We're often questioned as to why we review smartphones when our wheelhouse is primarily hi-fi and home cinema products. Simply put, a smartphone is the primary device for listening to music for the majority of people out there, and now that nearly every phone is equipped with an OLED screen, it's probably the highest quality display that many people own.
Taking music and movies on the go is more popular than ever before, and for those who value cinematic authenticity and an audiophile experience for their long-haul flights or daily commute. Therefore, we think scoring the latest handsets to see how well they fulfil these duties is pretty important.
We've reviewed the latest handsets from Apple and Samsung, bestowing each company with an Award, respectively. We also have Sony's latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 VII, in our testing room, so keep your eyes peeled for that review coming soon.
There are a couple of omissions on this list that we're hoping to test in the near future. These include the iPhone 17 Pro and Sony Xperia 10 VII; one being a pricey flagship phone, the other a contender for the "best cheap" smartphone title on this very list.
Speaking of the list, each handset has been thoroughly reviewed by our expert team, testing picture and audio quality primarily, as well as crucial other features such as day-to-day performance and camera quality. You can find out more about how we test smartphones here.
Now, without further ado, here are the best smartphones for music and movies...
I’m a Staff Writer on What Hi-Fi? who has grown up with smartphones. Over the years, I’ve used everything from cheap Androids to eye-wateringly pricey iPhones, witnessed the near extinction of the 3.5mm headphone port first-hand, and spent more hours watching Netflix on trains than I’d care to count, so I know what makes a good phone. I’ve since reviewed multiple generations of flagship and affordable handsets, so while my day-to-day work testing televisions and surround-sound systems means I can identify the phones with the best picture and audio performance, I also know exactly what to look for when it comes to general usability and camera quality.
The quick list
Best overall
Apple's latest "standard" iPhone gets a handful of Pro-level upgrades, including a spectacular new display.
Best Premium
Samsung's flagship smartphone delivers a stellar AV experience in a premium-feeling handset that's packed with features.
Best mid-range
A cheaper take on the iPhone 16, but with most of the same AV-focused highlights – the 16e is a solid mid-range iPhone.
Best cheap
The Xperia 10 VI is proof that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get brilliant mobile AV performance.
21st October 2025: Apple iPhone 17 becomes the best overall, iPhone 16e takes the best mid-range spot, and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra moves to the best premium position. The Sony Xperia 1 VI has been relocated to the also consider list. 21st May 2025: Apple iPhone 16e joins the also consider list. 20th March 2025: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra usurps S24 Ultra in best Samsung category. 11th September 2024: Sony Xperia 1 VI replaces the Sony Xperia 1 V, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 becomes an also consider option.
The best smartphone overall
Apple's latest "standard" iPhone happens to be one of its best smartphones in years. It sports the best display of a non-Pro iPhone yet, with a larger and brighter 6.3-inch OLED screen that can reach a peak brightness of 3000 nits. Better yet, it finally has Apple's ProMotion display tech, which can adjust the refresh rate from 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the content you're viewing.
It supports Dolby Vision too, and when we play movies on this display, we're treated to a rich, vibrant and detailed image with improved contrast compared to its predecessor.
That's backed up by excellent audio, which includes support for Dolby Atmos via headphones and the built-in stereo speaker system. It delivers a crisp, natural and engaging sound, making it an accomplished portable music player too.
This superb AV performance is wrapped in a stylish and tough chassis with more scratch-resistant glass. You'll also find a superb camera system on board, Apple's latest A19 chipset and iOS 26 operating system, and an impressively stoic battery, which can keep the phone powered through many hours of movie watching.
Read the full Apple iPhone 17 review
The best premium smartphone
As well as covering all the expected chops of a smartphone these days, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra stood out to us for its excellent AV features. Its "solid and three-dimensional" image quality is partly down to the phone's new picture-enhancing and ProScaler feature.
During testing, we said: "The S25 Ultra wastes no time in showing us how capable its display is, with the John Wick scene in which Caine is recruited by the villainous Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont having an abundance of sharp details."
The handset's sound quality does not quite match up to that of its picture but we still deem it to be a solid effort from Samsung overall, dubbing it "clear and spacious". It supports Dolby Atmos via its stereo speakers (comprising the earpiece and downward-firing loudspeaker) and headphones (wired and wireless).
