Is iPhone higher than Android for sound high quality?

Everybody will get pedantic about their pastime, and audiophiles are not any exception. They are often among the many pickiest folks on the market, in reality — a few of them depend on speaker or headphone manufacturers you’ve got by no means heard of, and would not be caught useless listening to music on a Beats or Skullycandy product. They’re why you may 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 may neglect, although, is their smartphone. Not all telephones are created equal in the case of output. On the broadest stage, it is price 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 grasp AR and VR.

iPhone vs Android: {hardware}

A consistently evolving panorama

iPhones have historically loved a bonus on the {hardware} aspect for one cause: devoted DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) chips. Earlier than the iPhone, Apple had already established its audio credentials with the iPod, and numerous 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 had been caught with low-quality built-in DACs.

We’re in a unique world now, although. Android units have develop into more and more aggressive by necessity — Dolby Atmos will not work with out respectable onboard processing — and many individuals now not use wired headphones in any respect. To get a high-quality DAC for wired output, anticipate to purchase a USB-C adapter with a DAC chip in-built, or a separate DAC accent, no matter platform. You may additionally must look into the facility output of your cellphone — whereas one thing just like the iPhone 16 Professional Max can deal with nearly any set of shopper headphones, older telephones might wrestle with high-end gear.

As Bluetooth goes, it is principally about codec help. The iPhone 16 sequence helps Bluetooth 5.3, which is not the absolute newest launch, however must be greater than adequate 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 kind 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 reap the benefits of requirements like Qualcomm’s aptX or Sony’s LDAC. Tracks blended for Dolby Atmos or Apple Spatial Audio will typically sound superb on an iPhone, however make sure you test for Apple-specific compatibility within the apps and equipment you utilize if there’s any room for doubt. APAC, it must 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 buying round. Android as a complete 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 system, although you will want the Apple Music app, Atmos compatibility, and presumably an exterior DAC for full constancy.

One other space the place Android might win is EQ (equalizer) help. Whereas many iPhone equipment have completely high quality EQ choices by way of 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 features on the AirPods Professional 2.

4:47

Associated

Which AirPods are right for you?

All the way in which from the Third-gen AirPods to the AirPods Max, there’s a pair of Apple AirPods on the market which might be the perfect 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 will most likely need a flagship Android system. Diehards might need to pair that with equipment like exterior DACs and amplifiers, in addition to a sophisticated EQ app to tweak frequency response. And, in fact, search for headphones or audio system that help probably the most superior codecs.

That stated, you will hardly be disillusioned 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 isn’t any actual cause to steer clear. It is higher to deal with the general experiences smartphones supply — in the event you discover an iPhone simpler to make use of, there isn’t any sense struggling for a marginal enchancment in how Mozart or Kendrick Lamar sounds once you’re lounging at dwelling. 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 challenge that might put lives on the road.