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Happy birthday, old friend 🎉
Every now and then, a gadget comes along that makes a huge impact in the mobile technology market. Apple's iPhone revolutionized what a smartphone should be in 2007, Samsung's original Galaxy Note in 2011 brought back the stylus and made big phones commonplace, and LG's Nexus 5 in 2013 offered the best Android experience the market had seen at that point in time.
The Nexus 5 launched with a starting price of $350, and for that money, you were getting a totally stock build of the all-new Android 4.4 KitKat, wonderfully practical soft-touch plastic body, 4G LTE connectivity, and all of the latest silicon that was currently available. The Nexus 5 offered a lot of what we'd come to expect from a flagship phone in 2013, but it did so at about half the price.
The Nexus 5's user experience was second-to-none.
However, talking about the Nexus 5 based solely on its spec sheet is the wrong way to handle this conversation. The phone certainly offered an impressive list of tech, but what made the Nexus 5 so special was just how much of a pleasure it was to actually use the device.
Going back to that plastic body, this was easily one of the Nexus 5's strong suits. There was some initial backlash considering that the Nexus 4 offered an arguably more premium design with its reflective glass back, but any worries or concerns immediately disappeared once people got their hands on the phone.
The Nexus 5 was available in two colors at launch (black and white), and while the white (aka panda) version was clean and attractive with a harder plastic, the black variant was soft and grippy with a crazy amount of texture. This is something you just don't see in phone design these days, but it made the Nexus 5 comfortable, durable, and even allowed for wireless charging – something the Pixel 2 doesn't even offer.
KitKat was a turning point for Android.
Google used the Nexus 5 as its showcase for Android 4.4 KitKat, and this was a huge step for the OS. Android KitKat introduced the world to the Google Now Launcher with Google Now cards on the left side of our home screen, got rid of the Tron aesthetic in favor of a cleaner and flatter design, and smoothed out a lot of the rough edges that'd been present in Android since its inception. KitKat was fast, fluid, and paved the way for the Android that we still know and love with 8.1 Oreo.
However, if Google's flavor of stock 4.4 KitKat wasn't your jam, you had no shortage of ROMs to choose from with the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 had (and still does) one of the most active development communities around, and like many others, was my first foray into the world of rooting and ROMing.
It's no secret the Nexus 5 was a great phone, and while we'd love to keep gushing over it, we also want to hear about your experiences with the phone. What did you love? What did you hate? How in the world has Google not made a sucessor to that stunning red version?
See you in the comments!
A hot phone and a year of free service could be yours, FREE!
Android Central is teaming up with Mint SIM for the Ultimate Google Pixel 2 Giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive their choice of either a Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL. That's not all! A great phone deserves a service that provides awesome and reliable LTE data along with unlimited text and calls.
Thanks to Mint SIM, the winner will also receive a prepaid SIM card good for one year of paid service that includes 10GB of data per month with unlimited talk and text. We're big fans of Mint SIM, thanks in part to its low-cost plans and nationwide 4G LTE coverage. For savvy shoppers, it's the perfect service to pair with any unlocked phone, including the Pixel 2.
Now on to the giveaway!
THE PRIZE: One Android Central reader will win their choice of Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL and a year of service from Mint SIM!
THE GIVEAWAY: Head down to the widget at the bottom of this page. There are several ways to enter, each with varying point values. Complete all of the tasks for maximum entries and your best shot at winning! Keep in mind that all winning entries are verified and if the task was not completed or cannot be verified, a new winner will be chosen. Please note that while the giveaway is open internationally, Mint SIM only provides service in the U.S., and no substitutions for that part of the prize will be made. It's up to you to determine if the phone will work on your carrier. International winners will be responsible for any customs fees incurred during shipping.
The giveaway is open until November 15, 2017, and the winner will be announced right here after the closing date. Good luck!
You now have two options for buying the Nokia 6 in the U.S.
HMD Global has been using the Nokia brand throughout 2017 to release a wide array of different Android smartphones, and one of them is the Nokia 6. The Nokia 6 has been available in the United States since July through Amazon, but you now have the option to purchase the phone online or in-store via Best Buy.
The Nokia 6 isn't the best budget offering the market has to offer, and while Harish did have issues with the phone's use of the Snapdragon 430 in his full review, fast software updates, a better-than-average camera for this price point, and a solid 5.5-inch 1080p IPS display are still reason enough to at least give it a look.
