Best Smartphone for Music Lovers & Audiophiles in 2022

We know the Apple drill - every September, there’s a new iPhone. In 2019, Apple pushed our limits with three new models: iPhone 11, iPhone Max, and iPhone 11 Pro - all three designed to be the ultimate iPhone. The best smartphone for music lovers arrived: In addition to exciting updates to display screens and processing speed, Apple upgraded audio quality too. 

“Refined” is probably the best way to describe the iPhone 11 Pro’s audio delivery. These phones are known to deliver crisp and highly distinctive sound, but Apple gave the iPhone 11 Pro - already one of the best phones of 2019 - another level of sophistication. The company tweaked settings to improve low-level dynamics and added “extra drama” in quieter playbacks. You can expect fresh tonal lightness to the 11 Pro’s sound delivery. 

Apple has made much of its top-quality internal speakers. But can the 11 Pro be considered one of the best phones for music?

Like all newer iPhones, the 11 Pro lacks a headphone jack. The company delivers superb sound via Bluetooth headphones, but if you are an old-school type, you’ll need to set aside a few dollars for an adapter that plugs into the Lightning port and gives you a place to plug in headphones.

Even without headphones, the 11 Pro’s sound has been significantly improved with upgrade speakers that include spatial audio support for Dolby Atmos. This upgrade gives you a more spacious and atmospheric sound than ever before. Simply put, this is likely the best cell phone sound quality you’ll run into on our list, along with Samsung’s S10+ and LG’s V50 ThinkQ.

After you have appreciated the iPhone 11 Pro’s instantly familiar design, curved metal edges, and OLED display, the next thing you will notice is an improvement in battery life. One of the industry’s top-quality music smartphone options is even better because it’s powered by the largest battery Apple has put in an iPhone to date - a 3,979 mAh Li-ion cell. This model will refill 50% of its battery in 30 minutes, and a full charge within an hour. Moreover, the iPhone 11 Pro supports 100 W wireless charging. 

In addition to being a strong candidate for the title of the best phone for audio, the 11 Pro is also flexible when it comes to storage. The phone offers three storage configurations: 64, 256, and 512 GB. The 64 GB you get with the base model is manageable, but just barely. 

The iPhone 11 Pro delivers excellent performance in a compact package. Triple rear cameras are fun, and powerful stereo speakers deliver the most refined spatial audio you can get with a phone. If you can afford it, the iPhone 11 Pro is the phone to buy. It’s the best smartphone for the money and arguably one of the three best audiophile phone models around. We heartily recommend it. 

Samsung’s Galaxy S10+ was engineered to be a real conversation starter among 2019 phones. The S10+ is a powerful and attractive phone even compared to its successor, the Galaxy S20. This beastly phone is Samsung’s best music phone, and it remains the champ even after the S20’s introduction.

The Galaxy S10+ has a phenomenal active-matrix OLED screen, loads of useful camera tools, and monster battery life. Samsung has settled on an optimum design with recent releases, but the company did its best to distinguish this model with its remarkable features, including a “hole punch” for camera lenses at the top right of the screen. The screen is wider and longer than its predecessor’s, as light and manageable as you can get with a big-screen smartphone. Samsung was one of the first manufacturers to move the fingerprint sensor underneath the display. It’s a big improvement over the conventional placement below the screen, which wastes precious real estate.

While the iPhone 11 is probably the best phone for music quality, the Galaxy S10+ is no slouch either and comes with a headphone jack to boot. Thanks to this feature, Samsung comes out on top when it comes to versatility. Many people prefer the 3.5 mm headphone jack because you can use wired headphones without an adapter. Unfortunately, this model comes bundled with AKG earphones, which are harsh and thin-sounding: it’s definitely a good thing that you can easily exchange them for something better. Remember, using a  phone with the best audio quality in the world won’t matter for much if you pair it with bad headphones!

When it comes to listening to high-fidelity music, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ improves upon its predecessors, adding a surprising amount of scale and space to the sound. It strikes a pleasant sonic balance, revealing dynamic and detailed highs. Music fans were thrilled with the S9, and it is safe to say that the S10+ is a further improvement on that model.

If you are looking for the best smartphone for music, look no further. Music sounds dynamic on the Galaxy S10+, with lots of bass. The speakers provide plenty of volume and the phone features Dolby Atmos support for a spacious and dynamic sound. 

