Summary
Listeners of music on smartphones may be divided into two categories. The first kind is the MP3 listener and Spotify streamer who can lose themselves in their music without any worries. They can get by with headphones that sound as if they are made of tin. The second kind of person avoids inexpensive headphones and lossy sound; they are audiophiles. For their discriminating hearing, nothing less than the greatest wired headphones will do.
top 5 Android smartphones for music
Not to be overlooked is the third category: the smartphone user who just uses the speakers on their device to listen to music and asks why other people are so concerned about the sound quality. I mean, to each his own?
These are the top 5 Android phones to own if you’re into audio quality, with a preference for those who appreciate the subtleties of sound quality (you know who you are). All of them come with a cutting-edge DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) and immaculate hi-fi music processing internals, which are essential for playing those juicy high-resolution audio formats.
1 – ASUS Zenfone 9
The tiny Zenfone 9, which has a DAC and a jack as its alliterative combination, isn’t new nor is it a flagship smartphone, but it does have a reputation for having strong onboard stereo sound, and when inquisitive audio enthusiasts want to push the envelope of 32-bit acoustics, there is no distortion audible.
Be mindful of the battery life.
A minor worry is that the Zenfone 9 consumes a lot of battery life, so that rhythm with a lot of groove might be disrupted at the worst time. Additionally, due to its age, 8GB of RAM is common; but, if audiophiles are prepared to put in a little more effort in their search, they may still get a 16GB model.
2 – LG V60 ThinQ
The LG V60 ThinQ, which was introduced in early 2020, may not be the newest model, but its quad DAC makes it a solid choice for audiophiles. Turn on a track of deep bass trance in FLAC format or some jazz at 320 kbps to really appreciate the lush, expansive soundstage of a set of Sennheiser HD1s—affordable and well crafted as they are.
Here, the screen and audio come first.
With a large 6.8-inch viewing area, the LG V60 ThinQ is a powerful dual-screen smartphone that may feel heavy in tiny hands. It also has an outdated Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset and a respectable 64-megapixel primary camera, but its audio reproduction is just exceptional. Immersive sound is available with the built-in phone DAC, making it the ideal choice for someone looking to finally commit to a Tidal lossless streaming subscription.
3 – Sony Xperia 1 V
It’s Sony, after all. The Xperia 1 V, which has a matte black finish that is characteristic of many Sony products, retains the sought dedicated headphone socket for audiophiles as well as a high-resolution DAC that is compatible with a wide range of high-fidelity audio codecs. It also has a strong performance and an amazing 4K OLED display.
Sony is proud of its high-fidelity assistance
With a focus on tangle-free music streaming during commutes and exercise flexibility, the newest flagship smartphones are leading the way in adopting the most recent Bluetooth standard and wireless headphones. Sony’s continued backing of the high-fidelity music business is seen in their support for a high-end DAC and headphone connector.
Note: To get the most out of this phone, you will need to spend as much money as possible on a similarly high-quality wired set of in-ear or over-ear monitors, but this is true of every gadget on our list.
4 – Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Asus makes another appearance on this list. It’s the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate version, which is optimized for gaming. The gadget has strong processing capabilities, which is a plus for a mobile gaming platform, but its advantages extend beyond the game’s non-player characters. The certified hi-res audio phone is an advocate for lossless music quality.
For some, the look is too gamer.
The ROG 7’s lackluster results in other crucial mobile metrics are the only thing preventing it from being declared the top smartphone on our list. For example, the phone’s obviously mediocre camera and style will not appeal to individuals who are sensitive to aesthetics. To sum up, let’s not overlook its gaming prowess and thunderous speakers.
5- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Isn’t a Samsung flagship supposed to be at the top of this list? Yes, perhaps, but the Samsung S23 Ultra does not include the traditional 3.5-mm headphone connection. Nevertheless, thanks to its high-fidelity sound output and Dolby Atmos speakers, it is light years ahead other smartphones with comparable specs.
Even devices without a headphone connector may still be wiredly connected.
For both music enthusiasts and audiophiles, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra offers a superb audio experience even without a headphone port. While you can use a USB connection to connect IEM headphones, the recommended method is always to use a USB-C to jack converter. However, this may be a bit inconvenient if you’re always on the go.
Embrace the wireless revolution by taking an alternative path to soundscape clarity. Yes, it’s not the usual method used by audio purists. Although they still favor wired connections and a built-in DAC that is warm and immersive and has a wide tonal range, more advanced wireless audio codecs such as aptX and LDAC are now able to reproduce high-resolution music.
Although the audio connection on a smartphone isn’t quite dead yet, its existence is becoming more questionable given that everything else on the device is digital. All things considered, a processor made expressly to convert digital data into perhaps loud analog does seem a bit out of date.
Audiophiles have diverse opinions. Despite the existence of an external DAC market and our article featuring the top 2024 DACs, the emphasis on smartphones with built-in audio quality persists. It’s odd that for once, a phone function ranks better than more common hardware performance metrics like CPU speed and screen sharpness.
This might sometimes even push aficionados of vintage handhelds like the LG V60 in the direction of earlier models. Customers are prepared to forgo the newest smartphone features in exchange for a gadget that can recreate music with unmatched clarity. They’re happy to savor the comforting analog sounds of a DAC while the rest of us go on, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
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