For $229, the Nokia 6 offers 32GB of expandable storage (up to 128GB), 16MP rear-facing camera, 8MP front-facing shooter, a fingerprint scanner, and stock build of Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
If you can't decide whether or not the Nokia 6 is for you, check your local Best Buy's availability so you can play around with the phone in person before making a final decision.
There's a lot to love in Nova Launcher.
Nova Launcher has a lot of great settings for you to explore, and plenty of potential for awesome themes and customizable layouts. First things first, though, you have to actually download the launcher and get yourself used to it. Now, there is a learning curve to every launcher out there, but we have a few simple tips to help make your transition as smooth as possible.
You do not want to have to put everything back the way you had it on your old launcher, and Nova gets that. That's why before you go futzing with element styles and shaders, you should import your old launcher's layout so that you're starting out from what you had rather than scratch.
Tap Import.
If the data summary from what Nova Launcher found looks correct, tap Import.
Now, given the limitations on how launchers read and share widget data, you might have to re-create a few of your widgets on your newly imported home screen, but if you're lucky, the placeholders will be the same size. Starting from the layout you had means that instead of fussing with getting back to speed, you can hit the ground running in Nova and start experimenting.
When screens were 4 inches, a 4x4 grid made sense. Screens are not 4 inches anymore. Home screens do not need to be confined to such a small grid. They waste space. They significantly limit the amount you can fit on a single screen. Here's how to change that.
Tap Desktop Grid.
Tap Done.
While 5x5 will allow your icons to better line up with your dock, don't be afraid to try out even bigger grid sizes — I use a 8x6 grid on my HTC 10 and it's worked out quite well for me. Also, did you notice the setting hiding in the Desktop Grid screen?
Subgrid-positioning allows you to place things between the regular grid spaces, helping you better resize widgets and line things up to your desires. You might not want it on right this second, but once you turn it on, placing elements on your home screen gets a whole lot easier.
Icons on Android have always been kind of a mess — that's how it is when you don't force everyone to be the same rounded rectangle. That doesn't mean we have to settle with the mishmash of icon styles that inevitably happens between your various apps. No, we have these wonderful things called icon packs to replace your boring old icons with something new, beautiful, and consistent.
Before you set an icon pack, you need to download one. These are our favorites!
Once you've got your icon pack, you can apply it like so:
Tap Look & feel.
Tap the icon pack you wish to use.
Beyond setting an icon pack, Nova Launcher can also take advantage of Android Oreo's Adaptive Icons, allowing you to instead shape your icons in one of five shapes, from squares and circles to teardrops and those confounded squircles. The feature is still in its early stages, and it interacts oddly with some icon packs, but if you're feeling brave, give it a try!
On most phones, there's a laundry list of apps you don't use and don't need cluttering up your launcher. On most launchers, your choices are simple: disable the app or stick it in a folder. Nova Launcher gives you another option for apps that you can't disable but still want to not look at: hide them from the launcher.
Drag and drop the app you wish to hide on Edit.
Tap Done.
Once you have things the way you want them, you should back up your Nova setup. This will make it easier to set things back up once you go to a new phone, or a error forces you to factory reset your phone. It's also helpful if you mess something up in your layout and want to get what you had back. Backups are easy, and we can send them directly to Google Drive so that they're available on every phone you set up.
Tap Backup.
Select Share.
Ensure the account and folder listed are where you wanted to back up to, then tap Save.
If you need any more help getting acclimated to Nova Launcher, sing out in the comments below, and in our forums!
We also have a wonderful article to explain the rest of the Nova Launcher settings we ignored this go around.
Updated October 2017: This article has been updated to reflect advancements in Nova's features, especially in regards to icons.
Let this be your extended user manual to all things PlayStation VR!
It wasn't all that long ago VR was considered either something simple you added to a phone for a quick distraction or something amazingly complex for those who could afford the lengthy requirements of ownership. Sony created a compelling middle ground by doing what they do best — making something you actually want to have in your living room. PlayStation VR is a companion for your PlayStaion 4 that elevates your current games and helps you explore and entirely new way to feel like you are the character you're playing.
Being able to fully enjoy this experience requires more than just taking one out of the box. Here's our complete user manual for all things PSVR!
Your new Samsung Galaxy S8 supports wireless charging, so take full advantage of the convenience!
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a beautifully designed phone packed with convenient features. That includes wireless charging, which allows you to forgo dealing with cables and elegantly have your phone charging on your desk at work or nightstand at home and simply grab it when it's time to get up and go.
