Reviews

Best smartphone for audio recording in 2023!

Best Smartphone for audio recording_audiowavegeek.com

Not all mobile phones are manufactured the same when it comes to audio and video capabilities, or more specifically for audio recording. Today in this article we tried to capture the best smartphone for audio recording. As each differs in their own way depending upon the hardware and software included and the integration between the two. Every other month a lot of new smartphones are introduced to the market by different manufacturers from all over the world. Each and every manufacturer tries to bring something new or unique features to their phone so that their smartphone can attract many customers, it could be camera quality, video and sound quality, price tag, top-end, and advanced hardware and software, etc.

It all depends upon the buyer’s requirement, sometime the smartphone main usage would only be to stream music and videos for entertainment or just take photographs or play games (of course apart from taking calls and texting :)). It is definitely very attractive for buyers as they have an abundant amount of other options while buying a new smartphone, as they don’t have to adjust on to any one aspect of the handset.

Nowadays many companies have taken special care to the audio quality and audio recording capabilities of smartphones. Over the years smartphone brought the new level of audio experience to the users. We have to agree that everyone is fond of music and loves to play music on their smartphones along with that many even love to record their voice to keep it as a souvenir of how well they can sing. In the future, Hi-Fi sound & chipsets are going to make smartphones a treat for music lovers.

Even though generally smartphones have a good speaker but not all of them are capable of providing the best sound experience.

The device’s perfect hardware and software combined with a very good sound level boost is necessary to turn music lovers’ heads. So if you are a music enthusiast and planning to grab a smartphone that can provide the best sound quality experience then you are in the right place.



Here we have gathered up some of the best performing stereo audio recording smartphones in the market currently:

#1 – LG V60 ThinQ

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The LG V60 ThinQ is still the best smartphone for audio in the market in 2023. It comes with a high amp output mode, which enables you to hear what you have recorded. Also, it has a 32 Bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC which is able to drive any kind of phone quickly. This gives you the best audio quality.

The noise floor of the LG V60 ThinQ is about 100dB, and it has a low total harmonic distortion. These features make the recording and even listening of the recorded audio very satisfying.

Another killer feature of the LG V60 ThinQ is the strong output signal, which out deals with all other smartphones on the market today. This assures you that whatever audio you will want to record, it will give you a high-quality audiophile.

That is not all; the LG V60 ThinQ comes with a complicated setup with redundancies. This feature gives the phone the ability to record 24-bit/192kHz audiophiles. Also, it can record 24-bit/48 kHz output for videos.

With such a phone, the extra data allows you to tweak your audiophiles in the post-production fashion if you want. However, depending on the model that you are using, you might only be able to wind up your recording in mono version only.

What’s more, the LG V60 ThinQ has a storage memory of 128 GB, which gives you enough space to record long audiophiles.

There is also the normal EQ and DST: X 3D surround system. However, the surround system is not ideal for music playing.

Besides this, it comes with a powerful headphone amp, which, if you can use it in the Quad DAC mode, will give you the best audio volume as compared to other phones.

However, the speakers of the LG V60 ThinQ is not the best in the market. But if you wish, you can listen via the inbuilt speakers, which offer a better sound quality.

Pros

  • Great DAC quality
  • Audiophile friendly
  • Uses android 9
  • The strong battery life with 5,000 mAh
  • Big storage space

Cons 

· Internal speakers are wanting


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- What Does EP, LP and SP Stand For?

#2 – Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra – “BEST Cost Saving”

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As far as killer audio recording goes, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra stands out from the crowd. Besides the high-impendence auto-adjusting and quad DAC, which makes the audiophiles worthwhile, the speakers are decent, and the overall output is clean.

The audio hardware of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is excellent. It uses a wired output, but the volume is high, and the harmonic distortions are low. This gives you one the best audio performance that you will like.

Moreover, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is able to support the ultra-high-end audiophile versions. For instance, it can help the 32-bit PCM or the DSD64/128, which in most cases, cannot be supported by other phones.

Another outstanding feature of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is the Dolby Atmos audio, which allows for the psychoacoustic processing. This feature helps to increase the size and scale of the sound on the phone.

The internal speakers of this phone are excellent. They have a plumy sounding lowers and mids which gives the audiophiles the low vocals and bass more weight when playing the audio.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has an internal storage space is 128 GB, but you can expand it up to 512 if you wish. This gives you enough space to record as many audios as you want to without restraint on space.

