[lxlx]

 
Future and reviews to be checked:
+HTC 10
 
 

 

[RockStar2005]

  You could try to get the HTC One M9 or the HTC A9, both of them are reasonably priced atm due to the oncoming release of HTC 10. There is also Huawei P8 which should sound... decent I guess.
 
Personally I'm going to get the Huawei P9 or if I can't be bothered just get the Nexus 5x and an external dac.

 
Felipe,
 
Yeah, the HTC One M9 overall was a great phone. The camera was better than the M8's, but not by much. But if you're ok with not having the BEST camera but still an overall solid one, the M9 is not a bad choice. And you'd have the stereo front-facing speakers

 (5.1 Surround Sound "Theater Mode" ftw lol) and that sweet HTC look too.  The silver/gold version of the M9 is pretty nice. My sister had it (in that color), and I would've had that color too if when I had the M8 it was available (it wasn't), so I got gunmetal instead, which was also pretty sweet. 
 
I still say the Z3 is the best but M9 is great too. 

 

[RockStar2005]

  My current <5,5" wrapup, I've asked and googled a lot.
At the moment, 
Sony Z3
HTC A9
Vivio X5 pro
Zte Nubia Z9 Classic
 
Sony+HTC are not going to surprise chinese-wise (normal market, language)
 
Future and reviews to be checked:
Meizu Pro 6 (if it wasn't just so iP6-alike)
Sony X/Performance 
 
I'm getting a Z3 tomorrow used, and then we'll see what happens in 1-2months
 
cheers

 
hey lxlx,
 
I will be interested in reading your X Performance review as I'll be buying that phone for sure in June when it's finally released. 
 
Since you're getting the Z3, I suggest reading my post from the previous page in this thread. Seriously. lol

 

[Gosod]

it is hard to believe that the smartphone may sound on the level MP3 player!

 

[RockStar2005]

  it is hard to believe that the smartphone may sound on the level MP3 player!

 
You mean that it may or can sound BETTER than an on the level MP3 player? Sure........ I mean, the Z3 I had could match up AT LEAST $200 DAPs, though when I went up to $300 with A17 Walkman, I finally noticed a difference (A17 was better). But take the LG V10 and you've got yourself a bonified premium DAP + phone! Same goes with the G5 + B&O DAC, though that's a bit of a mixed bag from what I read. Just gotta read the reviews then decide what you want. 

 

[Gosod]

I also owned a Z3 compact, but I haven't used it as music because it doesn't sound as MP3-player!

 

[mx19]

  My current <5,5" wrapup, I've asked and googled a lot.
At the moment, 
Sony Z3
HTC A9
Vivio X5 pro
Zte Nubia Z9 Classic
 
Sony+HTC are not going to surprise chinese-wise (normal market, language)
 
Future and reviews to be checked:
Meizu Pro 6 (if it wasn't just so iP6-alike)
Sony X/Performance 
 
I'm getting a Z3 tomorrow used, and then we'll see what happens in 1-2months
 
cheers

 
Z3, A9 don't have DAC/amp on par with those mentioned before.
X5 pro was interesting for me also some time ago, but it doesn't have saber+TI, just CL chip and what is more important, the review I read stated that it's a failure as a whole.
Z9 has got the AK DAC, don't know what amp/s are there. and no microSD is available. Moreover it's a pretty big phone with 147mm of hight.
 
So at the moment we are stuck with Pro 6 that has new CL chip with integrated amp (so they say), and still is pretty big boy with 71x148mm... and we still don't know if it has or not a microSD slot...
 
BTW. http://www.devicespecifications.com/en - this site post very often type of audio hardware that is onboard... it's not very common that gsm sites posts info about the DAC/amps, so it's one of the best in this term.

 

[artpiggo]

Pro6 has no micro SD slot cuz this is just a rename of mx6.

There would be pro6 plus or something in the end of year.

