iPhone Microphone Review (6 Mics)

To help you film your next set of online videos using your iPhone, here are six microphone and audio options you have at your disposal.

I am a huge fan of using your iPhone to film your own videos. Whether they be at your home office or on the go, using your iPhone will save you time and money. While the iPhone camera’s high quality will make your video’s appear the same to your viewers, having the proper sound equipment will ensure your videos look professional and polished.

Watch on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjM4rSo3VK8

When filming you need to make sure your audio sounds crisp so your audience can hear you loud and clear. The easiest and cheapest way to achieve this is by using the microphone already attached to your iPhone. The sound you receive from this option often appears a bit echoey, distant, and hollow. The further your camera is away from your subject also leads to diminishing quality. I would say choosing this option should be your last resort, while it may be convenient it won’t leave your video sounding very clear.

The second option you have is the Amp Ridge mini shotgun microphone, which is a definite improvement from using your on­board iPhone microphone. Because it’s a shotgun microphone the further away the camera is the further away the microphone has to be. This option is still not the best if you are looking for that professional, crisp sound, however it could help you if you wanted to film outdoors and capture a wide range of sounds.

Next we have the Rode Smartlav, which is a wire lavalier microphone. The Smartlav is a huge improvement from the previous options but falls towards the lower quality end of the lavalier microphone spectrum. One problem you may want to consider if you choose this microphone is that the cord connecting the Smartlav to your iPhone is fairly short, maybe only a mere three feet in length.

The fourth choice you have is the Edutige microphone which has a higher quality, a clearer sound, and appears to be more of a heavy duty, or sturdier, microphone. The Edutige microphone comes equipped with a longer cord, about four feet in length, and headphones that allow you to monitor the audio yourself. I personally think this is the best option presented so far, however you are still constricted by the length of the cord.

After the Edutige microphones comes the LV1 microphone by Movo. A major positive about this microphone is the abundance of cord that will prevent distance restrictions.

 The final option is a microphone by Audio­technica which is another wired lavalier. This microphone has plenty of cord so distance is not a problem, it also has professional quality and includes an adaptor. The adaptor allows you to connect not only to your iPhone but any other camera you may have as well as plug in your earphones so you can monitor the audio.

Looking back over our options I have ranked them in order of which I recommend the most. My number one has to be the Edutige! The Edutige has unwavering quality, however purchasing each individual part may end up being expensive. Another one I highly recommend is the Movo LV1 which you can buy on amazon for under twenty dollars. The LV1 sounds phenomenal and has the ability to go up to twenty feet away.

If you would like to continue raising the quality of your iPhone videos, I suggest checking out my   iPhone Video Buyers Guide. This guide will show you every essential item you need   to start shooting your iPhone videos like a pro. It is absolutely free and shows you the best tested hardware and software that I use when I chose to film on my iPhone. Just click here to download the guide so you begin learning about how to improve your videos!