I’m obsessed with music, but I wouldn’t even consider buying a Bluetooth speaker since I got my iPhone – its speakers are that good

And it’s not even the newest iPhone 16

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

I recently started using aniPhone 15after five years away fromApplesmartphones, and as my prior pieces on the iPhone’slackluster 60Hz screenandsatisfyingly nostalgic form factormay have let on, coming back to iOS has been a bit of a rollercoaster.

There is one thing about the iPhone that I’m unreservedly happy about, though, a feature that I’m happy to call the best in its class.

It’s not theDynamic Islandwith 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, my favorite thing about the iPhone 15 is something that’s been part of the iPhone lineup since the very beginning.

I’m talking about the humble speaker, situated along the bottom edge of the iPhone 15 and paired with the speaker grille along the top of the screen for stereo sound. I have been continually amazed by how fantastic this tiny dual-channel system sounds, especially compared to theother handsetsin my rotating smartphone loadout.

Sounding off

As a lover of both music tech and consumer tech, I’ve found myself genuinely confused at how Apple has managed to wring so much bass and presence out of such a physically small speaker, but at full volume I find I’m able to hear songs clearly from any room in the house.

I can clearly remember a time when phone speakers were something of an afterthought, a definitively sub-optimal way of listening to music on a phone. My first ever smartphone, an early HTC One, had a speaker grille about a centimeter wide that sounded predictably atrocious.

However, this didn’t stop me from listening to music on it – I’ve continued to use phone speakers in the years since, mostly just to put something on while I’m doing chores or getting ready to head out.

That said, the iPhone 15 is the first phone I’ve used that I feel offers a proper listening experience, rather than just a way to have something playing.

Lately, I’ve found myself eschewing theAmazon Echosmart speaker and Presonus Eris 3.5 monitors I’ve got dotted 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 gets close enough that I rarely feel like I’m missing out for background listening.

It’s not that I don’t care about audio quality either – I quite regularly buy music online for the sake of getting the best quality sound and even produce my own music. The blend of simplicity and quality offered by the iPhone is just really tough to beat.

In fact, with the option of proper speakers already in place and portability solved by the iPhone, I find that I’m not tempted by eventhe best Bluetooth speakers– a necessity in my music listening arsenal in years past.

Overall, the iPhone 15 is a reminder of Apple’s engineering prowess and just how far the phone speaker has come. Audio is rarely the reason a phone makes it to our list ofthe best phones, but music lovers shouldn’t ignore this underrated aspect of the iPhone experience.

You might also like

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Jamie is a Mobile Computing Staff Writer for TechRadar, responsible for covering phones and tablets. He’s been tech-obsessed from a young age and has written for various news and culture publications. Jamie graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. Since starting out as a music blogger in 2020, he’s worked on local news stories, finance trade magazines, and multimedia political features. He brings a love for digital journalism and consumer technology to TechRadar. Outside of the TechRadar office, Jamie can be found binge-watching tech reviews, DJing in local venues around London, or challenging friends to a game of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

A newly reported iPhone phenomenon could be bad news for both cops and robbers

The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture, ‘significantly enhancing’ the camera

Stormforce Pro Creator 0601 workstation review