Every smartphone promises a better camera, faster chip, and these days, an even slimmer body. One piece of tech has fallen by the wayside for most smartphones: speakers.
Most smartphones sound fine. But that’s precisely part of the problem for anyone that wants to use their smartphone for audio without headphones, earbuds, or a Bluetooth speaker.
But there are a handful or so of smartphones that buck that trend and deliver excellent audio through their built-in speakers, and better still, they’re some of the best phones on the market in all other areas.
Xiaomi 17 Ultra
Bass is a feature, not an afterthought
I tried out the Xiaomi 17 Ultra at MWC 2026, where it was wowing the crowd with its integrated, award-winning camera modes. But even on the busy show floor, I thought the Xiaomi 17 Ultra speakers sounded decent enough, but it’s hard to get a true reading.
Notebookcheck’s Xiaomi 17 Ultra review confirmed what I thought: the Chinese smartphone has well balanced highs and lows, with good bass delivery.
It has a hybrid speaker system, with speakers at the top and bottom of the smartphone. The bottom speaker is the lounder of the pair, as the top also works as the earpiece. However, GSM Arena notes that “the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s speakers are quieter, earning a “Good” -26.6 LUFS score.”
LUFS (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale) is a standardized unit of measure that gauges how loud audio sounds to the human ear.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Better, but quieter?
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra speakers received pretty much universal praise when they hit the shelves in March 2026.
Featuring the same hybrid speaker design found on most smartphones on this list (larger downward firing speaker with an earpiece combo up top), the the Galaxy S26 Ultra speakers are relatively well balanced, producing a decent stereo sound, but with some concerns in the low-range and with overall volume.
Samsung partnered with AKG to tune it’s speakers, so they deliver enough quality overall, and with Dolby Atmos, you can create a larger overall sound that gives a better sense of space.
In this case, GSM Arena’s Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review measured it at -25.9 LUFS, a “Very Good” rating but a notch quieter than last year’s S25 Ultra, with a newer tuning that trims some of the vocal-heavy squeakiness from before.
Since then, I’ve tried the Samsung Z Fold 8, and while the speakers sound good, they’re still a way off the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I haven’t yet tried the Z Fold 8 Ultra, so can’t comment on that device.
iPhone 17 Pro Max
Less neutral than before
Given the dimensions of most modern smartphones — the contemporary glass and metal rectangle — it’s no surprise to see Apple also using the “standard” hybrid stereo speaker design. In each case, the full bottom speaker does the main leg work, and the earpiece pulls double duty, in a design we’ve seen across most iPhones and other smartphones.
But overall, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a great sounding smartphone, though maybe a little quieter overall than the 16 Pro Max at the very top end, even with reports the device can hit more than 90dB at peak, which is rather loud (it’s the equivalent of a lawnmower or motorcycle).
Indeed, GSM Arena ranked the 17 Pro Max top of its “Top Speakers Among Compact Flagships” testing, pushing it ahead of the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, Honor Magic7 Pro, Huawei Pura 80 Ultra, and the rest of the field.
Notebookcheck were similarly impressed by the iPhone 17 Pro Max, stating that the device delivers “very linear highs and mids,” but the speakers “barely convey any bass.”
Poco F8 Ultra
Hefty bass doesn’t require a huge flagship price tag
Womp womp womp womp. That’s the sound you get with the Poco F8 Ultra, another smartphone I tried at MWC 2026 earlier this year.
The Poco F8 Ultra is different from the rest of this list for a couple of reasons. One is that it features a dedicated subwoofer that fires out the back alongside the usual top-and-bottom hybrid pairing, making it both audibly and visually different.
In an age where so many smartphones look incredibly similar, something stepping out is fantastic, not least because the rear subwoofer is tactfully built into the camera housing.
It’s another smartphone that’s topped multiple “best speakers” lists, too. Adding dedicated subwoofer chamber is a hardware decision most flagships don’t bother making, because it costs internal volume they’d rather spend on battery or more cameras. But in this case, it’s really paid off for Poco.
The other difference is simply price; the Poco F8 Ultra is much cheaper than the other options on this list, with pricing starting at around $730 for the entry-level 12GB/256GB model. That’s not a budget phone by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ll get an excellent set of smartphone speakers for a snip of the price.
Honor Magic8 Pro
A unique speaker design delivers the serious goods
The Magic8 Pro pairs large, symmetrical 12x16mm drivers in an open-cavity design with a body that doubles as its own resonating chamber — Honor’s marketing calls the result “Premium Bass.”
What’s interesting is that the back panel visibly vibrates during playback, which, when you first see it, is a little concerning. What with smartphones typically mean to be solid, rigid, and unbending, seeing the rear of the smartphone apparently take on a life of its own is odd.
But that’s the open-cavity resonating chamber doing exactly what it should do, and that’s to deliver some deep bass without compromising the mid- and high-end through the main speakers. It’s worth noting that the speakers still deliver the bass, but the design makes it easier to deliver clarity across the full spectrum; it’s pretty clever when you think about it.
Loud smartphones are making a comeback at long last
There has been a considerable uptick in smartphone speaker quality in recent years. More folks than ever use their smartphone speakers for general listening, which means manufacturers are being pushed into taking speakers seriously again.
A prime example is Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII, which launched earlier in 2026. Now, I haven’t tried this phone personally so haven’t added to the overall list, but reviews from GSM Arena, Phone Arena, and other reputable sources say this smartphone sounds excellent (for a smartphone — it’s all relative!).
We see it elsewhere, too. More smartphone manufacturers than ever are pairing up with major audio brands to deliver custom tunings and multi-channel stereo systems; Redmi, Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony, and Infinix, come to mind.
So, if speakers really factor into how you use your phone, make sure you really test it before hitting the buy button.