There are a variety of wireless charging stands and pad options compatible with the Galaxy S8, from chargers designed by Samsung to third-party products. Here are your best available options for the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Samsung has come out with a completely redesigned wireless charging pad/stand, which launched alongside the Galaxy S8. Besides the premium leather-like appearance and ingenious design which allows you to easily convert this pad into an angled charging stand, you can be sure that this charging pad was created with your Galaxy S8 in mind.
The charger comes with a spare Samsung Fast Charge wall charger — because let's be honest, you can never have too many Samsung wall chargers — and allows you to fast charge your Galaxy S8 wirelessly at your home or office. At over $60, this is the most expensive option on the list, but if premium quality and functionality are your top priorities, this is the one you want.
If functionality and cost are your two biggest buying factors, you'll want to consider Samsung's older wireless charging pad, which has been deeply discounted on Amazon.
These UFO-like charging pads can charge Qi-compatible devices and are Fast Charge-compatible with your Galaxy S8. It also comes with a Samsung 2A wall charger — always great — and also has a standard one-year warranty. This is a great option if you're looking to set up wireless charging at your home and at work because they're so damn cheap right now. You can also get the older style as a charging stand if you prefer that look instead.
Spigen is one of the best accessory makers, and its Qi Charging Stand is a fine example to back that claim. This charging stand is angled so you are still able to see your display easily while your phone is charging. If you need a way to quickly top off your phone on your desk or a new place to keep it safe on your nightstand, this may be the choice for you. Pick yours up for $30 at Amazon.
TYLT has been in the wireless charging game for years, proving itself to be one on of the most trusted third-party manufacturers. This is another angled wireless charging stand that lets you keep your phone accessible while it charges at your desk. What separates TYLT from Spigen's stand is the color options — you can get this charging stand in black, red, blue and yellow.
This wireless charger from iOttie might seem like the bulkier option based on pictures, but it's actually very intelligently designed. It's Qi-compatible with a triple-coil charging zone that's capable of 5V/1A output with a non-slip ring to hold your phone in place on top while it charges. And that hollow opening in the middle isn't just for the stylish look — it's also a docking bay for the iOttie PowerPack 3400mAh External Portable Charger which is super convenient and cool.
You can even get a bundle pack that includes the iOttie PowerPack 3400mAh External Battery for just $50, so you can have a fully charged battery pack to take along with you if you think you'll need it. Otherwise, you can get the wireless charging pad for just $29.95.
This wireless charging stand from PASONOMI is a great option for the Galaxy S8 or any Samsung Galaxy phone with wireless charging as it supports fast charging. That means you'll be able to fully charge your phone in under 2 hours!
It's an intelligently designed charger with two charging coils positioned so that you're even able to charge your phone while watching videos in landscape mode. There's also a nice LED strip that will indicate the charging status, and the whole thing has a sleek and futuristic vibe to it.
The stand is available in your choice of black or silver and is only $20!
Have you owned any of the wireless chargers we've featured here? What has been your experience? Let us know in the comments below!
Update October 2017: All pricing information up to date and added the PASONOMI stand!
Reminder that you only have a few hours left to enter! This contest ends at 11:59PM PT tonight. Good luck!
Our friends at Thrifter are holding a Halloween contest.
They challenge you to create the coolest, thriftiest Halloween ever this year. Show them how you decorate your home or dress up for trick-or-treating, all while saving money. Repurposing common items for your costume? Thrifty pumpkin carving? Secondhand mantle decorations? The possibilities are endless!
To enter:
The Thrifter team will pick their favorites on November 1st. The grand prize winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card, the second-place winner will receive a $75 Amazon gift card, and the third-place winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
Random entries will win $10 Amazon gift cards and standouts might even get some cool Thrifter swag.
You have until 11:59PM PT on October 31st to enter. Good luck!
For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!
Motorola's handling software updates, but you do get Amazon Alexa.
Motorola has a tendency to release multiple versions of the same phone, and that theme is definitely present with the Moto X4. The Android One version of the device has been available through Project Fi since September, pre-orders for the Prime Exclusive variant started earlier this month, and now you can purchase the regular version from your favorite retailer.
Although the look and feel of the software between the regular Moto X4 and Android One flavor are very similar in a lot of ways, there are a couple of big differences. Software updates on the non-Android One Moto X4 will likely be slower than its Project Fi cousin, and unlike the Android One option, the regular model comes equipped with Amazon Alexa.
