DxOMark, which is best known for rating smartphone cameras, has also started ranking handsets for their audio chops. The website notes that with the increase of sound-centric activities on phones, such as media consumption and video shooting, audio is now also an important criterion for consumers when buying a new phone. Since audio testing is still new for the company, it has only posted the results of seven devices right now. Out of the recently released devices, the iPhone 11 Pro Max audio quality has managed to get decent scores, even though the top spot went to last year’s flagship, the Huawei Mate 20 X.

The audio score reflects both playback and recording capabilities of different handsets, which were tested for various things such as volume, dynamics, and background. The company tried out seven devices from five companies, including Apple’siPhone 11 Pro MaxandiPhone XS Max, as well as Samsung’sGalaxy Note 10 Plus, Galaxy S10 Plus, Huwaei’sMate 20 X, Honor 20 Pro, and Sony’sXperia 1. The Mate 20 X topped the ranking with a score of 74, and it was followed by last year’s iPhone XS Max which got 74 points. Interestingly, the iPhone 11 Pro Max audio quality is deemed inferior to the last year’s flagships, as it scored just 71 points.

2 of 9

With new additions such as spatial audio and Dolby Atmos, you might have expected DxOMark to rank the iPhone 11 Pro Max audio quality above its predecessors. Maybe if the website decides to release a detailed report down the line, we will get to know more about this. Looking at the score breakup, it seems that there isn’t much difference between the two handsets when it comes to recording, but playback is better on the iPhone XS Max.

Should the iPhone 11 Pro Max audio quality make you settle for last year’s model if you are a sound buff? Since the difference between the two scores isn’t huge, we don’t think that the sound quality will be noticeably different on the two. Thus, if you were previously planning to buy this year’s highest-end model, we don’t think this report should influence your decision.

You might also like to check out:

iPhone 11 Pro Max Tops Consumer Reports Rankings; Flagship Receives Praise in Camera & Battery CategoriesiPhone 11 Pro Max Display Earns Highest A+ Award From Calibration Firm, Beating Competing DevicesiPhone 11 Series Has Displayed Strong Demand in the U.S., but Lack of 5G Support Might Challenge Apple in the Long Run

News Source: DxOMark