Lumia 640 design flaw?

[MicroG33k]

Hi,

I was wondering if it's a design flaw or is it a feature I've missed. I've had the new Lumia 640 for two days now and noticed an issue when using the speaker. When using the hands free call function or listening to music/Youtube video I've noticed the sound drops drastically when I place the phone down. I soon realised the speaker is covered when placing the phone on a table. Also, I've noticed I have to hold my phone in a certain way to avoid blocking the speaker (Jobs would say I'm holding it wrong).

What do you guys think?

 

[Laura Knotek]

I've moved this thread to the Lumia 640 forum, since members will be better able to assist you here.

 

[MicroG33k]

Thank you.

 

[Corepc]

No, part of Lumia Design I would say. If you need to place it down, prop the speaker side up higher so that is not being blocked.

 

[Lilla45]

Perhaps a case with a built-in kickstand might provide a nice workaround for this design issue.

timesofindia.indiatimes[dot]com/tech/reviews/Microsoft-Lumia-640XL-review/articleshow/46836977[dot]cms
Microsoft Lumia 640XL review by The Times of India
"The speaker outlet is at the back but the protruding camera lens raises the phone a bit so sound doesn't really get muffled."

Thoughts...
Since camera is higher quality on 640 XL than on 640, is hump on back of 640 XL higher than on 640?
If so, then perhaps the higher hump is an advantage.

Just a thought,
Lilla

indiatoday[dot]intoday[dot]in/technology/story/microsofts-lumia-640-vs-lumia-640xl-everything-you-must-know/1/422150[dot]html
Microsoft's Lumia 640 vs Lumia 640XL: Everything you must know

The article above, shows the back sides of Lumia 640 XL and Lumia 640, and indeed the speakers are quite different.
The speaker on the Lumia 640 XL is on the back, near the top of the phone, near the hump for the camera.
The speaker on the Luma 640 is on the back, near the bottom of the phone. The rear camera is near the bottom and appears to have no hump.

 

[MicroG33k]

Cheers for the responses. The camera doesn't protrude on the 640 so the phone lays flat on the surface. I first noticed it when my wife rang, asking to search for something in the kitchen. I put the phone on speaker and placed it on the kitchen counter. I thought my wife had hung up. Haha

The phone itself is great and I'm happy I moved from my iphone 5.

 

[kb4000]

The 635 has the exact same problem. I was hoping they'd fixed that.

 

[Aziz Abdurachman]

No, I think it's not flaw, but it has been planned. 520, 620, 625, 530 etc. did this too.
I'm using 620 and when I cover the speaker hole with finger it can nearly silence the sound. It might help in some circumstances, so I think it might be a part of design.
But I have cut the rubber thing around speaker hole in phone and that problem is gone.

 

[Lilla45]

www[dot]amazon[dot]com/dp/B00V5LQC1E?psc=1
E-Time (TM) Microsoft Lumia 640 Armor Series - Heavy Duty Dual Layer Holster Case Kick Stand with Locking Belt Swivel Clip

This case has ridges on the back that look like it would elevate the loud speaker on the back of the Lumia 640 phone so that sound coming from it would not be blocked when the phone is placed face up on a table or other surface for hands free use. While this case has a built-in kickstand, the elevation happens without using the kickstand. It looks to me like like this case would provide a good solution for those that want to be able to lay the phone face up and still be able to hear it. In other words, using this case, you can lay your phone face up and the the loud speaker hole will remain unblocked so you can still hear it without sounds being blocked or muffled.

Just a thought,
Lilla

 

[rohit bhattacharjee]

Hi, MicroG33k, have you tried turning on the backlight while video recording?? does that work?? mine doesn't..

 

[MicroG33k]

Yeah, it works well. I didn't know it had that feature. Cheers for pointing it out.

 

[rohit bhattacharjee]

Ur welcome!! Sadly, my phone's flash does not work when I try to get it on while video recording.. The flash works during normal still captures..i guess I'll get the phone replaced.. It just had been 24 hours since I bought it!

 

[MicroG33k]

I would get it swapped. I have to manually press the flash light symbol at the top of the screen.

 

[rohit bhattacharjee]

yeah I would do that.. and is ur glance screen showing the date and detailed notifications?? or is it just the time, and the short notifications?? and are there settings to enable the date and detailed notification in the glance screen setting??

 

[Poirots Progeny]

Could you, or anyone that actually has a 640, tell me if it has openvpn support? I'm hoping gdr2 has it... Any response appreciated!

 

[james42519]

i have and it is not bad. have a case to help with speaker. amazon.com/gp/product/B00V5LQC1E?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

thought the colored part was plastic but is rubber though. look for another sometimes i guess.only problem i have is gasbuddy not opening when on data. only works on wifi. also wish there was few more apps like for kroger and taco bell and stuff.

 

[anon(6078578)]

Ur welcome!! Sadly, my phone's flash does not work when I try to get it on while video recording.. The flash works during normal still captures..i guess I'll get the phone replaced.. It just had been 24 hours since I bought it!

Although this is an old thread, and I don't know if you'll see this reply, I noticed the video light will not function if the phone is being charged and in fact later found this on microsoft website just in case others experience this:

FAQ - Why don't the video light or Flashlight work in my Lumia 640 (or 640 XL) when charging? - Microsoft - USA

Of course I don't know if that was the case in this instance, but I thought it odd the flash would work yet the video light wouldn't since it's the same LED.

 

[cococola1997]

So the poor speaker placement IS part of their design you say?

One of the 640's features is that when you put the phone face down, it will silence it. But when you place the phone face up, it's ringtone is reduced *dramatically*. You can test this yourself. When there is an incoming call, let it ring for 5 seconds untouched, then lift it up just 1/2" from the table as it's still ringing. Notice anything?

Now I'm not talking about watching videos, that you definitely need an angle/stand for. I'm just talking about regular daily use, because naturally people place their phones down face-up, just so there's no damage or scratches to the glass and it's just easier to catch notifications.

I'm not bashing the 640. I still love the phone, but if you guys ever miss calls wondering "why didnt I hear it?", it's probably because of this very reason.

I did modify the case slightly be super-gluing a small piece of material (~1mm thick) next to the speaker hole just to raise it from the table. Believe it or not, that was enough to fix my problem.

Hope it helps someone else too.
Cheerio!

 

[WellingtonW]

No, I think it's not flaw, but it has been planned. 520, 620, 625, 530 etc. did this too.
I'm using 620 and when I cover the speaker hole with finger it can nearly silence the sound. It might help in some circumstances, so I think it might be a part of design.
But I have cut the rubber thing around speaker hole in phone and that problem is gone.

I assume this lets the sound leak into the back of the phone.

 

[Kimmo Toivanen]

My first fix for this was two narrow strips of clear tape (3 layers) on bottom edges.
Fix v2 is a bit more visible Ring around camera lens (for magnetic lenses) helps keep fingers out of the lense.




edit: Windows 10 has an odd habit to mess with orientation...