Speaker Comparison: Galaxy S5 vs HTC One (M8) vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs LG G Pro 2

BY Rita El Khoury

Published 2 Apr 2014

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The ePrice guys are back again with another side-by-side battle of the four flagship Android devices of 2014. After comparing the Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8), Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G Pro 2 in terms of screen and size and camera performance, they now have another article detailing the speaker volume and clarity of the four phones.

The first leg of the battle was based on the speaker’s volume and ePrice tested that with one song, using the same monitor, placed at the same distance. However, since all 4 devices have their speakers located differently, they decided to always let the speaker face upwards (hence the Galaxy S5 and LG G Pro 2 were set with the screen down).

The results are close enough, albeit with some differences. The HTC One (M8) got 85.6 db, followed by the LG G Pro 2’s 1W speaker that got it an 85 db, then the Sony Xperia Z2 managed an 82 db with the Galaxy S5 coming in last with an 81.1 db. ePrice speculates that the water-resistance feature of the Z2 and S5 might be responsible for the small drop in volume compared to the M8 and G Pro 2.

The second part of the battle was focused on sound clarity, with the 4 phones placed with the screen turned up, then the G2 and S5 were flipped back around to let their speaker come forward.

The HTC One (M8)’s BoomSound speakers easily trumped all the other phones in this test as well. Despite providing an almost similar db volume, the G Pro 2’s sound is muffled with the screen up, it improves when it’s turned but not enough to rival the M8. The same can be said about the S5, which doesn’t even have the loud volume to help it. The Z2’s sound is slightly clearer than the G Pro 2, but still not as good as the M8.

Note: this video is currently absent from the ePrice comparison page, but we were able to dig it up in their Youku account.

All in all, the HTC One (M8) easily wins this round of the battle, be it with the volume or the clarity of its sound. The Sony Xperia Z2 and LG G Pro 2 come in second place, with the first being clear but less loud and the second being loud but less clear. The Galaxy S5 finishes last, with both sound clarity and volume being inferior to its rivals.

[Via ePrice translated]