[dodap]

Coming from a smallish FIIO X1 I want a bigger display for cover art delight (and Adroid apps). In the dedicated DAP world there seem only to be the Pioneer XDP-300R and its twin brother from Onkyo the DP-X1(A) (If I want to stay sub $500).

Then I thought to use a bona fide Android device a current Smartphone with some 5 inch display as a mere USB transport for the files and attach a dedicated DAC-Amp. It seems hard to find out what the maximum SD card size is of those smartphones that support cards at all. So far i found from the big names only the LG Q6 which even boasts of 2TB support when 256GB cards are only becoming mainstream these days.
My other finds so far a Ulefone T1 (the Premium version has 128 built in already). Nubia M2 has 64 and support 200. The bq Auarius X supports 256.
What else should I look for?

 

[megabigeye]

Phonescoop.com lists the supported size for microSD. For some reason it's listed under the "Memory" heading on the specs pages, rather than "Storage."

 

[dodap]

Another problems seems to be that the coupling of phone and DAC is no given thing. Some DACs simply do not work with certain phones even with newer Android versions. The foolproof solution still seems to be an integrated Digital Audio Player like the Pioneer XDP-300R.

 

[megabigeye]

I was under the impression that third party apps like USB Audio Player Pro fix the incompatibility problem. I think UAPP costs something like $8, but it was a worthy investment for me. There are other apps that are free or have free trial versions, but they didn't work as well for me.
It's something you should look into.

Edit: Looks like the phone has to support USB Host Mode for UAPP to work.
Edit again: If you're mostly going to be using it as a DAP/transport, you might also consider getting an older flagship, like the Samsung S7, which looks like it has better specs than some of the newer mid-range phones. It can be had for less than $300.

 

[dodap]

I was under the impression that third party apps like USB Audio Player Pro fix the incompatibility problem. I think UAPP costs something like $8, but it was a worthy investment for me.

Even if I did not have UAPP already the minimal price would be the least deciding poibt for me. This new mentioning will make me do a new Google round for this topic. Thanks!