Audio enthusiasts haven't always been happy with the quality of audio coming from their smartphones, but some phones do show promise.
Smartphone makers have never really been very kind to audio enthusiasts, let alone making phones for audiophiles. Some companies have tried phones with audio enhancements, but they haven’t changed much by way of sound quality. However, if decent audio does matter, here are the best smartphones you can get.
It is worth noting that no phone is really meant to be heard without headphones, unless you’re using it for videos or a quick listen. Nevertheless, some phones in 2016 did actually raise the bar for audio enthusiasts to look forward to.
The LG V20 was the first smartphone to have Android Nougat out of the box, but that wasn’t its only USP. The phone has quad-DAC support, improving from the earlier LG V10. Not only does the LG V20 make for a good phone for audiophiles, it’s also for those who want to record clear and crisp audio. LG uses three mics to record the best audio any smartphone can record.
Buy LG V20 from Amazon at Rs 45790.
When it comes to audio, few OEMs have done better than HTC, and the company still stands tall. In our tests, the HTC 10 delivers some of the cleanest and well detailed audio that we’ve seen on smartphones so far. It also runs on a flagship class SoC, in the Snapdragon 820 and has a really good camera to boot.Buy HTC 10 at Rs 35000 from Amazon.
Compared to the two phones mentioned right at the start, the Sony Xperia X does fall behind. However, pretty much no other smartphone in its category can really challenge the Xperia X in terms of audio quality. Amongst premium smartphones, the Sony Xperia X delivers very well-balanced audio and is definitely one of the best.Buy Sony Xperia X from flipkart at Rs 24990.
Apple added support for stereo audio on the iPhone 7 Plus, which of course makes it comparatively loud. However, the iPhone’s audio delivery over wired channels is amongst the best as well. You will of course get suitable headphones, though.
Buy Apple iphone 7 Plus from Flipkart at Rs 72000.
Moto Z with JBL Mod
On its own, the Moto Z delivers pretty good audio quality, but it can’t really challenge the phones mentioned above. You’ll still get above average audio as far as smartphone audio is concerned, but not something that qualifies for audiophiles. And that’s where the JBL Speaker Mod comes in. It turns the Moto Z into an impromptu Bluetooth speaker and though it’s not extremely high quality audio, it’s well above regular smartphone levels.Buy Moto Z with Style Mod from flipkart at Rs 24999.
Audio is one of the many things that the OnePlus 3T gets right, even with the cheaper price tag. Yes, it isn’t as good as phones like the LG V20 or HTC 10. In fact, even the Xperia X and iPhone 7 Plus can trump it, but it’s still amongst the better smartphones for audio enthusiasts who have tighter budgets.
Buy Oneplus 3T from Amazon at Rs.29999
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