Ear speaker in Top Module part?

Help Fairphone 2
1

Hi :raised_hand_with_fingers_splayed:

  • Short description
    Since a week, the ear speaker sounds distorted. A bit like as if the other person is shouting/screaming (while this is not the case, also the volume isn’t high).
    When I switch to hands-free it sounds normal again (other speaker is used I guess).

  • Question
    Is the top module the right part to order to replace the speaker?

  • Other question
    The description says that this is the v1 version. Does that mean that my front camera will be downgraded? (I have the newer FP2 with 12 MP camera. I don’t know if these models also have a better front/selfie camera as well?)

  • Bizarre remark
    The problem started 1 week ago when I called someone (immediately, it didn’t start during the call).
    Because I wasn’t sure it was a hardware problem, I disconnected and called again. Because the problem remained, I suggested the other person to call me back.
    It seemed to have helped as it sounded as clear as before again during the whole long conversation.
    But this was the last time the speaker sounded normal. Every other call after that (no matter if I called or was being called), the problem is there.
    Is it coincidence that the problem never occurs during a call and is there during the whole conversation or not at all?

2

Your FP2 has a built-in hardware check: Settings > Maintenance > Checkup.
This should allow you to figure out definitely if the ear speaker is broken or if it must have another root cause. If it’s the ear speaker, yes, you would need a new top module.

When Fairphone offered a better main camera (camera module) in September 2017, they also upgraded the selfie camera in the top module, yes. As far as I know (you might have already found this out yourself), both upgraded modules are out of stock. The Fairphone Spare Parts shop only offers the original versions now (8 MP camera module + top module with 2 MP selfie camera).

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3

Just to clarify, the 12MP rear camera is not affected, as it is a separate module. Only the selfie camera will be an old one if you order a v1 module.

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4

Thanks for the answers.

I guess I’ll have to accept that I have to go with the 2 MP selfie camera (hardly use it anyway) if I can’t fix the speaker myself.

I don’t have this. Maybe because I have /e/ installed?

For completeness: The speaker can still produce sound. I can even use it to make calls. It’s just very annoying and more difficult to understand the other person during a voice-call.

5

Yes, it’s not pre-installed on /e/OS. You can install it as an app though from F-Droid.

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6

Hi,
I don’t think there are other quick solutions to this but I wanted to share the outcome.

By installing the check-up app for Fairphone, I discovered a way to temporary fix the speaker.
By turning up the volume (almost to max) while the speaker is in use (producing sound), it goes suddenly back to normal at a certain ‘threshold’. Even when turning the volume down again, it keeps working perfectly during the whole song/voice-conversation/…
But I have to do this every time again.

A very long time ago (before cell-phones were used by the mass) I had the same with a speaker in a headphone. Every time I used it, I had to let it play very loud for a second to let it sound clear. Sometimes I had to repeat this after a silence or during a calm song. The higher the volume, the lower the chance it sounded distorted again.