The S10+ comes with one of the biggest and most powerful batteries on the market. This phone provides a fantastic 12 hours and 35 minutes of battery life when web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, making it a strong candidate for the industry’s best Android smartphone even without the hi-fi music features. The battery has so much capacity, you may even find yourself charging other devices using the S10+. The Wireless PowerShare feature allows you to charge other phones that support the Qi Wireless standard - including the iPhone. As for storage capacity, this is definitely the best audiophile smartphone - the S10+ starts with 128 GB of storage. You can opt for an upgraded model with 1 TB storage and 12 GB of RAM - but at a much higher price. 

If your ego doesn’t require that you be seen in public with the absolute latest, greatest, most expensive phone ... if you’re sure what you really want is the phone best suited for headphone listening ... this smartphone is a solid choice. It’s a top-rated audiophile phone that is still competitive. Best of all, since the S10+ is now several years old, you can probably pick one up at a good discount.

The V50 ThinQ 5G served as LG’s first foray into the 5G ecosystem. The LG V50 ThinQ is essentially an upgraded LG V40. LG added a second screen, which has an interesting appeal to users. Some are excited about additional screens for the way they support a better gaming experience, while others note that the screen consumes a lot of power unnecessarily. Can this be the best Android phone for music sound quality too?

You can attach headphones or speakers via the USB-C port on the bottom of the LG V50 or by plugging into the 3.5 mm headphone jack. 

LG is very serious about providing a wide, bright screen with perfect color accuracy. This model, the best LG phone of 2019, has a huge 6.4-inch OLED display with sharp resolution, so playing games using this device is a joy. The screen is bright enough to see even in sunny conditions.

LG music support includes a 32-bit hi-fi quad DAC and support for the DTS:X 3D Surround system. At 93 decibels, this will be one of the best smartphones for music  - the sound will be loud enough to fill a room with superb quality audio. The sound is clean and spacious, but there have been some complaints about the woofer on the bottom of the device - it is significantly louder than the one on the previous model, so the sound isn’t perfectly balanced. But if you decide to watch YouTube clips and put your phone at a reasonable distance, you will enjoy true surround sound. The LG V50 is definitely one of the best smartphones for music currently on the market. 

The V50 has a significantly larger 4000mAh battery than its predecessor, and it supports both wired and basic wireless charging. You can expect this top cell phone to work for approximately eight to 10 hours at full charge. With heavier usage (5G network or dual display usage) it will drop much faster. 

Our main complaint with this device is that LG has done little to set itself apart with design improvements. In addition, users say the second screen doesn’t add real value - just bulk, weight, and battery drain. 

But if you have been looking for the best hi-fi phone to make your gameplay or binge-watching a more pleasant experience - LG will make or break your purchasing decision by being the best smartphone for audiophiles coming from this renowned manufacturer.

The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a few surprises that Apple and Samsung can’t match. Not only has this model proved to be a strong candidate for the best phone for music listeners, but it will also help you capture your best-ever selfie with its novel pop-up front-facing camera. And then it will dazzle you with its truly unblemished all-screen display. 

The 7 Pro was one of the best smartphones introduced in 2019, with an immersive 6.7-inch screen that ditches the ugly bezel outline for a more fluid gaming and scrolling experience. This is the first OnePlus phone with Quad HD+ resolution, and it was worth the wait. Colors look fantastic thanks to the AMOLED panel, resulting in a super-immersive visual experience.

Unfortunately, the OnePlus 7 Pro does not have a headphone jack. Manufacturers were aware that this can be a disadvantage to many users, so they included two stereo speakers. There is no need to worry about sound quality: Even without a headphone jack, this is the best phone for listening to music without completely breaking the bank. As for the quality of the speakers, both are Dolby Atmos-certified, so you can be assured that your 7 Pro will provide excellent sound at high volumes. 

What we really like is that the bottom edge speaker is now on the right side, so you are less likely to cover it up when you’re gaming. Whether you are watching a movie or playing your favorite game, OnePlus ensures that you’ll experience top sound - much better than the mediocre sound reproduction of earlier OnePlus models. In fact, you can comfortably use it to play music in a small room. The bass is not far-reaching, but OnePlus created a credible competitor for the title of Android phone with the best audio quality. It will fill your room with crisp highs and punchy notes. 

The OnePlus 7 Pro is packed with a huge 4,000 mAh battery cell, and it can make it through several days of moderate usage with 25-30% of its battery life remaining. Video streaming and gaming will reduce the remaining power to 10-15% - which is more than solid performance. If you add the fact that your 7 Pro can be charged from 0-50% in only 20 minutes, you have to agree this may be the best smartphone for audio aficionados that never want to deal with battery issues. 

