Is iPhone higher than Android for sound high quality?

Everybody will get pedantic about their interest, and audiophiles aren’t any exception. They are often among the many pickiest folks on the market, the truth is — a few of them depend on speaker or headphone manufacturers you have by no means heard of, and would not be caught useless listening to music on a Beats or Skullycandy product. They’re why you’ll be able to nonetheless discover gold-plated cables at your native electronics store, regardless of gold being largely irrelevant within the digital world.

A hyperlink within the chain that even audiophiles would possibly overlook, although, is their smartphone. Not all telephones are created equal in terms of output. On the broadest stage, it is value asking — which platform is healthier for sound, iPhone or Android?

• Apple iPhone 16

  This yr’s iPhone 16 line blurs the road between the “Professional” and the base-level iPhone by providing a brand new digicam button and the Motion Button, alongside the A18 chip.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S25

  The bottom mannequin of Samsung’s flagship smartphone lineup for 2025, the S25 options the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 6.2-inch show panel, and a triple digicam array.

Associated

Will anyone actually want Apple’s AR glasses when they’re ready?

Apple appears to be struggling to know AR and VR.

iPhone vs Android: {hardware}

A always evolving panorama

iPhones have historically loved a bonus on the {hardware} facet for one purpose: devoted DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) chips. Earlier than the iPhone, Apple had already established its audio credentials with the iPod, and lots of that experience carried over. The corporate even began placing DACs in its Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter cables when it ditched headphone jacks with the iPhone 7. For a very long time, Android telephones have been caught with low-quality built-in DACs.

We’re in a special world now, although. Android gadgets have grow to be more and more aggressive by necessity — Dolby Atmos will not work with out first rate onboard processing — and many individuals not use wired headphones in any respect. To get a high-quality DAC for wired output, count on to purchase a USB-C adapter with a DAC chip inbuilt, or a separate DAC accent, no matter platform. You might also have to look into the ability output of your cellphone — whereas one thing just like the iPhone 16 Professional Max can deal with nearly any set of client headphones, older telephones might battle with high-end gear.

As Bluetooth goes, it is principally about codec help. The iPhone 16 collection helps Bluetooth 5.3, which is not the absolute newest launch, however needs to be greater than ok for vary, constancy, and latency when paired with matching headphones or audio system. Only a few Android telephones supply Bluetooth 5.4 — the OnePlus 13 being an instance — and that replace is basically about safety and promoting, not efficiency.

0:48

Associated

The OnePlus 13 focuses on refinement, and the result is a phone I can’t help but love

With its newest Thirteenth-generation flagship smartphone, OnePlus refines the sweet bar handset type issue.

iPhone vs Android: software program

Android takes the lead

Apple

Software program is the place issues get attention-grabbing. Whereas iPhones do help requirements like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus, their format help is restricted to AAC, ALAC, APAC, MP3, MP4/M4A, and FLAC. iPhones merely cannot benefit from requirements like Qualcomm’s aptX or Sony’s LDAC. Tracks blended for Dolby Atmos or Apple Spatial Audio will usually sound wonderful on an iPhone, however you should definitely examine for Apple-specific compatibility within the apps and equipment you employ if there’s any room for doubt. APAC, it needs to be famous, is unique to Apple {hardware}.

Android format help varies from cellphone to cellphone, however there’s much less exclusivity at play. You are going to discover LDAC on a Sony Xperia 1 V, naturally, nevertheless it’s additionally current on telephones just like the Google Pixel 9, so it is only a query of procuring round. Android as an entire tends to supply wider compatibility — past AAC, MP3, MP4/M4A, FLAC, and Dolby, there’s native help for extra area of interest requirements like OGG and MKV. You’ll be able to even take heed to Apple Spatial Audio tracks on an Android gadget, although you may want the Apple Music app, Atmos compatibility, and probably an exterior DAC for full constancy.

One other space the place Android might win is EQ (equalizer) help. Whereas many iPhone equipment have completely positive EQ choices through devoted apps, there are fewer restrictions on Android, so general-purpose EQ apps thrive there. Apple’s personal headphones and audio system use notoriously easy EQ settings, although they do have options you will not discover elsewhere, just like the Dialog Consciousness and Listening to Support capabilities on the AirPods Professional 2.

4:47

Associated

Which AirPods are right for you?

All the best way from the Third-gen AirPods to the AirPods Max, there’s a pair of Apple AirPods on the market which can be the very best for you.

Ought to audiophiles select iPhone or Android?

No horrible solutions right here

If audio high quality is your main concern with a cellphone, you may in all probability need a flagship Android gadget. Diehards might wish to pair that with equipment like exterior DACs and amplifiers, in addition to a sophisticated EQ app to tweak frequency response. And, after all, search for headphones or audio system that help probably the most superior codecs.

That mentioned, you may hardly be disenchanted with an iPhone so long as you are conscious of Apple’s quirks, and store with compatibility in thoughts. Certainly, there are many high-end audio equipment that work with iPhones, so there is not any actual purpose to steer clear. It is higher to concentrate on the general experiences smartphones supply — in case you discover an iPhone simpler to make use of, there is not any sense struggling for a marginal enchancment in how Mozart or Kendrick Lamar sounds whenever you’re lounging at house. If there’s any noticeable enchancment in any respect, that’s.

Associated

The Apple-UK encryption battle is a terrifying echo of San Bernardino

It is an extremely severe situation that might put lives on the road.