Battery + Audio

[dylan0150]

Looking for a new smart phone, but no matter where I look the only have decent phones I can find are generally the size of a smaller aircraft carrier or have abominable audio or battery-life or break the second you look at them funny.

Why is it that hard for manufacturers to put together a phone with half decent audio without it being a fragile phablet that dies in like 2 hours if I have the audacity to open google maps.

What I'm using it for:
- AUDIO
- Browsing & messaging

- Google maps

What I need:
- Audio as close to something like an LG V20 as I can get.
- Battery as good as possible. Currently have a Z3 compact and wouldn't want anything with worse battery than this which I generally find perfectly adequate.
- Can survive being dropped onto carpet from about 2 meters. (looking at you galaxy s8 -_-)

- Easy to use one-handed while standing on a moving tram for 2 hours every day.

- Storage or sd card slot enough that I can get at least 64gb on there. I have a large music collection and I dislike the cloud.

What I'd prefer but willing to give up:
- Camera... I've coped with potato cams before and it sucks but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

- The smaller the better.

- Fast charging.

What I don't give a crap about:

- Screen, hell I'd take a 480p screen if it meant the phone was smaller. 1440p HDR on a smartphone? Literally do not understand how anyone can consider that worth the battery loss.
- Processing power. Can it open google maps and facebook? Yes? Then it's enough.

What I've found so far:
BG Aquaris (but don't know which one on the line-up I'd go for)

[dylan0150]

BQ Aquaris M5 looking like the best thing I've seen so far but it's old.

[Septimus]

Can't remember the name of the phone exactly, but Motorola made some modular phones similar to the LG V20 and had a mod that was essentially a battery pack right on the back of the phone. I'd take a look at that while in pursuit of battery life, can't speak much in terms of audio in the phone though, haven't really ever looked into that. 

As far as audio quality goes, take a look at the  LG G6, it has an improved DAC over the LG V20. If I am remembering correctly, the version with the improved DAC is sold in Europe, although that may have changed or I could be incorrect. 

[dylan0150]

I have looked at the LG G6 but from what I can tell the audio is surprisingly not as great when compared to the V20 and it's just too big.

 

The BQ Aquaris X looks like it might be a purely upgraded M5 but there is no specs for it's audio chips ANYWHERE. Literally unfindable and there's a grand total of 1 review in english.

The ZTE Axon 7 mini on the other hand... looks good. Really good. Gonna dig into that more, ideally I need to find a shop somewhere that'll let me plug my headphones into it and a few others and have a listen.

I don't really care about budget tbh, £800 I guess would be my limit but I'd aim to get it on contract.