Best Phone Speakers
Xiaomi
Motorola
Infinix
Poco
Pixel 11 Pro XL
17
Moto G Power (2026)
Note Edge
Pixel 10 Pro Fold
F9 Ultra
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Phone speakers have improved dramatically, and the gap between a good and mediocre stereo setup can shape how you experience media, calls, and casual listening throughout the day. This list ranks phones by speaker performance, evaluating loudness, bass response, clarity across the frequency range, and stereo separation.
The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL takes the top spot overall, delivering a well-rounded speaker system that balances volume, presence, and detailed mids without distortion at high levels. For listeners who prioritize bass specifically, the Xiaomi 17 stands out with notably fuller low-frequency output than most competitors. The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold earns a slot for quality in a foldable.
Whether you care most about sheer volume, tonal balance, or getting the best value, the rankings below cover a range of priorities and price points.
Best Phone Speaker Overall
Turn the volume up on the Pixel 11 Pro XL and it holds together in a way most phone speakers don't. Max output reaches 76.6 dBA with average distortion under 4%, and clarity is the standout — dialogue and podcast voices stay intelligible at full volume, ahead of most other phones we've tested. The Galaxy S26 Ultra runs it close. Samsung's tuning is more even across the frequency range and its distortion is marginally lower, but it can't match the Pixel's clarity and rolls off earlier in the low end.
Bass is where the Pixel gives ground though. The Xiaomi 17 delivers noticeably fuller low end at a lower price, though it's quieter overall at 71 dBA and distorts more when pushed. If bass-heavy music is your priority, the Pixel isn't the obvious pick.
The smaller Pixel 11 Pro is actually a touch louder, but its distortion nearly doubles and the balance suffers — the XL's larger chassis clearly helps here. Beyond the speakers, this is a middling flagship: performance sits well behind the S26 Ultra, and battery life is unremarkable at 28.75 hours of video playback. As a pocket loudspeaker, though, nothing beats it.
Best Phone Speaker for Bass
The Xiaomi 17 extends bass response lower than any other phone in our current database — significantly deeper than both the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Google Pixel 10 Pro, which roll off considerably higher in the frequency range. For music with prominent low-end — hip-hop, electronic, certain rock — the difference is audible and meaningful.
That tuning comes with trade-offs though. The Xiaomi 17 produces noticeably more distortion at high volumes than the Galaxy S26, and maximum loudness is lower than what most of its competitors manage. The frequency balance across the midrange and treble is also more uneven, which means the phone sounds fuller on bass-heavy tracks but less neutral overall. If you listen to podcasts, classical, or acoustic music, the coloration may not suit you.
Peak brightness reaches 3,583 nits in HDR content, which puts the display among the top handful of phones we've tested. Charging is fast — 100-watt wired means a full charge takes well under an hour. Battery life in gaming falls in the average range, and the microphone ranks near the bottom of our comparison set, so voice recording and call quality on the go are weak points.
For bass-focused listening, nothing else in our testing currently matches it.
Loudest Phone Speaker
At 80.3 dB, the Moto G Power (2026) is the loudest phone speaker we've measured across our current database. If your primary need is filling a space with sound without a Bluetooth speaker nearby, this phone does that better than anything else we've tested.
Of course, loudness doesn’t necessarily translate to a great listening experience. Distortion at max volume is high — nearly four times the distortion level of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and meaningfully worse than the Nothing Phone (4a) at similar volumes. The low-end response is limited too — bass starts rolling off well above what most phones manage, so music sounds thin at the bottom. The overall speaker score sits near the bottom of our database. This is a phone tuned, or simply built, to go loud rather than to sound balanced or clean.
In contexts where loudness is genuinely the requirement the G Power (2026) delivers. For general audio quality, better options exist at this price.
Best Phone Speaker Under $1,000
At 75 dBA maximum volume with average distortion of 2.36%, the Poco F9 Ultra's speakers stay clean at levels where most phones start to grate. Cleanliness is the standout result here — distortion is well below the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL's 3.79%, and the Pixel is the only phone in our database with a better overall speaker score. It costs $500 more.
Against the Samsung Galaxy S26, nearly the same price at $899.99, the gap is easier to hear. The S26 tops out quieter at 72.5 dBA, and its bass rolls off much earlier — the F9 Ultra reaches meaningfully deeper into the low end, the kind of difference you notice immediately on anything with a bassline. Frequency response is even across the midrange too, so voices in podcasts and video don't get the honky coloration cheaper speakers add.
One caveat: the microphones are poor, ranked near the bottom of our database. Speakerphone calls and voice memos won't match what comes out of this phone.
Everything else is strong, sometimes absurdly so — 42.89 hours of video playback is the longest we've measured, and connectivity leads our database outright. The speakers are the reason it's here, but they're not the only reason to buy it.