The battery of this phone can last a whole day at 5000 mAh. This is a good battery life which allows you to record even long audios without running out of power.

The audio quality of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is outstanding thanks to the well-balanced and fine detail packing sound reproduction.

Pros

  • Great audio quality
  • Excellent and detailed sound recording
  • Quality speakers
  • Dolby Atmos enhanced

Cons

  • Expensive

#3 – Razer Phone 2

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The Razer Phone 2 is renowned for its best audio quality as compared to many high-end phones. Apart from that, it also stands out for its battery life, exceptional display hardware, and excellent gaming performance.

However, the Razer Phone 2 lacks a headphone jack; it utilizes the android pie and Bluetooth. Moreover, it uses the Dolby Atmos, which is supported via its dongle and the out of this world speaker. Therefore, it is one of the most effective audio phones for 2023.

If you enjoy listening to your audiophiles in the wireless version, then Razer Phone 2 is the ideal phone for you. Although the update is not that speedy, the audio is the cutting edge.

If you are okay with the dongle, the Razer Phone 2 will give you a value for your money as compared to most smartphones in the market.

It comes with a RAM of 8 GB and internal storage space of 64 GB. The storage is big enough to record as many audios as you want and listen to them.

The battery is also good because it lasts up to 4000 hours, which allows you to record your audios without fear of running out of power.

What’s more, the speakers support the LDAC, which ensures that the quality of the audio you get is exceptional.

The other salient feature of the Razer Phone 2 is the rock-solid speakers who are supported by the Dolby Atmos, which are played via a wired headphone.

Pros 

  • Rock-solid speakers
  • Dual inbuilt front-facing speakers
  • Supports the LDAC
  • Strong battery
  • Value for money

Cons

  • Lacks headphone jack

#4 – Sony Xperia 5 IV

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Are you looking for high-end products? We bring you the Sony Xperia 1which stands as one of the mid-range speakerphones. However, if you are a lover of headphones, the phone does not have a headphone jack.

To replace the headphones, the Sony Xperia 5 IV comes with a feature known as dynamic vibration, which is coupled with the stereo speakers.

The feature helps the phone to vibrate in time with the beat of the audio you are playing. This is the game-changer feature, which makes the listening interesting.

The speakers of the Sony Xperia 5 IV are rock-solid. One of the speakers is placed at the bottom and another at the bottom.

But unlike the stereo speakers, the front speaker of the Sony Xperia trebles the information while the bottom speaker is designed for the bass and mid-range sounds.

The Sony Xperia 1comes with an internal storage of 128 GB. Apart from that, it uses a RAM of 8 GB.

It uses the Android 12 operating system, and the battery is 5000 mAh.

Pros

  • Unusual dynamic vibrations
  • Stereotype speakers
  • Expandable internal storage
  • Moderate battery life

Cons

  • The speaker output is lopsided

#5 – iPhone 14 Pro

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iPhone is well renowned for its best audio quality. Also, it is very easy to move your audiophiles as compared to its Android-powered counterpart.

The iPhone 14 Pro comes with one of the best speakers, which stands out in the market today. Apart from that, it uses the bespoke, which you can use to pair with the apple H1 to pair with the headphones.

In addition to that, there are the best solo beats known as a solo pro. The wireless connection is clean and stable, allowing you to enjoy your audio uninterrupted.

If you like enjoying more vibrant and expansive sounds, the iPhone 14 Pro used the Dolby Atmos and internal stereo speakers. This feature helps to make the music better and high-quality.

The audio quality of the iPhone 14 Pro is superb, thanks to the analog audio output. The lightning port does not have an analog output, but the quality is determined by the headphones.

So when buying the headphones for the iPhone 14 Pro, ensure that they have the DAC, which will help to enhance the quality of the audio.

The iPhone 14 Pro uses the iOS 17 operating system and a RAM of 4 GB. It has an internal storage of 128 GB & above, but you can expand it to 256 or 512 GB as you wish. This allows you to record as many audiophiles as you wish. The battery is 3046mAh.

**We are personally using iPhones and can say with confidence that iPhone 11 series is one of the best smartphone for audio recording and video recording as well**

Pros

  • Great inbuilt speakers
  • Wireless headphone support is good
  • Expandable storage
  • Uses Dolby Atmos
  • Moderate battery life

Cons

  • Expensive

#6 – Google Pixel 7a

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Are you looking for a smartphone with the latest and salient features and specs? Look no further than the Google Pixel 7a. Besides the killer features, the price is affordable.

