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Gadgetell got to try out the call quality of a T-Mobile G1 and compare it to an iPhone 3G.  There were no decibel meters or any other fancy scientific equipment used, just two guys with decent hearing and some phones.

While at the T-Mobile G1 Android event, I got to talk with the guys from Big in Japan, makers of the ShopSavvy application.  We were discussing the G1 as a phone when I asked their “Tech Shogun,” Rylan Barnes, about call quality of the G1.  He said it was alright.

Knowing that the Gadgetell readers out there would like to find out how the G1 performs as a phone firsthand (or first-ear as the case may be), we conducted some tests.

The G1 phones at the event were live on T-Mobile’s network.  I would like to thank Rylan Barnes for helping me conduct the tests as testing call quality by yourself is not very easy.

Setup

I called up Rylan and walked as far away as I could while being tethered to a booth.  Rylan, on an iPhone 3G, moved further away so we could just hear audio coming from the phone and not from each other since we were in the same space.  Speakers on both phones were put at maximum volume due to the noisy environment.  The speakerphone was not tested.

Calling someone on the G1

The touch screen is responsive, but the send button is actually a hard button below the screen.  My iPhone-trained mind kept searching the screen for “send” and did not see the actual send button until it was pointed out to me. 

The speaker is fine for hearing calls in a noisy area.  I had very little difficulty hearing Rylan.  His voice sounded clear.  Checking out the G1’s microphone, I asked him how I sounded, and he told me loud and clear.

Receiving a call from someone on a G1

Not satisfied with just one part of testing, I had Rylan call my iPhone 3G using a G1.  I had to block my other ear to hear the caller better.  The G1 sounded great once I blocked out some sound.  There appears to be a decent microphone in that HTC hardware.  Additionally, the caller had no problem hearing me.

Testing it against the iPhone 3G

I noticed that both Rylan and I owned iPhone 3Gs, so I figured we would test out the audio on the iPhones.  We called each other, iPhone 3G to iPhone 3G, and noticed that our voices sounded tinny and compressed when compared to when we were using the G1 in our tests.  That could be due the fact were using the AT&T network or due to the way the iPhone handles voices. 

The G1’s microphone and speakers sounded better than the iPhone 3G.  It was easier to hear someone on the line when using the G1 and the mic did a great job of picking up voices and not necessarily noise. 

Expect further testing at Gadgetell once we get an official G1 for ourselves.