Phone mics got surprisingly good

Modern flagship phones capture voice better than many budget microphones. The catch is in how you use them.

Where phones win

Close-mic podcasting and voice notes: hold the phone 20–30 cm away in a quiet room and the result is clean. Built-in processing handles levels well enough for drafts and social content.

Where they lose

Room echo and distance. Phones apply aggressive processing that falls apart in reverberant rooms or when the phone sits far away. A modest mic in a quiet corner still beats a phone in a kitchen.

Frequently asked questions