Apple fans have just gotten ahold of the newly launched iPhone 7, and it's a safe bet to assume that most of them are happy to have nabbed it. However, some of them have reported about hearing hissing noises. Could it be because of the powerful A10 processor under the hood or something else?
To no one's surprise, speculations surrounding the issue have been cropping up online, and they range from coil noise or coil whine to an interference with the speaker system.
Of course, it's going to be difficult to pinpoint the root of the problem, but at any rate, here's a short look at what's going on.
The "Hissing" Fit
To start things off, Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels first brought the issue to light, noting that the noise gets worse when it's under load.
For the curious, here's a video of the hissing sound that he uploaded:
The Coil Noise, The Coil Whine And The Hiss
The coil noise or coil whine is nothing new, as some desktops have been typically playing the hissing tune since way before the iPhone 7 rolled out. Basically, almost any electrical component that hasn't been dampened right could cause the sound.
Since the new iteration of the iPhone is powered by the A10 processor, the culprit might be the chipset the handset houses.
Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch corroborates this particular speculation too via Twitter.
@panzer @ismh brand new, just-unboxed doing the same thing right now. did not restore, set up as new (still DL-ing email etc)
— Darrell Etherington (@etherington) September 17, 2016
At this point, that matter at hand appears to have been solved already, but that's apparently not the case for everyone.
"I tested an iPhone 7 using 3DMark 'Ice Storm Extreme,' a performance benchmark that puts the processor under serious strain, and heard no hissing at all," Jon Fingas of Engadget says.
That means there's more or less a chance that some customers may have just gotten the short end of the stick. In other words, they probably got a unit that's not exactly up to standard.
RF Transmitter Interference
Roger Fingas of Apple Insider believes that the issue stems from the RF Transmitter and how it interferes with the speaker system, saying that "there's nothing on the A10 — or anything else in the iPhone 7/7 Plus, short of the audio system — that should be capable of directly generating noise."
Apple's Response
Hackett got in touch with the Cupertino brand through AppleCare. While there are no details about what's causing the hissing sound, the company did decide to provide a replacement iPhone.
The Bottom Line
It's still unclear which iPhone 7 component is the criminal here, but the consensus is the coil noise or coil whine.
It's also worth mentioning that this could be one of the few problems that the iPhone 7 will have post-launch, and it could start a hissgate of sorts. With that said, users have also reported that the new Taptic Engine-powered Home button doesn't work when they're wearing gloves to trigger it.
Did you hear a hissing sound coming from your iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus? If so, feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
