The difference is what each one can physically hear.
Your phone records its microphone. It hears the room: you, and anyone in it with you.
Your laptop records its microphone and everything coming out of its speakers. It hears you and the people on the call, because their voices arrive through the computer.
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Video call on Zoom, Teams or Meet | Laptop |
| In-person meeting or interview | Either; phone is easier |
| Conversation in a corridor, taxi, or on site | Phone |
| Phone call on speakerphone | Phone, with the caveat below |
| Phone call held to your ear | Neither, reliably |
| Somewhere with no signal | Phone |
| You want a transcript as it happens | Laptop |
| You want to ask Junior questions mid-call | Laptop |
The one that catches people
Recording a video call on your phone captures your side of it clearly and the other side barely, or not at all. Their voices are coming out of your laptop, on the other side of the desk. It looks like it worked, because the timer ran and the waveform moved. Use the laptop for anything on the laptop.
Questions
Can I record a phone call?
On speakerphone, usually yes. Held to your ear, usually not. The earpiece does not feed back into the microphone, so you get your half and little else. It varies by handset, so if it matters, test it once with a colleague before doing it on a real call.
Should I record on both at once as a backup?
You can, and you will get two calls in Junior rather than one better one. If you want a safety net for an important interview, the laptop recording is the one to trust, and it already keeps recording locally through a network drop.