Reviews of phones often focus on specs and design. Call quality doesn’t usually factor. All tech journalists are guilt of this – myself included – so, for once, I decided to put the issue to bed and locate the best phone for call quality.
My search was mainly done online and in my notebook, where I keep detailed notes on the handsets I’ve tested over the years. Even when I don’t include call quality in a review, I often make notes about the quality of the calls I make during the testing period.
I remember a couple of stand out phones from the past couple of years – Apple’s iPhone 5s, the Nokia Lumia 930 and the Xperia Z3 and the Galaxy Note 5 – with respect to call quality, so I decided to do some research around these handsets in order to find out what, if anything, made their call quality better than your average smartphone.
The one thing that is quite odd about all the phones on this list is that they’re all older hardware… this is weird because you’d think call quality would be something you’d nail on version one of the handset and then keep as a constant going forwards. But this just isn’t the case, as you will see below.
OK… you’re probably wondering which are the best handsets for call quality, right? I spent awhile putting this list together and I kept it relatively short as well as I know a lot you don’t want to spend an AGE reading a post online, so, without further ado, here’s a breakdown of the best phones you can buy right now for call quality
Nokia Lumia 930
I was never a big fan of Windows Phone but I LOVED what Nokia was doing with its hardware during this period. Its handsets were brilliant, solidly built handsets that really looked the part.
And one of the best of this era was the Nokia Lumia 930, which featured a multi-microphone system that served to make all calls buttery smooth and crystal clear. I do remember noting just how clearly I could hear the person on the other end of the phone when I was testing that handset.
Turns out I wasn’t going crazy; Nokia actually did a masterful job setting up this handset for calls with an array of sophisticated systems.
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
The Samsung Galaxy Note 5 didn’t get a global release, sadly, and this meant it was next to impossible to pick up in certain regions – regions like the UK, for instance. However, I did manage to get my hands on one and, outside the performance and styling of the phablet, I did notice, once again, just how good this thing was at making calls.
The Galaxy Note 5 features advanced noise cancelling software, which makes calls outside or in noisy environments a lot easier to undertake. The overall audio performance of this handset was great and, importantly, very customisable. It also never exploded, which, given Samsung’s latest handset, is quite a USP in itself.
iPhone 5s
Apple included noise cancelling microphones inside its iPhone 5s and the result, for anyone coming from an iPhone 4 or iPhone 4s, was razor-sharp call quality. The jump in quality was unprecedented in Apple’s ecosystem and was one of my favourite aspects of this otherwise rather dull handset.
But where the iPhone 5s’ call quality really came into its own, especially compared to Apple’s newer handsets, is in how it manages distortion – even when cranked to full volume. I have no idea why Apple hasn’t been able to replicate this on its newer handsets… but it is something I hope the company brings back aboard next year’s iPhone 8.
HTC One M9
The HTC One M9 was the beginning of the end for HTC. The handset itself, while nice enough, just didn’t bring enough new and fresh features to the party and, worst of all, it launched alongside the Galaxy S6 and LG G4 and iPhone 6 range – and they were all absolute hits with punters.
But one area where HTC had them all beat was call quality – and speakers, obviously. This handset is pretty much unparalleled in this regard; the sound is so crisp, clear and detailed. Unlike anything else I have experienced. It’s even great on speakerphone thanks to its MASSIVE stereo speakers.
An odd win for HTC, but a win all the same.
by rgoodwin via Featured Articles
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