Samsung Focus I917 -- on the ear

New phone, no damage or third party apps. The problem is that voice volume, phone-to-ear, is almost inaudible, even with volume keyed to max (10). There's no problem with handsfree or speaker call volume, and everything else about my Focus I917 seems OK. Anyone familiar with the problem? A model weakness?

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Are the holes in the plastic for the speaker clogged? It's possible that there is something wrong with the speaker or it's just worn out.