The best phones for music

The audio quality in a phone is an aspect that many of us ignore, but most of us use it all the time. After all, who still uses an iPod these days?

In recent years we have seen real progress in the quality of the phone's speakers, and even the hardware that sends the sound to the headphones.

But, what is the best music phone?

We are going to download our favorite phones to listen to melodies, taking into account several factors. Do you need to use an adapter just to connect some headphones?

Does the phone have excellent internal speakers? And do you have the power and quality of DAC to do justice to a truly great pair of headphones?

All these things matter. You just have to choose which is the most important, because now our best selections have a slightly different approach to sound.

1. Samsung Galaxy S9

Powerful speakers and a traditional headphone jack

AKG tuned speakers

Has a headphone jack

Does not have an advanced DAC

Like all companies are starting to take the headphone jack of their phones Samsung remained firm and kept the handy 3.5mm connector on the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. This is a great benefit if you have a pair of headphones or headphones that you love.

Phones without Jack often come with an adapter, but the chances of losing it are high. Also, they are completely annoying.

Samsung also worked with AKG to improve the quality of its speakers. There is a controller on the bottom, and the headset speaker now also emits audio, avoiding the unbalanced effect of a single array of controllers.

You hear loud, so loud that you only need the maximum volume for some scenarios.

The Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus do not have a quad turbocharged DAC, so this is the best choice for those looking for a general musical performance instead of a pair of demanding headphones.

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S9

2. LG V30

32-bit high-end DAC

Integrated B & O headphones

The speakers are not the best

The LG V30 is one of the best options for Android for those who already have excellent headphones or headphones. First, it has a headphone jack.

However, your 32-bit DAC is more interesting. This is what converts digital audio files into the signal that your headphones really "touch". To be specific, it is a DAC ES23 Saber ES9218P 32 bit.

This reduces the harmonic distortion in the signal and can increase the dynamic range. The LG V30 is also better for handling more energy hungry headphones than most, although these days there is a good chance that your pair does not need a particularly powerful amplifier.

The actual speakers of the phone are not the best in its class, but if you are very demanding with the quality of the sound, you will not be impressed by any speaker phone .

You also get a pair of B & O headphones better than the average in the box.

Read the full review: LG V30

3. Razer Phone

The loudest speakers around

Very noisy front speakers

Comes with 24-bit DAC adapter

Do not take headphones

If you've heard of Razer, it's probably thanks to your hardware and accessories for games. But now he also makes a phone, the Razer phone.

The quality of the speakers is one of its best features. There are larger than average drivers above and below the screen, delivering high stereo sound. For pure volume, the Razer phone has not yet been exceeded. It's super noisy.

Dolby Atmos processing helps the Razer phone sound strong and strong too.

It gets a bit sharp at maximum volume, so you'll want to lower the volume slider down little if you're holding it instead of using it to play Spotify while you cook or take a shower.

Like so many recent phones, the Razer phone does not have a headphone output, which is a shame. However, your supplied adapter has a built-in 24-bit DAC.

Read the full review: Razer Phone

4. iPhone X

Loudspeakers

Good sound quality

No headphone jack

Restrictive file transfer

Apple rarely makes a big fuss over their phone speakers. However, the iPhone X is comfortably the phone that best sounds so far, with strong and balanced double controllers. There is one on the bottom edge, and the headset speaker beeps for better dispersion when you hold the phone in front of your face.

As you probably already know, the iPhone X does not have a headphone jack. Here is the whole Lightning connection, and that means that the DAC lives in your Wireless / Lightning headphones.

Use a Lightning plug adapter to 3.5mm and that little thing has a DAC chip inside.

We believe that the iPhone X is a great all-rounder for audio. However, if your music collection is still a lot of files instead of being cloud-based, an iPhone makes it a bit more complicated to use the phone than an Android. You need to use iTunes: this has always been the way, but it's worth taking into account if you've never used an iPhone before.

Read the full review: iPhone X

5. HTC U11 Plus

Good DAC adatper

Without headphone jack

Not the long-time BoomSound

Years ago, HTC had the best speakers for phones, without exception. Today is not at the top, but the HTC U11 Plus is still a great music phone.

Your BoomSound speakers use one treble driver per headset, and one primary driver on the bottom. Its performance is not even 100%, but they sound good and HTC uses the body as a cavity for the upper speaker to give it a little more thrust.

There is no headphone jack, which can be a decisive factor for some of you. However, it comes with a very good adapter cable with a high-quality DAC built into its sleeve.

The adapters are annoying, but this gives you good sound quality with wired headphones. For wireless peers, the HTC U11 Plus is compatible with aptX HD, which reduces the loss of quality of wireless transmission. If your computer is compatible with aptX HD, anyway.

Read the full review: HTC U11 Plus

6. ZTE Axon 7 Mini

Stereo sound

Decent bass

Poor battery life

Weird interface

Decent music playback is not limited to high-end flagship phones , since ZTE Axon 7 Mini, wallet friendly, offers impressive audio on a tight budget. The compact phone offers pseudo-3D stereo sound possible thanks to the dual speakers on both ends of the phone.

Enhanced by integrated Dolby Atmos technology, the phone is capable of pumping music that features more powerful bass and less distortion than most rival devices of a similar size and price.

An AKM 4962 chip combines the two audio processors separately to create beautiful rounded and surprisingly meaty sounds. With this, your Bluetooth speaker will resign itself to life in closet clutter.

Read the full review: ZTE Axon 7 Mini

7. Sony Xperia XZ2

Compatible with LDAC

Enhanced stereo speakers

Without headphone jack

Sony was one of the original pioneers of stereo speakers in phones. Since then, it has declined a bit in terms of pure sound quality, but the Xperia XZ2 is still a good all-rounder for music.

The front speakers provide a good acoustic scenario and the quality of the speakers has improved since the XZ1.

However, there is no headphone jack, so you should use an adapter if you do not have a wireless headset.

The Xperia XZ2 also has a couple of "special moves". A dynamic vibration function triggers the vibration motor to the rhythm of the music. Fluff without meaning or fun? You choose. It also supports LDAC, a high-resolution wireless standard that you see in Sony&#39
;s Bluetooth headset.

Read the review: Sony Xperia XZ2

8. New Nokia 3310 (2017)

Keeps his songs blasting for days

Long-life battery

Very economical

2MP camera

2.5G connectivity

For some, high-resolution audio is not necessary for a smartphone to offer excellent music playback. For those who are perfectly satisfied with the way the MP3 quality files sound, the battery is likely to be more important.

According to its iconic billing, that's where the new Nokia 3310 comes in. The 1,200 mAh battery in the phone may not be the best. Larger, but wrapped inside this phone with glorified features, it is enough to offer 51 hours of continuous music playback before needing a trip to the network.

No, it's unlikely you'll buy this just for your musical abilities, but after a spare phone that can keep the tunes coming while your main phone's battery goes down the drain, it's a solid option.

Read the latest reviews: New Nokia 3310 (2017)