I recently started using an iPhone 15 after five years away from Apple smartphones, and as my previous pieces on the iPhone's lackluster 60Hz display and satisfyingly nostalgic form factor may have let on, returning to iOS has been a kind of roller coaster.
However, there is one thing about the iPhone that makes me unreservedly happy: a feature that I am happy to call the best in its class.
It's not Dynamic Island with its useful notifications, nor the 48MP main camera with its excellent low-light performance, nor the USB-C port with all its interconnectivity; In fact, what I like most about the iPhone 15 is something it has been a part of. the iPhone line from the beginning.
I'm talking about the humble speaker, situated at the bottom edge of the iPhone 15 and paired with the speaker grill at the top of the screen for stereo sound. I'm always amazed at how fantastic this little dual-channel system sounds, especially compared to the other phones in my rotating smartphone lineup.
Sounding off
As a lover of both music technology and consumer technology, I'm really confused by how Apple has managed to extract so much bass and presence from such a physically small speaker, but at full volume I find I can hear. songs clearly from any room in the house.
I can clearly remember a time when phone speakers were an afterthought, a decidedly suboptimal way to listen to music on a phone. My first smartphone, an early HTC One, had a speaker grill about a centimeter wide that sounded, predictably, atrocious.
This didn't stop me from listening to music on it, though: I've continued to use the phone's speakers ever since, mainly to put something on while doing housework or getting ready to go out.
That said, the iPhone 15 is the first phone I've used that I think offers a proper listening experience, rather than just a way to play something.
Lately, I've found myself avoiding the Amazon Echo smart speaker and the Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors I have scattered around the house for the convenience of the iPhone: it's physically impossible to replicate the rich sound of a 3-inch speaker with a smartphone. , but the iPhone 15 comes close enough that I rarely feel like I'm missing out on listening in the background.
It's not that I care about audio quality either – I buy music online quite regularly to get the best sound quality and I even produce my own music. The combination of simplicity and quality that the iPhone offers is really hard to beat.
In fact, with the option of suitable speakers already installed and portability taken care of by the iPhone, I find that I'm not even tempted by the best Bluetooth speakers, a necessity in my music listening arsenal in years gone by.
Overall, the iPhone 15 is a reminder of Apple's engineering prowess and how far the phone's speaker has come. Audio is rarely the reason a phone appears on our list of the best phones, but music lovers shouldn't ignore this underrated aspect of the iPhone experience.