Aside from those two differences, everything else is the same here. You've still got a 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 630 processor, dual 12MP rear-cameras, Android 7.1.1 Nougat, IP68 dust/water resistance, and plenty more.
In his full review of the Moto X4, Andrew said, "But even if you have to go with the regular unlocked version from Motorola, you're going to be happy with the Moto X4. This is a mid-range Android phone done right."
The Moto X4 will set you back $399, and you can check it out from the link below.
A 2-in-1 adapter will let you listen while you charge.
The Pixel 2 delivers a great user experience, but the lack of a headphone jack has also incited panic in plenty of aux cord-using drivers and those of us who've grown attached to a specific pair of headphones. While the Pixel 2 comes with a 3.5mm adapter, this still causes issues for those who like to charge their phone and listen to music at the same time.
Thankfully, you can snag a 2-in-1 adapter that will let you charge up and plug in your headphones at the same time. We took a look at a few different adapters to get you the details you need!
If you go hunting on Amazon or the like for a 2-in-1 adapter, then you're probably not going to have a good time. That's because unlike many other accessories you can easily find, snagging a 2-in-1 adapter is not an easy task. There aren't many options, and of them, only a handful are available through Amazon Prime.
The other issue is that of the few adapters available, many have fewer than 20 reviews, and of those reviews, there are a number of complaints about shoddy craftsmanship or adapters that just out and out don't work. We tried ordering two different adapters, one of which had a constant static-y noise, and the other refused to charge.
So trusting what you find on Amazon is a bit of a mixed bag, and you're as lucky to have good luck as you are to have bad. For the time being, the Google Store doesn't do much better. They have a Moshi USB-C adapter listed on the website, but it's not yet available for purchase. It is coming soon, though, so keeping an eye out for when it becomes available isn't a bad call.
The Moshi USB Type-C adapter is the only 2-in-1 adapter that is available on the Google Store. It's also a bit pricey for an adapter, running at $44.95. That being said, it's got a solid titanium body, which means it'll take bumps if you use it while driving, without breaking or falling apart.
While it isn't available yet, you can check out the specs on the Google Store and see if it's something you'll want to grab once it becomes available.
While it's unfortunate that there's only not a solid option for being able to charge and listen to music through wired headphones, hopefully the Moshi adapter will be available for purchase soon. Is there an adapter that you've come to love? Will you be picking up a Moshi adapter when you can? Let us know about it in the comments below.
Available now for Android 6.0 Marshmallow and later.
Bluetooth headphones have always been fairly popular, but with the rapid termination of the 3.5mm headphone jack, that point is only going to become more and more prominent over the next few years. Pairing Bluetooth devices to your phone has never been a beautiful process, but Google is aiming to alleviate this pain with the announcement of Fast Pair.
Similar to Apple's W1 chip that was introduced with AirPods last year, Fast Pair lets you connect to a new pair of Bluetooth headphones or earbuds by simply being within close proximity of them. Just turn on pairing mode on the Bluetooth accessory you want to pair, put it near your Android device, and you'll automatically get a notification to pair said accessory without having to jump through convoluted menus.
The only two headphones that currently work with Fast Pair include Google's Pixelbuds and Libratone's Q Adapt On-Ear, but Plantronics' upcoming Voyager 8200 wireless headphones will also support the new tech.
Unlike accessories for iOS that only work with the special W1 chip built inside of them, Fast Pair is a technology that can be pushed out to virtually any pair of Bluetooth headphones – upcoming or existing ones already on the market. Better yet, as long as you're using Google Play Services v11.7 or greater, you'll be able to take advantage of Fast Pair on devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or later.
Update: This deal has returned!
It's time to take your photography game to the next level, and this inexpensive accessory can help!
Smartphone cameras have become significantly better over the past few years, and people like to push them to their limits. A great way to really take advantage of how far they've come is by using a tripod to take your skills to the next level. We know, people don't want to lug around a full-sized tripod to "get the shot", but what about a mini one?
Aukey is currently offering its cell phone tripod for $7.91 when you use the coupon code AUKEYT01 during checkout at Amazon. This is a savings of around $3 from its regular price. Beyond just your smartphone, you'll also be able to use this for a GoPro or even a DSLR.
