Apple Aware Of The iPhone 8 ‘Crackling’ Sound Issues, Promises A Fix

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The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus have been available on the market only for a few days, and customers have started complaining about a new problem. Only a small number of people had purchased these new iPhones because most have been waiting for the iPhone X. Many buyers took it to MacRumors forum, Reddit and Apple’s support forum to complain about the iPhone 8 crackling sound issue.

iPhone 8 crackling sound is a software problem

Fortunately, Apple has promised to fix the issue via a software update. The tech giant is already working on a fix. “Dozens” of users complained that there was a crackling or “static” sound coming out of their brand new phone’s earpiece. It was disrupting the audio during the phone calls. The issue was first reported by The Verge, one of whose editors experienced it first-hand. It sounds like “sharp pops at the very edge of the earpiece,” said The Verge.

The iPhone 8 crackling sound appears to be a software problem rather than a hardware one. It affects both the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Users in different forums reported that it was happening across a variety of carriers in different parts of the world. It occurs during the phone and FaceTime calls, though it doesn’t happen with every single call. The iPhone 8 crackling noise doesn’t appear when using the earpiece as the loudspeaker. If it were related to hardware, there would be a consistency in the problem.

Apple says the issue affects only ‘a small number’ of users

Apple told The Verge it was aware of the issue that was affecting “customers in a small number of cases.” A fix will be included in an upcoming software update. However, the tech giant didn’t mention when the fix will be rolled out to customers. It’s well known that Apple issues multiple software updates in the weeks following the launch of its new phones.

On Tuesday, the company released the iOS 11.0.1 update that brings performance improvements. The update also fixed bugs that affected the Exchange and Outlook.com account users when sending emails through the Mail app. Apple has also promised to push out a software update for the Apple Watch Series 3. A bug in the new Apple Watch causes it to connect to unauthenticated WiFi networks, which could lead to serious problems for users.

iPhone 8 Plus has the world’s best smartphone camera

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are minor upgrades over last year’s models. The new phones feature wireless charging and a faster A11 Bionic chip, though they retain the design of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. Apple has also improved the new iPhones’ camera. The iPhone 8 Plus has a 12MP wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture and a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.8 aperture. The company has added Portrait Lighting to the iPhone 8 Plus camera.

Camera testing firm DxOMark recently said that the iPhone 8 Plus had the best smartphone camera they had ever tested. The 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus scored 94 out of 100 points. It was closely followed by the iPhone 8 with 92 points. Google Pixel and HTC U11, both of which were at the top before the iPhone 8 debut, had scored 90 points each.

Separately, IHS Markit estimates that the bill of materials for the new iPhones is higher than their predecessors. According to the research firm, the regular iPhone 8’s component cost is $247.51 for the 64GB storage model, up from $237.94 for the 32GB iPhone 7. The iPhone 8 sells for $699 compared to the iPhone 7’s starting price of $649. Component costs for the larger iPhone 8 Plus are $288.08 for the 64GB version. It is higher than the 32GB iPhone 7 Plus’s $270.88. The iPhone 8 Plus has a starting price of $799.

iPhone 8 sales not weak, says Ming-Chi Kuo

The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus didn’t see the same level of pre-orders, sales, and consumer enthusiasm as the flagship models released in previous years. Most potential buyers have decided to hold out for the iPhone X rather than buying iPhone 8 or 8 Plus. There were no long queues in front of Apple Stores during the opening weekend, neither were online pre-orders great.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in his latest note to investors that the Wall Street and media went insane about the lower than expected iPhone 8 sales. Kuo said that based on Apple’s iPhone 8 production and research data from Localytics, the market has been “excessively negative” on the iPhone 8. The analyst said the iPhone 8 sales were “stable” rather than weak.

Kuo said production for the 2017 models would be split 50:50 between the iPhone X and the iPhone 8/8 Plus. Apple had factored it into production plans. According to data from Localytics, the combined first-weekend adoption rate for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus appears about half of the iPhone 7/7 Plus and the iPhone 6S/6S Plus. It’s because the iPhone X is not included, not because the iPhone 8 sales are weak.

The iPhone X is scheduled to hit the store shelves on November 3. However, it will be short supply through this year.

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