Best Smartphone Speakers: Phones and Portable Add-Ons
Most phones list stereo speakers now, from a $400 Motorola up, yet one $1,099 iPhone has a single speaker. Spec sheets decoded, plus portable speakers.
None of the phone makers’ pages we read gives a loudness figure for the built-in speakers, and we did not listen to any of these phones. What a spec sheet can tell you is narrower and still useful: whether a phone has two speakers or one, whether it keeps a headphone jack, and how much the audio badges are worth.
On that evidence, the phones built most deliberately around sound are the ones that pair stereo speakers with a headphone jack: Sony’s Xperia 1 VIII and the gaming phones from ASUS and RedMagic. Among ordinary phones, the cheapest we confirmed with stereo speakers is the Moto G Power 2026 at about $400. If the aim is music for a room, a phone is the wrong tool, and the second half of this page covers portable speakers from about $35.
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What a spec sheet tells you
Stereo, dual or single. Two speakers means sound from both ends of the phone when you hold it sideways for a video. One speaker means it all comes from one end, where a hand can cover it. Makers write this as stereo speakers or dual speakers.
Price does not settle it. Apple’s spec pages label a built-in stereo speaker on the iPhone 17e at $699, the iPhone 17 and the iPhone 18 Pro. On the thin iPhone Air, at $1,099, the same diagram labels a built-in speaker, singular, with no mention of stereo.
Dolby Atmos. This is processing applied to the sound. It says nothing about how many speakers a phone has or how large they are. Samsung’s support site says every Galaxy phone running One UI has it, and you will find it on a $400 Motorola too.
Volume boost. Read the footnote. Xiaomi advertises a 300% volume boost on the Redmi Note 17 Pro 5G, and its own small print explains that this refers to 17 levels of volume compared to 15. That is one way to count.
A headphone jack. Still the simplest way to plug in wired headphones, or run a cable to a bigger speaker, with no adapter. Few phones have one now, and the table shows which.
Phones compared
Prices are the makers’ own US prices for the cheapest version, rounded. The middle column is how the maker itself describes the speakers.
| Phone | Maker’s price | Speakers, as the maker lists them | Headphone jack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moto G Power 2026 | about $400 | Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos | Yes |
| Google Pixel 10a | about $600 | Stereo speakers | None listed |
| Motorola Edge 2026 | about $600 | Dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos | No, USB-C |
| iPhone 17e | about $700 | Built-in stereo speaker | None listed |
| Nothing Phone (3) | about $800 | Symmetric stereo speakers | None listed |
| RedMagic 11S Pro | about $800 | Dual stereo speakers | Yes |
| iPhone 17 | about $900 | Built-in stereo speaker | None listed |
| iPhone Air | about $1,100 | Built-in speaker | None listed |
| Google Pixel 11 Pro | about $1,100 | Stereo speakers | None listed |
| iPhone 18 Pro | about $1,200 | Built-in stereo speaker | None listed |
| Sony Xperia 1 VIII | no US price | Full-stage stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos | Yes |
| ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro | no US price | Multi-magnet dual stereo speakers | Yes |
Phones with stereo speakers and a jack
Sony Xperia 1 VIII
Sony’s spec sheet says more about audio than most. It lists what it calls Full-stage stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, Dolby Atmos and its own 360 Reality Audio, and says the speakers are improved over the last model. We found it on Sony’s UK site and not on a US one, so there is no dollar price to give. Sony’s cheaper Xperia 10 VIII is listed with stereo speakers as well. Sony Xperia 1 VIII on Amazon
ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro
ASUS lists multi-magnet dual stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Hi-Res output through that jack. Its page refers to bottom speakers, and says its cases have a chamber that directs their sound to the front. The ROG Phone 9 series is the newest on ROG’s site, and ASUS’s US store did not show the phone when we searched it, so check availability where you live. ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro on Amazon
RedMagic 11S Pro, about $800
Another gaming phone. RedMagic lists dual stereo speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack. Its global store prices it from $799 and showed it as out of stock. RedMagic 11S Pro on Amazon
Moto G Power 2026, about $400
The cheap way to get the same pairing. Motorola lists stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos and a 3.5mm headset jack. If you want stereo speakers and a jack and have $400, this is the one. Moto G Power 2026 on Amazon
The mainstream phones
Google Pixel. Google’s Pixel tech specs page lists stereo speakers on every Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 model, down to the Pixel 10a at about $600. It also lists Spatial Audio, with a footnote saying that needs headphones or earbuds. So the speakers on the $600 phone and the $1,100 Pixel 11 Pro are described in the same two words. Google Pixel 10a on Amazon
iPhone. Of the five iPhone lines on Apple’s store, only the Air is labelled without the word stereo. If the speakers matter to you, the Air is the one to think twice about, and the iPhone 17 costs about $200 less. Apple iPhone 17 on Amazon
Motorola Edge 2026. Motorola describes two large stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, and lists USB-C in place of a headphone jack. About $600.