In terms of other features, the S25 Ultra takes much of what we liked about its predecessor, the S24 Ultra. The latter's Galaxy AI system is carried on to the S25 Ultra, including the incredibly useful Circle to Search with Google, Generative Edit photo editing suite, Live Translation tools and Chat Assist feature. Samsung upgraded this feature for the S25 Ultra, however, by including a new on-device large language model (LLM), which will reportedly make the generative fill tools in the photo editor more reliable and accurate.
Bundle that with lightning-fast performance, a quality camera system and a new titanium frame, and we think Samsung is onto a winner. If the next generation of Galaxy smartphones can nail the sound subtleties, then Sony and Apple could be in trouble.
Read the full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
The best mid-range smartphone
Apple's smartphones have a tendency to lean towards the pricier side, so when rumours began of a reinvented take on its "SE" series, we were immediately intrigued.
The iPhone 16e wasn't what we expected, but we were impressed nonetheless. It delivers most of what we loved about the iPhone 16 in a cheaper package with a few stripped-back features. This includes dropping the Dynamic Island, MagSafe and secondary ultrawide lens.
However, the major AV features remained, with an OLED display which supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, as well as Dolby Atmos audio. Furthermore, it sports the Apple A18 chip found in the more premium iPhone 16, and it even works with Apple Intelligence.
Most importantly, it delivers most of what the iPhone 16 has to offer at a lower price. Movies and TV shows look balanced, crisp and punchy on the OLED display, and headphone audio is frankly superb thanks to its rich and detailed all-around performance.
If you're not open to spending flagship money, but only an iPhone will do, then the 16e is a great choice.
Read the full Apple iPhone 16e review
The best cheap smartphone
It's easy to think that you would get the best phone by paying top dollar, but Sony's Xperia 10 VI proves that this is doesn't have to be the case. While its AV features don't match up to more expensive models from the likes of Apple or Sony, it still offers a brilliant on-the-go entertainment experience.
Sony's Xperia series utilises the strategy of cutting down on premium build materials and camera performance, while retaining picture quality in order to reach a more affordable price point. It really pays off, as the Xperia 10 VI delivers a striking and balanced picture. We said in our review: "The opening sequence of Blade Runner 2049 is delivered with well-defined outlines and plenty of detailed texture in clothing, skin and the environment alike. While the display can appear to lean cooler than we prefer, the colours overall remain balanced and well-judged, leading to a pleasingly natural-looking image."
In terms of audio performance, it performs extremely well with headphones. When playing Taylor Swift's The 1, we described it as spacious and dynamic. Its speaker system without headphones is less remarkable but still very much acceptable, and the front-firing stereo pair produces a decent weight.
One thing to bear in mind is the Xperia's camera quality, as it failed to wow us in testing. It gets the job done for quick snaps here and there, but if you’re serious about smartphone photography, this phone will not satisfy your needs.
If that's not a problem for you and you're drawn in by the Xperia 10 VI's performance with music and movies, this could be the perfect budget phone for you.
Read the full Sony Xperia 10 VI review
Also consider
The best alternative smartphones we've tested:
Sony Xperia 1 VI: It's been succeeded by the Xperia 1 VII now, but the 1 VI remains an excellent option for those who want a smartphone that puts AV performance above all else. It features a headphone jack for wired audio, and all of the major Bluetooth audio codecs, as well as a crisp and detailed OLED display. It may not be a mainstream choice, but it's a great option for enthusiasts.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7: Foldable phones are firmly in the mainstream now, and it just so happens that Samsung's latest model is a great option. The Flip 7 sports a clamshell design which unfolds into a 21:9 OLED display; which happens to be the perfect aspect ratio for cinematic content. When folded, we especially like how it functions as a nifty portable music player.
How to choose the best smartphone for you
Picking the right smartphone that suits your needs best is harder than it sounds, and may in fact be a trickier task than picking the best TV or headphones. You use your smartphone every day, and for many of us it houses all the integral things we need to keep our day running smoothly. This is where the essentials come into play: good battery life, a design that's comfortable to hold, and a screen that's not too big and not too small.
Many of us also acquire our smartphones through a contract, most commonly these run for 24 months, so you need to plan ahead. Will the phone you choose have a powerful enough processor and enough RAM to last for two years? Which software platform do you want: Apple's iOS that's exclusive to iPhones, or Google's Android platform that's used by the likes of Samsung, Sony and OnePlus? And does the phone have enough features to keep you going for that time, such as a versatile camera or micro SD card support to expand the memory.
