Poor call quality

[Crystal21]

I recently got the new iPhone SE and when on calls, voices sound deep, fuzzy and muffled. A slight echo too. I had the same problem with the 12 mini, which is one of the reasons I returned it within a couple of weeks.

Since both newer phones have this problem, I’m not sure if this is a coincidence and both phones are faulty or if Apple are using cheaper speakers (or some other part) in their new phones. Is there anything I can do apart from returning this phone? It’s so bad it’s making me want to go back to my SE1, which has perfect call quality but I know it won’t be supported forever. It’s using the same SIM card, same network etc.

 

[now i see it]

Try your phone in a different location- away from your usual cell tower. Maybe it’s just a poor cellular connection

 

[Crystal21]

Try your phone in a different location- away from your usual cell tower. Maybe it’s just a poor cellular connection

I don’t think that’s the problem. The SE1 works perfectly in the same location.

 

[BigBlur]

What do your Voice & Data settings look like?

About the LTE options on your iPhone - Apple Support

Cellular-data options on your iPhone might vary based on your carrier's network.

support.apple.com

Also, do you have Wi-Fi calling enabled? You could try turning that off to see if it makes any difference.

 

[Crystal21]

@BigBlur The only difference I can find is that the SE3 is on ’5G auto’. There is no 5G here but I’ll try changing it to 4G only anyway. WiFi calling is off.

 

[Crystal21]

That hasn’t helped unfortunately. It didn’t make any difference at all.

 

[now i see it]

Maybe it’s a dud phone

 

[Crystal21]

Maybe it’s a dud phone

Yes, it’s possible. It just seems a bit unlikely since the 12 mini was exactly the same.