Nothing Phone (3). Nothing lists symmetric stereo speakers. The list price is $799, marked down to $699 on Nothing’s US store. Nothing Phone (3) on Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. From about $1,300. We could not find a description of the speakers on Samsung’s US page for it, so it is not in the table. Samsung’s support site does confirm Dolby Atmos on its One UI phones.
Xiaomi and Redmi. Xiaomi’s phone pages are on its global and India sites, so there are no dollar prices to give. The global site lists stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos on the Xiaomi 17, and dual speakers with Dolby Atmos on the Redmi Note 17 Pro 5G. The plain Redmi Note 17’s audio section lists a volume boost and Hi-Res Audio, and does not say dual speakers. On Xiaomi’s India site, the Redmi Note 15 5G is listed with dual speakers and Dolby Atmos. For a cheap phone, the words dual speakers on the spec page are the thing to look for.
When the phone is not enough
A separate Bluetooth speaker is the answer to the other meaning of smartphone speakers. These are current models on their makers’ own sites, with the makers’ battery and water-resistance claims. Prices are list prices, rounded. JBL’s store had most of its range on sale for less.
| Speaker | Maker’s price | Battery | Water and dust |
|---|---|---|---|
| soundcore Select 4 Go | about $35 | 20 hours | IP67, floats |
| JBL Go 5 | about $55 | 8 hours, 10 with Playtime Boost | IP68 |
| JBL Clip 5 | about $80 | 12 hours, 15 with Playtime Boost | IP67 |
| Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 | about $80 | 14 hours | IP67, floats |
| Bose SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen) | about $130 | 12 hours | IP67 |
| JBL Flip 7 | about $150 | 14 hours, 16 with Playtime Boost | IP68 |
| Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) | about $160 | 12 hours | IP67, floats |
An IP67 rating means dust-tight and able to survive a dunk. Anker says the Select 4 Go can sit in a metre of water for 30 minutes. IP68 is the step above.
The soundcore Select 4 Go is the value pick: the lowest price and the longest battery claim in the table. soundcore Select 4 Go on Amazon
The JBL Clip 5 has a built-in carabiner for a bag strap, and JBL lists Bluetooth 5.3 and Auracast, which links it with other JBL speakers. JBL Clip 5 on Amazon
The Wonderboom 4 floats, and Ultimate Ears says it is drop-tested from five feet. Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 on Amazon
The JBL Flip 7 is the larger JBL, with Bluetooth 5.4 and an IP68 rating. Two can be paired for stereo. JBL Flip 7 on Amazon
The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) is the only one here we confirmed has a microphone, so it can take a call. Bose says the smaller SoundLink Micro has none. Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) on Amazon
For calls with several people in the room, a music speaker is the wrong buy. Our guide to the best speakerphones covers units with four to eight microphones.
What happened to the old list
This page listed seven phones in 2020: the Galaxy Note 10 and S10, Pixel 4, ASUS ROG Phone 2, Sony Xperia 1, LG G8 ThinQ and HTC U12 Plus. They were the phones of their day.
LG is the notable exit. It announced in April 2021 that it was closing its mobile phone business. The other lines have moved on several generations: Samsung is at the Galaxy S26, Google at the Pixel 11, Sony at the Xperia 1 VIII and ASUS at the ROG Phone 9.
Which to pick
- Stereo speakers and a headphone jack for the least money: the Moto G Power 2026 at about $400.
- The same pairing at the top end: the Sony Xperia 1 VIII, where Sony sells it.
- A mainstream phone with stereo speakers: the Pixel 10a at about $600, which Google describes exactly as it does its $1,100 phone.
- Music for a room or the outdoors: skip the phone upgrade and buy a portable speaker. The soundcore Select 4 Go is about $35.
A phone’s own speakers can also be adjusted in software. Our guide to equalizer apps for Android starts with the settings already on your phone.
Quick answers
Which phone has the best speakers?
No maker publishes a figure that would settle it. On the spec sheets, the Sony Xperia 1 VIII and ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro list the most audio hardware, with stereo speakers and a headphone jack.
Which phone has the loudest speaker?
We found no loudness figure on any maker’s page. Treat a claim such as a 300% volume boost with care: Xiaomi’s own footnote says it means 17 volume levels compared to 15.
Do all phones have stereo speakers now?
No. Apple labels a single speaker on the $1,099 iPhone Air, and Xiaomi’s page for the Redmi Note 17 does not list dual speakers. Check for the words stereo speakers or dual speakers.
Does Dolby Atmos make phone speakers better?
It is sound processing, not hardware. Samsung’s support site says all its One UI phones have it, so it does not separate one phone from another.
What is the best speaker to use with a phone?
For the least money, the soundcore Select 4 Go at about $35 with a 20-hour battery claim. For a bag or a bike, the JBL Clip 5 at about $80. For calls as well as music, the Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen), which has a microphone.
Prices move, so confirm on the maker’s store before you pay.