The OnePlus 7 Pro is a stellar deal when you compare it to other manufacturers’ flagship phones of 2022. Compared to them, the OnePlus 7 Pro is a value-oriented smartphone. It comes with a top-notch UI, incredible camera, great battery life, and excellent stereo sound - for much less than you’d pay from another manufacturer.

The pitch for the Pixel 3a is simple: almost everything that made the high-end Pixel 3 sound good, but at a lower price. At first glance, it is not obvious what Google changed in comparison to its predecessor. The subtle differences are in the details.

This is one of the industry’s top phones with the best audio features available in its price range. Google created it by removing the front-facing stereo speakers and the dual selfie camera from the Pixel 3, leaving a more basic look for the Pixel’s front. One of the greatest budget audio phone devices around, the Pixel 3a comes with a 5.6-inch OLED screen of excellent quality considering the price point - honestly, it’s about as good as what you get with the Samsung Galaxy 10+ or Huawei P30 Pro. This is a lightweight device that is easy to hold and use one-handed. 

Sound quality is not out of this world, but at this price, you can expect a fairly balanced sound throughout the range and perfectly respectable specs. The bottom stereo speakers are Dolby-certified, so this model can be justifiably described as the best phone for music lovers at an affordable price. It will deliver loud-and-clear sound with minimal distortion. If you love the dirty rattles of bass guitar strings, you will be disappointed. This phone delivers high tones at all volume levels, but a strong bass is not something you should expect from the Pixel 3a. 

Smartphones with a headphone jack are making a glorious return, and the Pixel 3a is no exception. Many consider it odd to see the cheaper Pixel offering more options than its pricier counterparts, but who’s complaining? Anyone who decides to take a leap of faith with this cheaper model will get one of the most capable mid-range mobile phones with the best music quality available in this pricing segment. 

The Pixel 3a comes with a 3,000 mAh battery that will get the job done. The battery life comes in at just under 16 hours between charges, and if you turn off the always-on display feature, you can boost the phone’s stamina by an extra three hours. There is no wireless charging, but you can recharge your Pixel very quickly over the standard cable.

With three years of software updates, a better display than its similarly-priced competitors, and powerful stereo speakers, this is surely one of the top-rated cell phones available and a strong option for music lovers on a budget.

Razer is building some of the best-sounding cell phone devices on the market these days.The company is clearly channeling its inner Apple or Samsung, with bold confidence and original design. Razer grabbed attention for its rectangular design and 120Hz screen in early models, but it lacked many high-end features and was ultimately viewed as a misfit. 

The company has now stepped up its game without losing the soul of the original. Its blocky design won’t suit every taste, but it is unique and refreshing. Razer phone 2 ticks most of the boxes - it has one of the fastest processors around, plenty of file storage, dual rear cameras, and an extra-long display. 

The biggest change is the addition of gesture controls. Razer’s best new audio phone implements simplified swipe controls that feel just about perfect. The biggest drawback is definitely the camera - it has features that make it functional, yet uninspiring at best. 

Ignore the embarrassingly basic camera features. The Razer Phone 2 may well be the very best smartphone for an audiophile on a budget, as it offers some impressive features for buyers with smaller wallets.

The bottom of the phone houses two loudspeakers. When you’re ready to rock out, just tap on the Dolby button, select your song, and you are good to go. Razer Phone 2 has built-in Dolby Atmos surround sound, giving you the most spacious sound across all volume levels. Moreover, the Razer Phone 2 has earned its stripes as a candidate for best Android phone for music title by virtue of being the first and only phone to receive official certification from Netflix for HDR video and Dolby Surround 5.1 for audio. 

Playing a game of Fortnite on Razer’s music phone is delightful. You will surely appreciate the surround-sound features. You will be able to almost pick out sounds coming from different directions, increasing the sense of immersion. 

Unfortunately, even though this phone offers the best phone sound quality, the battery life doesn’t stretch past a day. If you don’t play too many games, you will be satisfied with the Razer Phone 2’s life. However, this phone was tailored for audiophiles and gamers, so its merely average battery life is a serious drawback. 

The company redeems itself with a Gorilla Glass 5 back that allows wireless charging, and if you buy the manufacturer's wireless charging dock you can enjoy watching the edges of the base light up the room. 

If you live on a diet of movies and games, if you consider luxuries like a 120Hz display and true surround sound a necessity, then there is a solid chance Razer Phone 2 will push your buttons. It comes at a more reasonable price than its competitors, and unlike its predecessor, this is the best smartphone for music lovers that doesn’t cut corners to hit its low price point.