the top and bottom speakers Samsung had to balance the output levels.
“And finally we reduced interference from other components that also use magnets so that they wouldn’t cause static or noise in the speaker,” the company says.
Related: What is HDR?
The result, Samsung says, is speakers that are 1.4 times louder than the S8. The incorporation of Dolby Atmos also helped to maximise the stereo speakers’ capabilities.
“Instead of mixing by channels, Dolby Atmos places sounds within a three-dimensional audio environment, giving listeners the impression that sounds are coming from everywhere,” Samsung says.
Finally AKG’s fine tuning expanded the bass range which ensuring higher volumes can be achieved without too much distortion.
Have you upgraded from an S8 to an S9? Have you experienced a significant uptick in the sound quality? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
