I purchased my Galaxy Note 20 towards the end of November,2020. I setup the phone, updated Android to its latest release (1-Nov-2020) and started exploring various features. Everything looked good until I put it on speakerphone during a Whatsapp call. The caller mentioned that she keeps hearing an echo. Sometimes it's a repeat of what the caller says and other times it's random static sounds. I then tested various scenarios to isolate the issue.
The issue happens especially with third-party apps such as Whatsapp/DUO and when using the speakerphone. Very rarely, it happens with regular voice calls too. And the echo intensifies when the phone is held in hand or close to the body. The device has three microphones but the one on the bottom seems to be culprit. When I block it with hand, the echo disappears. But of course, the caller doesn't hear my voice too.
I returned the device and got a replacement but the same issue happened on the second device too.
That's when I did further research and realized that it must be a software issue rather than a hardware issue. Based on other stories, looks like the latest Android update caused the issue.
Hope Samsung quickly releases a patch for this. It's a disgrace that a device that beats competitors in most aspects doesn't get its basics right.
