As we near the end of the year, we turned our attention to the devices that made the biggest impression in 2023. Frequent readers might be quick to point out which smartphones have the best cameras, best display, or best battery life . But we have thoroughly tested and recorded an often underestimated aspect of smartphones: the quality of the speaker — and you might be surprised to see which phones had the best-sounding speakers in 2023.
This roundup is based on the exhaustive reviews of more than 110 phones that we’ve conducted throughout the year. We’ve leafed through our notes, listened to them dozens of times and present to you our list of smartphones with the best sound.
The size and cost of a device significantly influence a manufacturer’s choice of speaker drivers, so we have organized our selected devices into several categories. These categories are detailed on the following pages.
Summary:
You will not find all the phones reviewed on these pages because we have already selected the best ones. Picking the absolute best is a bit subjective, so we left a handful of devices selected in each category rather than outright singling out the best ones. This also adds a bit of context, which is helpful to have when choosing your favorite.
An important note when listening to these recordings: bring your best headphones and make sure you have them at maximum volume.
The best foldable speakers
Considering that we have two categories of foldables, one much larger than the other, it is fair to judge them separately.
Of the larger, foldable devices, our top pick is the Oppo Find N3/OnePlus Open – essentially two identical devices made by sister companies. Second place goes to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5.
Some of us liked it vivo X Fold 2 more than the others, so we’ll add that one as an honorable mention too.
As far as compact flip-style devices go, the Galaxy Z Flip5 has traded blows with the Oppo Find N3 Flip, depending on what song you’re listening to and depending on who you ask. However, if we had to choose the best audio device between the two, it would be the Galaxy Z Flip5. Nonetheless, the Oppo Find N3 Flip it still performed quite well, outperforming the five other flip-style phones we reviewed in 2023.
Join us on the next page where we discuss the best mid-range speakers, a much more contested category.
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