If you are already having fun taking amazing photos with your phone, try adding one of these to your arsenal. Think of the long exposures, time lapses, and more that you'll be able to capture with this!
You can also check out the option with bendable legs for $10 with coupon code AUKEYT03.
Happy Thrifting!
For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!
BlackBerry's latest smartphone is coming to Canada in less than two weeks!
I'll admit it, I have a soft spot for BlackBerry. Growing up in Canada and watching the rise and fall of the company, it's hard not to feel a bit nostalgic every time a new piece of hardware is announced. Sure, the oversight of that hardware is now performed by TCL Communications, and the software is Android, not BlackBerry 10, but it still says BlackBerry on the box. Got to count for something, right?
Anyway, BlackBerry Mobile's latest phone, Motion, is coming to Canada on November 10 starting at $99 on a 2-year plan and $599 or so outright. That's the upside — it's cheaper than KEYone by $100 or so — and comes with a big 5.5-inch display, IP67 water and dust resistance, and a huge 4000mAh battery.
Here's the pricing for each carrier in Canada:
What's clear is that the Motion isn't getting as wide a release as the KEYone, largely because it's not meant to serve the same market. Given its all-touch design, it's not nearly as differentiated as the KEYone, but it's also going to attract people looking for a rugged, secure, long-lasting Android phone that doesn't cost $1000.
Are you interested in the BlackBerry Motion? We haven't heard anything about U.S. availability just yet, but we're hoping that changes in the near future.
Everything you wanted to know about smartphone audio but are too afraid to ask.
We get this question a lot, and now that so many phones no longer have a headphone jack, it's even more common: Does my phone have a DAC? What exactly is a DAC and what does it do? What about an amp?
Let's see if we can figure out the answers and, more importantly, make some sense of how this all works and why we need this DAC thing with its funny name and how an amp makes it sound better or worse.
More: The state of smartphone audio: DAC, codecs, and other terms you need to know
Image courtesy of LG.
A DAC takes a digital signal from its input and converts it into an analog signal on its output. A digital audio signal is easy to explain but a little harder to wrap your head around. It's an electrical signal that's converted into bits. The bits are in a pattern that has a specific value at each point, and the more times the original signal was sampled, the more precise this pattern and those values are.
An analog signal is what you picture in your head when you think of a waveform. It's a continuous signal that varies in amplitude along a timeline.
Audio is converted into a digital copy because it's easier to compress and the electronic things we love, like our phones, can't store an analog signal like a tape can. They also can't read one back, in case you were thinking about attaching a tape-drive to your phone. A digital signal is very different from an analog signal, and the easiest way to understand this is a handy little diagram.
The digital signal follows very rigid and calculated lines, while the analog signal is more freeform. This is because of the sample times; more sample times would be closer together along the bottom axis (TIME) and make a smoother digital signal that's closer in shape to the analog. The right axis measures the amplitude of an audio wave. When you see the signal between the third and fourth sample time in our example, you can see how the two signals are different, which means the sound produced will be different.
Physics and the limitations that come with being human means that this isn't as important for playback as it appears. But it's very important for studio work and preserving the original quality of a recording. Conversion is a very complex procedure and a DAC does a lot of work. What's important is to recognize why a digital audio file may sound different from an analog recording.
An amplifier only does one thing — drives an analog signal (the amps we're talking about, anyway) so it's more intense and will be louder when it comes out of a speaker. An analog signal is just electricity. Boosting electricity is really, really easy and you use what amounts to a transformer (settle down engineers, this needs to be simple) to take the input, grab some power from elsewhere, and crank the input up. It transforms the source.
Building an amp is easy. Building a good amp isn't.
A few specifics can show the easy part. To amplify a fluctuating signal — like any kind of audio — you use a three-wire component called a transistor (or its equivalent in an integrated circuit). The three connections are called the base, the collector, and the emitter. Feeding a weak signal between the base and the emitter creates a more intense signal across the emitter and the collector when provided with external power. The original signal is attached to the base and the speaker is attached to the collector. You can do the same with a vacuum tube but that's not going to fit inside your phone.
The hard part is doing all this while maintaining the original frequency and amplitude. If the amp can't reproduce the frequency of the input signal, its frequency response isn't a good match and some sounds get boosted more than others and everything sounds bad. If the input amplitude (let's call that volume) increases to a level that the output can't match (a transistor can only output so much power), the volume from the amp levels off and your sound starts clipping and distorting. Finally, if you're listening while recording (we used to call that a phone call), an amp has to be careful it doesn't boost the signal high enough for the microphone to pick it up or you'll get feedback. This doesn't apply to just the output you can hear, but the signal itself. Electricity = magnetism.
