Honestly speaking, I’m not well versed in audio quality and may not be the best judge, but I can distinguish between quality audio reproduction and bad ones. I may not be educated on the highs and lows of music and the terms associated with them, but I’ll try my best with this list. Thankfully, I have taken aid from a well-reputed source in this matter. If you are interested in more details about smartphones regarding audio, visit PCAdvisor to learn more about the audio quality of smartphones. They have an extended list of smartphones and go deep into the audio quality. But if you just want to know which smartphone will work great for your soundtracks and videos, stick around here because we will keep things simple. The smartphones are not in any particular order here.
1. Google Nexus 6P
Huawei did a great job, and the smartphone remains near the top of the list compiled by Android aficionados. There are several reasons why this smartphone is so great, and we have already written about them in the best things about Google Nexus 6P article. But we are here to talk about the audio quality of the smartphone. The first thing you’ll notice about this smartphone is that it has two front-facing speakers. Any smartphone that has well-positioned speakers is automatically ranked above the ones that don’t. The Google Nexus 6P has long bars running on the top and bottom of the screen and are surprisingly loud. The stereo speakers featured in the Google flagship smartphone allow you to consume media like never before. Pair the good speakers with the large screen, and you can watch movies and TV shows easily.
2. Sony Xperia Z5
It is disappointing to see Sony struggling with their smartphone offerings, despite being some of the best devices out there. The Sony Xperia Z5 offers many features, one of which is the stellar audio performance. The smartphone features two front-facing speakers that are of surprisingly good quality. Sure, they are no match for even a mid-range Sony headset, but they are great for casual listening. The speakers are large and provide sufficient sound for most of the users. However, if your headphone requires additional power, the smartphone won’t be able to drive them fully. This is the norm with almost every smartphone available, so it’s not that big of a deal. Apart from the sub-bass being a bit cut off, the mid-bass is quite good.
3. HTC 10
HTC is well renowned for producing smartphones that have amazing sound qualities. The company has developed technology that helps bring the premium sound out of their devices. The HTC 10, like its predecessor, comes with HTC BoomSound technology. Another stand-out feature of the smartphone is the clever use of two speakers. However, this two-speaker arrangement is rather unconventional when compared with the competitions. The bass speaker is located on the bottom side of the smartphone, not the back, the bottom side where you usually put in the charger cable. The other one is on the front face. This odd combination of speaker placement is unique but works well. I tested the phone out personally (Dad is an HTC fanboy) and it was great. However, you can easily obstruct either of the speakers when holding the phone in landscape mode. Another thing I noticed is that you cannot turn off the HTC BoomSound technology at all, at least at the time of the writing.
4. LG G5
LG G5 is perhaps the loudest of the 5 best Android phones for audiophiles. The speaker is bottom mounted but is very powerful. Sadly, the sound quality suffers at the highest levels. Turn the volume down a notch and you will have a pleasantly crispy sound coming out of the smartphone. The back plate also vibrates a bit at max volume, so I recommend you don’t crank up that dial. Overall the smartphone will provide a good experience for audio lovers. But if you want to take your smartphone listening experience to another level, LG has released a DAC attachment for the LG G5. This attachment will allow better sound quality on the smartphone. If you want to learn more about the smartphone, check out our best LG G5 features article as well.
5. Samsung Galaxy S7
The Samsung Galaxy S6 had below-average speakers. I tested the phone and found the speakers were muted. Thankfully, Samsung decided to listen to the fans and brought better sound quality in their latest flagship smartphone. The smartphone enjoys an overall improvement over its predecessor, with loud and crisp sounds coming out of it. The speaker is placed at the bottom of the smartphone but provides an excellent experience while watching movies and listening to music. It is not on par with two front-facing speakers, but perhaps the Korean giant will try those next year. As for the headset, performance is also quite satisfactory but lacks the power to run power-hungry headsets fully.
Final Thoughts on Best Android phones for Audiophiles
These were a few great Android phones for Audiophiles. I feel like I should have included a couple of exclusive region smartphones in the list, but this is a universal list and would be unfair to other readers. Maybe when the smartphones get international releases, we will include them on the list. So tell me, what do you think about these devices? Do you prefer to carry a separate music player with you for a better listening experience or do the Android smartphones provide satisfactory results? Just like always, we would love to hear from you, the HD and loss-less quality questions and suggestions are always a joy to read.