I think vivo xshot should be in the list as well

 

[Dreamwalkr]

What about the on pre-order  "X play 5 elite" ?  http://www.esstech.com/index.php/en/news/newsroom/ess-brings-music-life-new-vivo-flagship-smartphone/
 
Is that something on par or better than the one's on your list?  I read it can be purchased online and used on major US carriers -- but don't know for sure.    

 

[Whitigir]

Xplay 5 elite can be used with LTE in the USA, but it has only 128 gb build in memory

 

[Dreamwalkr]

Xplay 5 elite can be used with LTE in the USA, but it has only 128 gb build in memory

 
Thanks!  Micro SD aside, do you happen to know if Xplay 5 elite and/or Huawei P9 is better than LG V10?  
 
btw I'm pretty uninformed about this stuff.  I just order my first pair of quality headphones (Phillips L2)  that will come in about a week and I only have an iphone 5 right now which won't cut it for my future music needs.  I'm looking to get whatever the best device is that's on the market or very soon to be on the market.  Doesn't seem to be a consensus on here but a lot of good (but mostly above my head) info.    

 

[Pastapipo]

Originally Posted by RockStar2005 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Samsung, HTC. Sony releases phones with nice earphones to other countries, but we in the U.S. don't get them ever. Samsung released the superior 820-chip version of the S7 in most countries including U.S. but other countries got the Exynos-chip version which isn't as good. I remember HTC released the I think it was M8 here and in Taiwan, but the Taiwan version had a slightly faster processor. What?! Just release them all as the same! This isn't 200 years ago. The internet lets people from around the world know what other countries are getting, so eventually people will hear about it if they've been short-changed, and they may not be happy about it or forget it the next time they need a new phone.

 
Its frustrating but I do understand the companies. I believe its due to several reasons.
 
1. Signal modems. Not every country uses the same frequencies for for example 4G. So changing a SoC to make sure a phone supports all major operators, was sometimes necessary.
2. Copyright/licensing, some features are an exclusive option in a country to some companies
3. Culture? In the Netherlands, big phones are very rare sight on the streets and the office. While in Asia, the bigger, the better.
 
 

  So, let's recap, because i'm a little bit confused reading all the recent post on this thread.
 
V10 is the smartphone with the best DAC right now (maybe except for G5 with B&O). right?
Wich phone would be the best with a 5.2" (or smaller) screen?

 
Rumours are the DAC module won't be available everywhere. 
 
 
On a unrelated note; I dropped my LG G2 f320 and now its dead. I absolutely loved that phone; 32gb + microSD and the ability to play high-res audio files. 
But since there is no progress without change, I'm trying a new phone this time. The ZTE Axon mini with an Asahi Kasei Microdevices AK4961 DAC.
Android Authority already took a closer look to this chip. Lets see what I'm getting for $200 .

 

[RockStar2005]

   
Its frustrating but I do understand the companies. I believe its due to several reasons.
 
1. Signal modems. Not every country uses the same frequencies for for example 4G. So changing a SoC to make sure a phone supports all major operators, was sometimes necessary.
2. Copyright/licensing, some features are an exclusive option in a country to some companies
3. Culture? In the Netherlands, big phones are very rare sight on the streets and the office. While in Asia, the bigger, the better.
 
 

 
You might have some points there Past, but that still doesn't explain why the U.S. models (Z5) or versions (X Perf) of the Sony Xperia Z5 and the upcoming X Performance don't have a working fingerprint sensor on them. lol But I do get what you're saying, to a point. Just tired of the BS. lol

 

[Rainmaker91]

   
You might have some points there Past, but that still doesn't explain why the U.S. models (Z5) or versions (X Perf) of the Sony Xperia Z5 and the upcoming X Performance don't have a working fingerprint sensor on them. lol But I do get what you're saying, to a point. Just tired of the BS. lol

The explanation is most often a problem about patents, as it usually is when something can't be imported to the US due to a plethora of vague patents. Not that it's news or anything...

 

[RockStar2005]

The explanation is most often a problem about patents, as it usually is when something can't be imported to the US due to a plethora of vague patents. Not that it's news or anything...

But then I have to ask....why does like every OTHER phone have one for the U.S. version of that phone?