Though smartphones can be used to listen to music, they can't compete with high-end music players. Toward the top of that list is Sony's NW-ZX707 Walkman.
I am very upset that I can’t find good midrange players. Either cheap crap or hyper-expensive things like this. My last one broke and I don’t buy the replacement parts solely because I still have hope of finding an appropriate one. For now, I use a perma-offline, degoogled smartphone for this (because I heavily prefer not to use a smartphone in daily life normally), but using a relatively big and heavy brick for a player is VERY inconvenient if you’re used to a small lightweight device.
Am thinking phones are meant to fit that range. DACs they have are usually better than cheap garbage but far from “hi tech stuff”. You can also get a good USB-C DAC and improve the experience.
I am very upset that I can’t find good midrange players. Either cheap crap or hyper-expensive things like this. My last one broke and I don’t buy the replacement parts solely because I still have hope of finding an appropriate one. For now, I use a perma-offline, degoogled smartphone for this (because I heavily prefer not to use a smartphone in daily life normally), but using a relatively big and heavy brick for a player is VERY inconvenient if you’re used to a small lightweight device.
There are dozens and dozens of options for a music player in all price ranges. Look at the list below for a start.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hi-res-portable-daps-comparison-chart-2022.961903/
Am thinking phones are meant to fit that range. DACs they have are usually better than cheap garbage but far from “hi tech stuff”. You can also get a good USB-C DAC and improve the experience.