Disclaimer: I’m definitely not an expert, just a picky listener when it comes to music on phones. For years I’ve used wired Apple EarPods, and recently I added Huawei FreeBuds 3 SE (budget-friendly, but surprisingly solid). I tested across a wide range of genres: house, indie, hip hop, post-punk, soul, lo-fi, pop, podcasts, etc. On the Huawei buds I tried all EQ modes (default, bass, treble, vocal), but usually preferred the default.
iPhone 15 Pro
Easily the most detailed and dynamic sound of the three, with great clarity on both wired EarPods and the Huawei buds. I think most people would pick this as the “best” sound.
That said, for me personally it feels too artificial and aggressive. I’m sensitive to sharp highs, and listening becomes a bit fatiguing over time. It also feels slightly “soulless” to me, and I wouldn’t mind a bit more low-end presence.
Still an amazing phone overall—just not my favorite for long listening sessions.
iPhone 13 mini
I remembered it as lacking bass with wired earphones, and that still is mostly true. Maybe slightly better than I remembered, but not something I could listen to for hours.
With the Huawei buds it improves—a decent amount of bass comes through—but overall the sound feels flat and not very engaging. Comfortable, but not exciting.
That said, I love the mini as a device—one of my favorite iPhones ever.
iPhone SE (2022)
Surprisingly, this is the clear winner for me (especially with wireless). The sound feels balanced: sharp but not harsh, dynamic but not aggressive. It has more “body” and feels alive. Wired EarPods aren’t amazing here either, but I used to enjoy them for a warmer, more natural tone. Honestly, if mine hadn’t broken, I’d probably still be using it.
I’ve been trying to figure out why these differences exist. On paper, the SE and 13 mini both use Bluetooth 5.0 (if memory serves well), so I would’ve expected them to sound similar—but they don’t. The 15 Pro uses Bluetooth 5.3, but I’m not sure that fully explains it.
Questions:
Have you noticed similar (or totally different) sound differences between iPhones?
What actually affects sound quality here—DAC, tuning, codecs, or something else?
Are there any good tests or articles comparing iPhone audio output? - I haven't too many tbh.
Also, if you know any subreddits where this kind of discussion fits, I’d really appreciate recommendations.