However, when compared to its Google Pixel 4 counterpart, the Google Pixel 7a lacks 100% waterproofing.

There is also a headphone jack, which works superbly to give you the best sound quality. Therefore, you will get the best audio applications to enhance your music listening.

Apart from that, the Google Pixel 7a comes with rock-solid speakers. All the software is also clean, which makes the audio lively.

It uses the operating system of android 13 and a RAM of 8 GB. The internal storage space is 128 GB, which allows you to record audios without fear of running out of space.

What’s more, the battery of Google Pixel 7a is 4300mAh. However, the body is made of plastic, which makes it delicate in case of any fall.

Pros

  • Headphone jack
  • High-quality speaker 
  • Clean software
  • Better battery life

Cons

  • Plastic body
  • Wired audio is not great

What to look for while buying a phone for audio recording?

There are a number of factors that you should take into consideration when you want to buy a smartphone for audio recording. In this section, we will give you some of the salient features that the smartphone you want to buy should have.

Audio quality

The very first thing that you should consider is the audio quality of the phone. You for to be able to record the best audio quality, you need a phone with the best sound quality as possible.

Since you will be recording audios and you will be listening to them offline, it is paramount that the sound should be clear.

Storage capacity

Another critical factor to consider when buying a smartphone for audio recording is the storage space. Since you will be saving audios in your phone and listening to them later, it is essential that the phone should have enough storage space.

There are those phones that come with an expandable memory space. A smartphone with a slot for an SD card is advisable. This is because you can be able to expand the storage space so that it can handle more audios.

However, there are some smartphones that does not allow for expansion of storage space. Phones such as iPhone come with an internal storage space which cannot be expanded. Therefore, depending on how much of audio recording you do, choose a phone that will allow you to store as much audio as you can.

Battery life

The quality of the battery life is a very essential factor to consider when buying any smartphone. It is now even more critical to consider it because you are likely t be listening to a lot of audios during the course of the day.

For the best smartphone for audio recording, it is advisable to go for a phone with a giant battery. The bigger the battery, the longer it lasts. Ensure that you choose a phone with a big battery so that the power will not die out during a recording process.

Fortunately, the phones that we have listed in this post come with big batteries. So, you will not have to worry about the battery life.

Listening method

It is paramount to consider how you are going to listen to your audios. You can either go for wired or wireless listening. There are smartphones that are designed with a wireless ability so they lack the jack pin port.

However, if you are a DAC diehard, then you need to get a phone with a wire. Depending on what you are comfortable with, choose a smartphone approprietly.

Price

It is important to consider how much you are willing to spend on a phone. A budget allows you to buy a phone that is within your range. The cost of a smartphone is determined by a number of factors.

A smartphone with s larger storage space and big battery will cost more as compared to other phones. However, do not overlook other essential features just because of money. For an audio recording phone, you need a phone with a big storage so budget appropriately.


Frequently Asked Questons

How much storage do I need for an audio recording phone?

We cannot give you a definite answer for that because it depends on the length os the audios you record. The storage space that you need is determined by the length of audios that you record. Also, if you have a sparate storage device where after recording you can transfer your audios, then you do not need a very big storage space.

Which Smartphone is the best for Audio recording?

The best smartphone for audio recording depends on your recording needs. If you are looking for a phone to occasionally record meeting proceedings, then you need a simple phone. But generally speaking, the smartphones that we have listed in this post are ideal for any kind of audio recording. Choose the one that meets your audio recording needs.

How can i record a great audio on my smartphone?

It is easy to record a great audio on your phone which you can share with your family and friends. There are a few things that you should do in order to record a great audio. Follow the following steps.

Step 1: Download and install an audio recorder. You can download the audio recorder from Google play store if you are using android enabled phone.

Step 2: once you have installed the audio recorder, go to the settings section.

Step 3: Scroll to the sample rate quality.

Step 4: It will open a slide with various audio kHz. Select the 44.1 kHz (CD).

Step 5: Next, click on the back allow and go to the microphone adjustment. In this section, put the phone mic away from your mount around 12 – 15 cm and then speak to the mic of the phone.

It will show a yellow line on the screen. Ensure that the line does not reach its maximum because it will lead to distortions. Calibrate the loudness of the speaker to suit your needs. Step 6: Go back to the main recording screen and click on record. It will show you the maximum amount of time you can record. Finish the process and you are ready to start recrding great audios.