A quality amp can mitigate all the distortion it creates.
When you're talking about big amps that are used on stage there are a lot of other things in the mix like pre-amps or multistage amps or even complicated op-amp setups that can affect the sound. But small amps have their own difficulties if you want to make a good one, too. You can't boost an analog signal without affecting the gain (volume), fidelity (faithful sound reproduction), or efficiency (battery drain). Making a good amp for a phone is hard. Way harder than using a good DAC, which is why we see phones with a good 24-bit DAC that still sound poor when compared to a phone like the LG V30.
We can't hear digital audio. But our phones can't store analog audio. So when we play our music, it has to pass through a DAC. Our little diagram above shows how important it is to sample an analog signal as many times as reasonably possible when converting it into a digital file. But how "deep" you sample makes a difference, too.
Without getting too technical, the more accurate you want each sample to be, the higher the bit depth you need to use. Bit depth is represented by a number that can be deceiving. The difference in size between 16 and 24 and 32 is more than you think. A lot more.
When you add one bit, you double the amount of data patterns.
A bit can only store two values (0 and 1), but you can count using them just like you can with "regular" numerals. Start counting at 0 and you hit 9; you add another column to the number and get 10. Using bits, you start at 0 and when you hit 1 you add another column to get 00 which becomes a 2-bit number. A two-bit number can have four different data patterns or points (00, 01, 10, or 11). When you add a single bit, you double the number of data points and a 3-bit number can have eight different data patterns (000, 001, 010, 011,100, 101, 110, or 111).
Don't worry. We're done with math. It's just important to understand what the bit depth really represents. A 16-bit signal has 65,536 separate data points, a 24-bit signal has 256 times more data with 16,777,216 points per sample, and a 32-bit signal has 4,294,967,294 points per sample. That's 65,536 times more data than a 16-bit file.
Sample rates are measured in Hertz, and 1 Hertz means one time each second. The more times you sample a file, the more of the original data you can capture. CD-quality audio encoding captures data at a rate of 44,100 times per second. High-resolution encoding can realistically sample at 384,000 times per second. When you capture more data with a higher bit depth and do it more times per second, you can recreate the original more accurately.
Building a good DAC and amp isn't the only complicated part of the process - encoding audio uses millions and millions of calculations every second.
These same factors matter for streamed audio (which is digital) as well but streamed audio adds another layer of complication because it's quality also depends on bitrate — bits processed per unit of time. We measure this the same way we measure internet speeds: kbps (kilobits per second). Higher is better. The codec used to compress a digital audio signal is also important, and lossless codecs like FLAC or ALAC keep more of the digital data that lossy codecs like MP3. A lot of work is involved to make sound come through your speaker or headphones.
We mentioned earlier that encoding a recording for storage (as a master) is a bit different than encoding it for playback. Machines and computers can't hear, and this is all a numbers game. When you encode and decode an audio signal, you're doing a lot of math. The more information you use to calculate the amplitude of a signal, the more accurate the calculations will be. But our ears are not computers.
Even perfect hearing won't help you hear any benefit from a 32-bit sudio system. For now, anyway.
An audio file is filled with "sounds" that we can't hear. Most of the data in a 32-bit encoding is of no use when listening, and a sample rate that's too high can actually sound worse because it introduces too much electrical noise. Producing a digital audio file that holds the right amount of information takes this into consideration, as does the design of a DAC. But like all things, higher numbers look better to the people who market them. Knowing the how and why all this works is really cool, but knowing what you need is more important.
A digital audio file encoded at 24-bits and 48kHz, and a DAC that can convert them offers the best quality we can hear. Anything higher is a placebo and a marketing tool.
The physical limits of our bodies and the way our current tech works mean data collected at a bit depth greater than 21-bit and sampled more frequently than 42kHz are the limit of "perfect" hearing. It's important to have a digital copy of recorded audio at extremely high data rates in case there's a technological breakthrough, but the files you listen to and the hardware that plays them back has a reasonable ceiling. But that breakthrough will never happen with hardware we use today, so that 32-bit DAC in your LG V30 is a lot of overkill.
