When we buy a new smartphone most of the time we focus on the most "visible" technical characteristics such as the size of the display, the resolution, the speed of the operating system and the quality of the camera, completely ignoring the audio sector. For those who want to listen to music and want to obtain superior sound quality, they will often be disappointed by most smartphones on the market, some of which are also very expensive.
To avoid taking any smartphone with poor audio, in this guide we will show you which are the best smartphones for audio and listening to music, showing you the features to check when we choose a new smartphone and the inevitable purchase guide, so you know immediately we can buy some of the commercially available models.
Smartphones with the best sound
It is relatively easy for audio-wires to realize if a smartphone is excellent from an audio point of view; for novice users or those who do not understand anything about music or sounds it can be very difficult to understand what to observe in the data sheet of a smartphone. We read below the features that a smartphone suitable for listening to music and the products we can view for purchase must have.Technical features
The characteristics that we must observe to get good audio from the phone, even when we play music (both from the integrated speakers and from the devices connected via wire or via Bluetooth) are:- Stereo speaker : a smartphone for audio-wires has a double speaker for the reproduction of sounds and songs, so as to be able to benefit from stereophonic listening with a lot of "resonance box" due to the body of the device (appreciable if you put the telephone on a table or on a wooden surface).
- DAC : the DAC is the audio chip dedicated to converting sounds from digital to analog. If the DAC is well made, the speaker sound is more lively and engaging. The DAC is also essential for high quality reproduction via 3.5mm Jack cable (where provided).
- Cable audio standard : to be able to play all the compressed audio formats currently available, we will have to check if the smartphone chosen has support for DTS: X Surround, Hi-Res, LDAC and Dolby Atmos, in addition to the classic Dolby Digital . Obviously we will not find all these standards, but make sure that at least two of those indicated are supported.
- Wireless audio standard : Bluetooth connection is essential for carrying high quality wireless audio; in order to maintain perceptible quality via wire, we recommend checking that aptX, EnhanX aptX (or E-aptX) and aptX HD standards are supported. Of course, the headphones or earphones used must also support the same standards, otherwise we will not get the maximum sound quality.
- Audio files : in addition to streaming music (possibly by subscription, so as to always have the highest quality) we will have to make sure that the smartphone supports AAC files, FLAC files and Ogg Vorbis, which currently represent the best in terms of quality audio. If possible, avoid using MP3 files, unless they are high bitrate (320 kbps).
Buying Guide
After seeing the features to be observed on a smartphone dedicated to audio, let's see together the best models that we can buy online on Amazon, so as to have excellent after-sales support and very competitive prices.Motorola Moto Z3 Play and JBL SoundBoost
If we do not want to spend too much we can focus on the Motorola Moto Z3 Play, which provides expansion contacts on the rear to which we can connect a cover with high quality stereo speakers from JBL, called JBL SoundBoost . In this way we will be able to listen to any song in streaming at the highest quality, as if we had a real stereo in your pocket! In addition to the expansion of the audio, the cover also functions as a powerbank, thus extending the autonomy of the phone.
The phone can be viewed from here -> Motorola Moto Z3 Play (€ 279).
For the expansion cover just click here -> JBL SoundBoost (49 €).
LG G8s
If we want to focus on a smartphone with excellent audio quality but without spending too much, we will no doubt have to focus on the LG G8s, which has amplified stereo speakers, a DAC with support for 32-bit and 192 kHz audio, support for DTS: X Surround technology, support for all known wireless audio standards and a 3550 mAh battery, so you can listen to good music without worrying too much about the battery.
We can view the phone from here -> LG G8s (430 €).
Samsung Galaxy S10 +
Among the top of the range with good audio performance and support for all modern listening technologies we find the Samsung Galaxy S10 +, which boasts support for Hi-Res audio, 32-bit and 384 kHz DAC, Dolby Atmos and optimization of the speakers and internal equalizer by AKG, a well-known manufacturer of professional headphones.
We can view the phone from here -> Samsung Galaxy S10 + (€ 711).
Sony Xperia 1
The best smartphone for listening to music is without a doubt the Sony Xperia 1, a real "monster" on the audio side thanks to the front stereo speakers, support for Hi-Res technology, support for proprietary LDAC technology (to increase audio quality via wireless) and DSEE system, which also improves the rendering of MP3 files (notoriously among the worst file formats for listening to high quality music).
We can view the phone from here -> Sony Xperia 1 (850 €).
Google Pixel 3a
Google Pixel 3a is an excellent phone for listening to music, even compared to the more expensive Pixel 4 because it has a headphone jack to which earphones and headphones can be connected. The output doesn't have the sonic purity of the best around, but it's a relatively cheap cell phone, with solid speakers, clean software, solid udesign, good screen and pretty much the best cameras at this price.
iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone has always been an excellent choice for audio, with excellent speakers and also excellent wireless audio, especially using Apple's EarPods. The internal speakers of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro have stereo drivers for a more immersive experience and are self-improved with Dolby Atmos to make the sound much wider.
Conclusions
If we listen to a lot of streaming music and we want the highest quality in terms of sound performance, choosing one of the models proposed above will obtain extremely satisfying results, with clean, rich and engaging sound. Many other high-end smartphones have the same characteristics shown in the guide but we have decided to show you those that, from the point of view of sound performance, have satisfied the customers the most.Obviously these smartphones must be accompanied by quality headphones, as seen in our guides How to choose quality wireless headphones and Best alternative Bluetooth headsets to Apple AirPods .
If the sound of our smartphone is not satisfactory as we had hoped, we can read the suggestions proposed in our guide How to improve the sound of wireless headphones (PC and smartphone), so as to find a valid solution to our problems related to audio or to playing music.
