Apple wouldn’t sell something like this: This smartphone’s sound test shocks us

Motorola has equipped the Motorola Moto G37 (available at amazon.com) with a mono speaker supported by the earpiece. This produces stereo sound, which was tested in a lab under standard conditions. The result is relatively loud playback with measurable shortcomings in the low-frequency range.

The balance between different frequency ranges remains inconsistent. Compared to other devices in the same class, the G37 thus achieves only average scores.

Bass Well Below Median

The frequency analysis in the low-frequency range from 100 to 315 hertz reveals a clear shortcoming: With output 28.4 percent lower than the median, the device produces hardly any bass worth mentioning. This is particularly noticeable with modern music, which relies on lower frequencies.

Movies and TV shows also lose atmospheric depth when explosions or soundtracks are meant to make an impact. For users who frequently use the speakers, this represents a noticeable drawback.

High frequencies are fairly linear and balanced

We rate the treble reproduction in the 2 to 16 kilohertz range as reasonably positive: The Moto G37 deviates from the median by only 4.7 percent here.

As a result, voices and instruments in the higher registers sound relatively natural. For podcasts or audiobooks, where speech intelligibility is paramount, the speaker delivers a solid performance.

The midrange is only average

The midrange from 400 to 2,000 hertz shows 10-percent deviations from the median. The linearity of the mids remains average; phone calls or voice memos are not noticeably affected.

Overall, the speaker performs its basic functions adequately for the price. Those who primarily listen to spoken content will be satisfied.

The comprehensive acoustic lab analyses in our test report provide detailed insights into the speaker’s frequency-specific strengths and weaknesses.