Gadgetory

phones have largely replaced almost every other gadget we might want to carry destroying not only the point-and-shoot camera market but also the dedicated music player market but just because phones have speakers and the ability to use headphones doesn't mean all smartphones are created equal we're 2016 was an amazing year for camera hardware audio wasn't as well supported for manufacturers we'd normally turn to for high-quality solutions no cop-outs here these are the top 5 audio performers of 2016 ranked by our personal listening experiences and the benchmarks we rent each phone through while producing our reviews so let's get to it number 5 the 1 + 3 T the bottom firing speaker on the 1 + 3 T is about as good as any company can make but where this phone shines is when you plug in some headphones one of the better performers of the year for amp output quality and it has a fantastically low noise floor the 3 T impresses even more when you see that sub $500 price the only drawback and one we didn't face on the regular 1 + 3 released earlier this year is the inability to disable EQ tweaks and tricks hopefully that will be addressed in a software update as otherwise this is a terrific audio option number for the iPhone 7 and 7 plus we're be grudgingly putting the iPhone on this list at number four the industry is walking away from the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack and we're sad to see a proper standard die in favor of proprietary solutions which will migrate additional costs to consumers who value high-quality audio still for having to plug in this flimsy adapter the iPhone 7 delivers better playback than most of the phones released this year add stereo speakers to the mix and Apple delivers a formidable player we can't help but express some frustration though that this adapter situation produces ever so slightly lower quality output than the iPhone se or the iPhone 6s if you don't need the stereo speakers you might be better served with Apple's older gear otherwise maybe look to invest in a couple extra spare headphone adapters because these things they probably won't last very long number three the HTC ten HTC used to rule the roost for all things audio boomsound is still a remarkable competitor and the HTC ten sets a high bar for both speaker output and headphone quality this year brought a controversial move though straying from traditional stereo speakers the 10 delivers mono output where higher frequencies are produced by the earpiece and lower frequencies from the bottom speaker it's a better solution than most other phones if it might not quite satisfy fans of more traditional left and right channels this headphone jack is also top-tier with fantastic signal-to-noise ratios it loses out to the next two options on our list for amp power but you really can't go wrong with this phone until you start using higher impedance headphones we're hoping this isn't the end of HTC's audio prowess the bolt left us underwhelmed and honestly frustrated with its USB type-c headphone solution this year the audiophile HTC fan is much better served by the ten number two the LG v 20 the V 20 is a multimedia and content creation monster it gets an honorable mention in the audio discussion for including the best microphones and audio capture tools available on any phone released this year it loses the top spot for its mono bottom firing speaker magnificently improved over the LG v10 we'd still appreciate LG moving it to point at our face if not providing some kind of stereo solution in the future this phone however is the undisputed headphone champ no other device can top it for high quality output properly supporting ridiculously high bitrate audio files crazy low noise floor and excellent signal-to-noise ratio this is also the most sophisticated phone for controlling amp output the V 20 will tailor playback based on the device it's connected to plug in some higher impedance scans and this phone launches into beast mode using more consumer grade options the phone dials back that power to prevent damaging your headphones or from messing up your hearing if you want the absolute best for headphone audio look no further the V 20 is the champ and that brings us to number one the Z te exon seven so what if you could get really close to the headphone output of the v20 for less than half the price well the axe on seven might be the right fit for you the major drawbacks ZTE lacks support for true 24-bit output and it suffers a narrower dynamic range otherwise the axe on seven trades blows well against the v20 nearly matching noise floor and producing less stereo crosstalk best of all we've got maybe the loudest amp on board of any of the phones reviewed this year and the axon should do a terrific job driving most headphones even more expensive fare it's not as sophisticated as the LG but it gets the job done better than any other manufacturer add some solid stereo speakers to the mix and what we have here is the spiritual successor to phones like the HTC One m8 and m9 an absolutely fantastic all-rounder for just about any audio situation you might throw at it that would be exciting enough from any regular flagship phone but when you consider the recent price cut putting the ax on seven well under $400 it's an absolutely shocking bang for buck put in dollars to doughnuts the axe on seven easily earns our top spot for 2016 audio this year faced more compromises than other flashy er features a companies like Sony and Samsung delivering options to North America which performed worse than the phones they released in 2015 the pixel proving to be something of a disappointment though manufactured by HTC lacking any of HTC's audio expertise and for the mid-range er manufacturers if there were any areas to save on production costs it was off in the audio if we lose 3.5 millimeter headphone jacks we hope to see better support for a standard in USB type-c accessories a current solutions haven't been very encouraging until then for the audio files in our audience these phones are the best of the best for 2016 and of course we want to hear from you did your phone make the list are you rockin cabled headphones or moving to a wireless solution for convenience drop us a comment down below this video as always thanks so much for watching be sure to subscribe to this channel for all of our 20:16 wrap-up videos including our favorite camera phones mid Rangers and flagships of the year for pocket now I'm Juan Carlos bag nails some gadget guy on Twitter and Instagram and I will catch you all on the next video you