However, if you're after the highest quality AV performance (as we are), then that's where things become more black and white. You'll want an OLED screen for inky blacks and vibrant colours, with a 18:9 or 21:9 aspect ratio and minimal bezels, ideal for watching content uninterrupted and as the the filmmaker intended. As standard, many phones come with either a 1080p or 1440p, or in some cases a 4K display on the highest-end models. As smartphone displays are much smaller than TVs and even tablets, they are often very pixel dense, meaning that the highest resolution isn't always paramount, so don't be put off if your handset doesn't feature the highest-spec screen.
Audio is equally important, and the audio landscape on mobile phones has changed greatly in the last few years. Many now feature a stereo speaker setup that combines a loudspeaker and earpiece to create an often impressively loud and spacious sound. However what modern smartphones giveth, they must also taketh away as is the case with the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is an endangered beast on modern devices.
With all of these key factors in mind, many see it a daunting task to pick a new phone, dreading the day their contract is up. But fear not, all of the picks above are fully approved by us, which should be enough to help you make your decision.
Smartphone FAQ
What’s the difference between iOS and Android?
Every phone has an operating system (a bit like Windows on a PC) that makes everything work and allows you to navigate to and use its features. There are two main operating systems to choose from: iOS and Android. iOS is exclusive to Apple phones, whereas Android, which was created by Google, is open-source, meaning any handset manufacturer can install it. Some even add their own skins on top and – for better or worse – preload exclusive apps.
Android tends to be more customisable than iOS, and in general Android phones are cheaper than iPhones, but the differences between the two are probably more negligible than ever these days and it usually just comes down to personal preference.
Which is better: iOS or Android?
The answer to that question is almost entirely subjective, and, unless this is your first smartphone, depends largely on which platform you’re used to. Both come with whole ecosystems of apps, cloud storage and other compatible devices, so sometimes it can feel like you’re locked into whichever one you chose initially.
At least with Android the wide-ranging list of manufacturers means you have plenty of choice when it comes to handsets, with nothing to stop you switching from Samsung to Sony or OnePlus to Google almost seamlessly.
Many Android users cite the freedom to customise as a big selling point, but there’s also something to be said for the more limited approach that Apple takes. Its tighter control over apps and services allows for a more consistent performance from and across iOS devices; with an iPhone you always know what you’re going to get.
Is resolution the most important screen spec?
Resolution is a good place to start, but having as many pixels as possible is arguably less important when you’re dealing with a display that’ll fit in your pocket, so you don’t need to worry about making sure your phone screen is 4K. Instead, look for the pixel density (or PPI, which stands for pixels per inch).
You’re going to be using your phone in all kinds of lighting conditions, so it’s also worth paying attention to the maximum brightness, which is measured in nits. The brighter the screen will go, the better it’ll be able to compete with direct sunlight, so you should be able to see it more clearly on nice days.
Refresh rate is another factor to consider. The higher the number the smoother it should feel in operation, although many phones now have screens with variable refresh rates, which change depending on what you’re asking the phone to do. That means it’ll be high when scrolling or watching video, but can be very low in order to enable an always-on mode.
All of the phones on our list have OLED screens, which tend to offer the best contrast, but cheaper phones will often use LCD instead.
How we test the best smartphones
While it’s true that smartphones aren’t our core focus at What Hi-Fi? (the clue’s in the name), the fact that they’ve become many people’s most-used item of technology, and for some the primary way they consume music and video, we think that it’s important to find out which ones are the best at doing just that.
Every product we test at What Hi-Fi? is subject to the same thorough process, which involves spending some time in our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath with our expert reviewers, but perhaps more than any other product type we also spend time with smartphones out in the real world. We use them in our day-to-day lives – while we commute, around the office, out and about at the weekends – testing every feature exhaustively.
Of course, we pay particular attention to the audio and video performance, so while it’s important to try out the camera and see how long the battery lasts, our smartphone reviews are skewed towards listening to music and watching videos. If that’s also important to you, you should read them carefully before taking the plunge on a phone that you might have to keep for the next two years or more.
Every smartphone we test is compared to its rivals, whether that’s the latest iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, or a handset from one of the newer upstarts like OnePlus, and all verdicts are the result of a collaboration that involves the whole editorial team, so you’re never getting the opinion of just one reviewer.
For more on how we test and review products, you can read our in-depth guide.
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