iPhone 7 Plus Makes Hissing Sound Under Load, Some Users Complain (businessinsider.com)

Several commendable users are complaining that their iPhone 7 Plus handsets are making a "hissing" noise especially when they do some heavy weight work. Some users note that this issue extends to the iPhone 7 as well. BusinessInsider reports:Stephen Hackett, cofounder of podcast network Relay FM, tweeted that his iPhone 7 Plus "makes terrible noises when under load," and shared an audio clip of the noise. TechCrunch writer (and former Apple employee) Darrell Etherington responded that his "brand new, just-unboxed [device is] doing the same thing right now." It sounds like the problem isn't affecting all devices, and it's not immediately clear what's behind it. Hackett said on Twitter that Apple will be replacing his device with a new one, which suggests it's a defect rather than just an unexpected quirk of the new smartphone's design. There's some speculation out there as to what's causing it - but nothing concrete yet. Engadget's Jon Fingas suggests it could be "coil whine," a process where electronics make an unintended noise while working, for example.

Comments

#hissgate

[Anonymous Coward]

#hissgate

Re:The Holy Ghost of Steve Jobs Says

[dgatwood]

What do you expect when the phone doesn't have a headphone jack?

The headphone ports

[Anonymous Coward]

...They're haunting Apple. "Bring us baaaaaack.....*hiss*......Bring us baaaaaaack....."

Snakes! Why did it have to be snakes?

[number6x]

Someone at Apple has been coding in Python instead of Swift.

Probably a combination of factors

[wierd_w]

Given that Apple is apparently quite obscessed with making their device the same thickness as a sheet of onion skin paper, the issue is likely a combination of things.

Namely, thermal noise needs to be overcome with higher voltages, which then get switched at pretty high speeds. That switching of higher than normal voltages (because it is under load, and having to overcome passive cooling only) coupled with a most likely saturating floating ground, means RF signal leakage. Given that one of the proposed reasons for Apple's removal of the headphone jack was that they were having problems with RF noise being produced and picked up on the headphones (and nothing to do with "Courage") I find this likely, and suspect the issue to be more systemic than apple wants to admit, especially in light of the Samsung battery disaster.

(EG, the reality that you can't reasonably push a design that thin without having very real problems with the electronics does not fly well with the ivory tower designers with sticks up their asses at Apple, but their marketing droids pay better attention, and realize this is a potential problem they need to be mum about. I would expect higher rates of failure from out of expected tolerance voltages on devices driven hard, and apple blaming the users, rather than the hardware like they should be.)

Re:Probably a combination of factors

[viperidaenz]

That's actually an explanation for their use of the word courage. It takes courage to release a product full of design flaws, masked by removing features you can't get working.

Terrible noise?

[nuckfuts]

I take it this is a first-world definition of "terrible"?

I had to turn up my speakers to even hear the video.

Re:Don't buy the first batches...

[dgatwood]

Customers were told that they wanted thinner, stronger, and water resistant.

FTFY.

"I would buy a new iPhone if it were just a little bit thinner," said no Apple customer ever.