Is iPhone higher than Android for sound high quality?

Everybody will get pedantic about their passion, and audiophiles are not any exception. They are often among the many pickiest individuals on the market, actually — 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 possibly can 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 neglect, although, is their smartphone. Not all telephones are created equal on the subject of output. On the broadest stage, it is price asking — which platform is healthier for sound, iPhone or Android?

• Apple iPhone 16

  This 12 months’s iPhone 16 line blurs the road between the “Professional” and the base-level iPhone by providing a brand new digital camera 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 digital camera array.

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iPhone vs Android: {hardware}

A continually 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 a number 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 unique world now, although. Android units have develop into 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 may additionally 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 shopper headphones, older telephones could wrestle with high-end tools.

As Bluetooth goes, it is principally about codec assist. The iPhone 16 sequence helps Bluetooth 5.3, which is not the absolute newest launch, however ought 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.

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iPhone vs Android: software program

Android takes the lead

Apple

Software program is the place issues get fascinating. Whereas iPhones do assist requirements like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital Plus, their format assist is proscribed to AAC, ALAC, APAC, MP3, MP4/M4A, and FLAC. iPhones merely cannot make the most of requirements like Qualcomm’s aptX or Sony’s LDAC. Tracks combined for Dolby Atmos or Apple Spatial Audio will usually sound superb on an iPhone, however remember to verify for Apple-specific compatibility within the apps and equipment you utilize if there’s any room for doubt. APAC, it ought to be famous, is unique to Apple {hardware}.

Android format assist 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 purchasing round. Android as an entire tends to supply wider compatibility — past AAC, MP3, MP4/M4A, FLAC, and Dolby, there’s native assist for extra area of interest requirements like OGG and MKV. You may even hearken to Apple Spatial Audio tracks on an Android gadget, although you will want the Apple Music app, Atmos compatibility, and probably an exterior DAC for full constancy.

One other space the place Android could win is EQ (equalizer) assist. Whereas many iPhone equipment have completely advantageous 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 Help features on the AirPods Professional 2.

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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 in all probability desire a flagship Android gadget. Diehards could need 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 assist probably the most superior codecs.

That stated, you will hardly be upset 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 no actual cause to steer clear. It is higher to concentrate on the general experiences smartphones supply — should you discover an iPhone simpler to make use of, there is no sense struggling for a marginal enchancment in how Mozart or Kendrick Lamar sounds if you’re lounging at residence. If there’s any noticeable enchancment in any respect, that’s.

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