Best Phone Speaker Under $500
At $170, the Infinix Note Edge reaches 75.9 dBA at max volume — louder than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which peaks at 75.3 dBA despite costing more than seven times as much. That's where the favorable comparison ends, but loudness does matter, and you get genuine loudness for the price.
Distortion isn’t as good. At 6.66% THD, the Note Edge produces audibly rougher sound than better-equipped speakers, and its bass extension cuts off high enough that low frequencies feel thin. The Motorola Moto G Power (2026) is even worse on distortion — 12.48% THD — so the Note Edge holds an edge within this price tier. The iPhone 17e, though, sits in a different league on overall speaker quality despite being under $600, with cleaner output, deeper low-end reach, noticeably more balanced frequency response across the range.
The rest of the phone carries tradeoffs, of course. Battery life is modest at just over seven hours of video playback, performance is limited, and the camera sits near the bottom of what we've tested.
Best Foldable Phone Speaker
Voice and dialogue clarity is the strongest we've measured on any phone speaker — not just among foldables. Spoken content on this thing is unusually easy to follow at any volume, which matters more than you'd think when the main use case is podcasts and video on an 8-inch screen. That clarity is what separates it from the Motorola Razr Fold, which produces cleaner, lower-distortion output but doesn't resolve voices as well and gets slightly less loud in practice than its numbers suggest.
Loudness is the honest weakness. Maximum output is 72.8 dBA, which sits mid-pack — the flat Pixel 10 Pro reaches 75.6 dBA from a smaller chassis, and the Pixel 11 Pro XL, our overall speaker leader, gets louder still with roughly half the distortion. Filling a room isn't this phone's job. Distortion at max volume averages 7.8%, higher than both of those, so you'll hear some strain if you push it.
Bass is thin, as it is on nearly every foldable — the hinge and thin halves leave little room for low-end. What you get instead is a midrange tuned for intelligibility, and for a device built around watching things unfolded on a table, that's the right call.
FAQ
What should I look for in a phone speaker for overall quality?
Look for a balance of loudness, low distortion, full bass response, and clear midrange for voices, since a speaker that excels at only one of these usually sacrifices the others. The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL manages this balance well, reaching 76.6 dBA at max volume with distortion under 4% while keeping dialogue intelligible at full volume. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra offers a similarly even tuning with slightly lower distortion, though it doesn't extend as low in the bass.
Which phone has the best speakers overall?
The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL delivers the strongest overall speaker performance, hitting 76.6 dBA at max volume with average distortion under 4% and unusually clear dialogue reproduction. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is close behind, with a more even frequency balance and marginally lower distortion, though it falls short of the Pixel's clarity and low-end extension.
Which phone is best for bass-heavy music?
The Xiaomi 17 extends bass response lower than the Samsung Galaxy S26 or Google Pixel 10 Pro, making the low end noticeably fuller on hip-hop, electronic, and rock tracks. That bass emphasis comes with more distortion at high volumes and a less neutral midrange and treble than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
What's the loudest phone speaker available?
The Motorola Moto G Power (2026) is the loudest phone speaker tested, reaching 80.3 dBA at maximum volume. It sacrifices sound quality for that loudness, with distortion nearly four times higher than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and bass that rolls off well above what most phones manage.
Is the Moto G Power (2026) good for music, or just loud?
It's better suited to filling a room than to critical listening. The Moto G Power (2026) hits 80.3 dBA, the loudest figure measured, but distortion at max volume is high at 12.48% THD and bass response is thin, so music can sound harsh and light on low end.
What's the best budget phone speaker under $500?
The Infinix Note Edge, priced at $170, reaches 75.9 dBA at max volume, louder than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Sound quality trails more expensive phones, though, with 6.66% THD distortion and thin bass extension, and the rest of the phone (battery, performance, camera) is limited for the price.
Which foldable phone has the best speakers?
The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold has the clearest voice and dialogue reproduction measured on any phone speaker, foldable or not, which suits podcasts and video content well. It's not loud, topping out at 72.8 dBA with 7.8% average distortion at max volume, and like most foldables it lacks meaningful bass due to its thin hinge design.
Which phone speaker is best for clear dialogue and podcasts?
The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold produces the clearest, most intelligible voice reproduction measured, making it well suited for podcasts and video calls. The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL also stands out for dialogue clarity at high volume, while offering more loudness than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold at 76.6 dBA.
Related
Infinix
Note Edge
Poco
F9 Ultra
Pixel 10 Pro Fold
Pixel 11 Pro XL
Motorola
Moto G Power (2026)
Xiaomi
17
Poco
F9 Pro
Xiaomi
17 Ultra
Xiaomi
17T Pro
Motorola
Razr Ultra (2026)
Motorola
Razr Fold
Xiaomi