Conclusion

When it comes to music, a smartphone with the best audio quality is paramount. There are many smartphones in the market, but not all of them are good for audio recording. Therefore, it is essential to know which is the best smartphone for sound recording in 2023.

Most smartphones in the market today are near perfect when it comes to the audio recording. In this write-up, we will bring you a list of the best smartphones for audio recording. These phones will bring you the best future-proof audio recording. Also, they have some of the best salient features.

This post is meant for that sound geek who wants to know what he is getting into before buying that next smartphone. This is because there is a phone out there that is not good when it comes to the audio recording. Most such phones are deal-breakers, but you cannot tell that until you spend your hard-earned money on it.

If you have a smartphone that you bought say 2 to 3 years ago, there are chances that there are some features that it lacks. With the advancement in technology, new sound features are being invented on a daily basis, which has taken audio recording to the next level.

Therefore, each of the phones that we have listed here come with different audio specs with their accompanying merits. However, there are smartphones that will meet are likely to meet each music lover everything they need.

Each of the smartphone generations comes with killer features, which makes audio recording better. Some have faster-processing speed, which allows you to process your audio faster and more excellent usability.

The best smartphone for audio recording should have at least a 32-bit Quad HiFi DAC, which makes the audio come to life. Apart from that, there are other features like storage space and battery performance that we will look into as we will discuss each phone in detail.

A real high-quality audio recording depends on the phone you are using and the quality of the software the phone utilizes. A smartphone with the true HiFi sound will stand out with the quality of the audio that you will get.

So, whether you are an iOS or android loyal, whether you like the high-end products or the more affordable options, we have you covered with the very best smartphones for audio recording in the market in 2023. We hope this post has saved you some time and gave you some valuable information.

The list above is drawn specifically to the number of users who want to have a better experience with their recordings on the move by using their smartphones.  We hope that the article would provide some guidelines for buyers who want the best smartphone for audio recording this year. Thanks for sharing your comments and feedback below if we have missed any phone.

10 Comments

  1. How do you get the Galaxy s9 to record stereo?
    Are you sure it has this function? After two years of research while operating this device, I’ve never accomplished bringing in stereo audio.

  2. As a Trainee singer, i like to record my voice. So i want to buy a new smartphone for the best audio recording. After finding your blog, i got the best smartphone models as per my budget. I think Google Pixel 3a XL would be the best phone for me. Very informative blog. Thank you for sharing!

    1. I am glad Marry that you find the most useful for you to make a decision. We tried to capture the best option available currently in the market for the consumers to buy from. Cheers, and wish you Happy Easter.

      1. Thank you for this, very helpful for musicians like me!
        I wonder if there is a difference between the Google Pixel 3a XL
        and the Google Pixel 3a regarding the sound and recording quality…? I think that the size would fit me better

        1. Thanks for the comment, we need to do a deep dive and get back with it! Cheers

  3. Hi!
    I am classical musician and am looking for a smartphone for making audio/video recordings, but the main point is the quality of sound recordings. For us it is important that the device catches the sound of the space, of the room, or hall more then to record focused or narrow , detailed space and sound. Once someone made very, very good recording of my singing with Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. I looked for its specifications and found that it had:” stereo sound rec. ” I find this specification important , but can’t find it by other, new models. Do you know if and which models have it? Thank you!

    1. Julia, I’m a musician too, LG and Motorola are the best when it comes to recording audio with real stereo, despite being budget phones. Look for LG G7, even and old G6, Motorola G8, newer Motorola One Hyper series is good too.
      Flagship phones like Iphones and SamsungGalaxy Note are focused on mainstream users, so they have good cameras, awesome performance for games, and so on, but their focus never was offering good audio recording, so don’t be fooled by the price tag, a more expensive phone will not necessarily offer better audio recording.

      1. Hi Julia,
        Absolutely correct, a more expensive smartphone doesn’t always account for the better performance and equipment all the time. We too were amazed to see what LG and Motorola have to offer at a comparatively lower price than that of the mainstream phones, that is why we kept LG at the top. Appreciate your comments and feedback. Cheers!

      2. Hi Julia,
        Absolutely correct, a more expensive smartphone doesn’t always account for the better performance and equipment all the time. We too were amazed to see what LG and Motorola have to offer at a comparatively lower price than that of the mainstream phones, that is why we kept LG at the top. Appreciate your comments and feedback. Cheers!

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