A DAC is an audio component that is used to turn the digital audio files stored on our phones into an analog signal. There is a lot of complicated math involved that tries to make the copy of a copy sound close to the original, but much of the audio data is something we can't hear. You can even make things sound worse if you try to do too much when encoding a file.
An app plays the file. A DAC converts it to analog. The amp boosts the signal. And the cheese stands alone.
An analog signal is fed into an amp that boosts the signal's intensity so it gets louder. But making things louder without making them sound bad is very hard. When you're doing it on something as small as a phone which also has a limited amount of battery power it becomes especially complicated. The amp can (and usually does) have more impact on how things sound to our ears than the DAC does.
The analog output from the DAC and amp is something that our headphones can play and our ears can hear, but our phones can't properly store one, so a digital file is needed. And in case an engineer somewhere makes a significant breakthrough in digital audio encoding and decoding, original works are stored with astronomical amounts of data, much of which gets thrown out when encoding a file that sounds best.
All you ever need is a DAC that can convert 24-bit/48kHz files, an amp that boosts the signal without adding distortion or noise, and high-quality files to play.
Whew.
Does it make any sounds at all? If so, it has a DAC and an amplifier.
We talked about why recorded audio is converted to a digital copy earlier, but what about an analog signal? Why is it special and why do we have to convert audio back to analog? Because of pressure.
Every electronic thing that can play sounds has a DAC.
One way to measure an analog signal is by its intensity. The more intense (further away from the zero spot in a waveform) each frequency in a signal is the louder it will be when recreated by a speaker. A speaker uses an electromagnet and paper or cloth that moves to convert the signal into sound. The analog signal keeps the coil moving and the paper or cloth elements push the air to create a wave of pressure. When this pressure wave reaches our eardrums it makes a sound. Vary the intensity and frequency of the pressure waves and you create different sounds.
It almost seems like magic, and the scientists who figured out how to record and playback audio were on a whole 'nother level of smart.
A DAC and amp can live happily ever after in your headphones or a cable.
Some phones have a better DAC and amp than others, and phones without a headphone jack don't have to use a DAC/amp combo to send audio to a pair of headphones. All phones have them for system sounds and voice calls, but a DAC and amp can also live inside your headphones or even in the cable that connects headphones to your USB port. USB-C can send analog and digital audio out and both regular headphones (with an adapter) can be used to play analog audio from the port and headphones with their own DAC can receive digital audio to decode and convert themselves.
And you probably have headphones with a DAC and amp inside them, because that's how Bluetooth works.
A DAC and amp have to sit inline between the digital file being played and your ears. There's no other way we can hear any sounds. When we use Bluetooth to listen to music or a movie (or even a phone call) we're sending a digital signal out from our phone and into our Bluetooth headphones. Once there, it's converted on the fly (that's what audio streaming means) into an analog signal, routed through the speakers and carried through the air as a pressure wave to your ears.
Bluetooth adds another layer of complication into the mix, but there is still a DAC and amp involved.
The quality of a DAC and amp when using Bluetooth is just as important as it is with a wired connection, but other components can affect the sound, too. Before audio is sent through Bluetooth, it gets compressed. That's because Bluetooth is slow. A smaller chunk of a file is easier to send than a larger one and compressing audio makes it easier to stream. When the chunk of a compressed audio file is received by your headphones it must first be decompressed then sent in the right order through the DAC and amp in your headphones. There are several different ways to compress, chop up, transfer and reassemble audio over Bluetooth using different Bluetooth audio codecs. Some bring a better digital file (a higher bit depth and sample rate) than others to your headphones' DAC and amp, but once that data arrives your Bluetooth headphones work exactly the same way an internal DAC and amp do.
There are a lot of ways to get music from a song you downloaded on your phone out to your ears. But every single one of them requires a DAC and an amp.
You don't have to be an audiophile to enjoy listening to music. What matters is how it sounds to you.
High-end audio components can process more audio data and offer better sounding audio, but everything in life has a trade-off. A DAC that can convert more than 16-bit audio is more expensive to buy and incorporate into a phone because it's also more sensitive to interference from other parts. The same goes for an amp — especially powerful amps that can drive high-impedance headphones. Even the audio files themselves have a drawback, as "hi-res" audio files can be quite large and take more storage space or a faster connection to stream.
You really don't have to know any of this to like the way your phone sounds. And that's the key — you are the one who decides what sounds good. Don't let any discussion about what's best or what's wrong with Bluetooth influence what you hear, especially if you are happy with how it sounds.
