[Pastapipo]

  z11 is supposed to have a metal unibody, too. 
http://www.techradar.com/reviews/phones/mobile-phones/nubia-z11-1327414/review
 
as always, design is a subjective matter, and i quite dig the almost bezel-less design of the nubia. also, it's more compact and lighter than the z7, has an ir blaster, and i'm perfectly fine with the 1080p display, too. it's easier to the cpu and the battery. the z7 has a bigger battery and the amoled should be more power efficient, though. and you're right about the price, too. looking at the specs, it's hard to pick one even of these 2 phones. software wise, they should be similar. i'd like to have a cyanogenmod/aosp/rr release for my future phone, and these 2 won't supposed to get it, so i might look elsewhere.
 
1st world problems 

 
Haha true.
The software seems indeed to be their biggest drawback. Maybe the XDA forum could help you in due time to replace the stock rom?

 

[wyvernone]

Add another one to this list:
 
PPTV King 7 - 6inch, etc.
 
Might be new on this list but old elsewhere: Uses ESS Technology ES9018K2M DAC + MAX97220 headphone amp chip
 
I already have a DX90 with this DAC chip so I'll pass.
 
Currently on budget specials.

 

[pcalv]

Any word on a new Marshall London phone? Quite like the sound of this phone but as it has been available for close to a year I would expect a new model may be on the way.

 

[dlayman]

I have probably the lowliest model of the ZTE lineup, the Zmax2, AN ATT Go Phone, and it is very capable. I don't know what DAC, etc. it uses, but it has one heck of an amp. At 2/3 volume it drives the Senn 600 loudly and with authority. No hiss on low impedance high sensitivity IEM's. When it comes time to replace it, I would definitely consider whatever will be the current model of the ZTE Axon line. Nice to have a phone that doesn't need an amp even with high impedance full size cans.

 

[Benfica1904]

Hi everyone!
 
What about the Honor 8 (by Huawei) audio performance?
 

https://store.hihonor.com/us/honor-8
 
 
Thanks! 

 

[Francisk]

LG V20 will be launched in a few hours time in San Francisco. Let's wait and see if this is going to be the game changer for smart phone audio 

 

[Pastapipo]

  LG V20 will be launched in a few hours time in San Francisco. Let's wait and see if this is going to be the game changer for smart phone audio 

 
Here it is:
 
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/9/6/12824082/lg-v20-preview-specs-features-android-nougat
 
GSMArena:
 

1. The phone comes with four DACs for very clear sound; it offers 75-step fine volume and independent L/R balance control. It supports lossless playback and is B&O Play-tuned. Even better - the phone comes with B&O Play headphones bundled in its retail box on some markets.
2. LG V20 is also capable of capturing lossless audio with its videos at 24bit/48kHz, which should also be able to record loud sounds of up to 132dB distortion free.

 
Looks incredible for audio, but 5,7" is too large for me. Any takers?

 

[artpiggo]

   
Here it is:
 
http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/9/6/12824082/lg-v20-preview-specs-features-android-nougat
 
GSMArena:
 

1. The phone comes with four DACs for very clear sound; it offers 75-step fine volume and independent L/R balance control. It supports lossless playback and is B&O Play-tuned. Even better - the phone comes with B&O Play headphones bundled in its retail box on some markets.
2. LG V20 is also capable of capturing lossless audio with its videos at 24bit/48kHz, which should also be able to record loud sounds of up to 132dB distortion free.

 
Looks incredible for audio, but 5,7" is too large for me. Any takers?

 
looking forward to see retail price. 5.7" is perfect for me.

 

[rockingthearies]

Most probably will pull the trigger on it when it reaches my country but the only comparison I could do is against an iphone 5s. The battery seems disappointing at 3.2k mAh, I wasn't expecting 4k but maybe at least 3.4k. But there is removable battery so I guess that makes it up.

 

[StrikeFreedom]

I'm using Alcatel Flash Plus 2. Just wanna warn you guys. If you want to play Hi-Res files. You should avoid this phone. The phone down sampling all source to 44.1kHz/16bit before output via AUX. Though, using Hi-Res standalone DAC chip, their software are not support Hi-Res Aux output yet. I suggest you take a look at poweramp website, first.

http://forum.powerampapp.com/index.php?/topic/8736-list-of-android-devices-with-hi-res-audio-support-internal-dac/

 

[dlayman]

I'm using Alcatel Flash Plus 2. Just wanna warn you guys. If you want to play Hi-Res files. You should avoid this phone. The phone down sampling all source to 44.1kHz/16bit before output via AUX. Though, using Hi-Res standalone DAC chip, their software are not support Hi-Res Aux output yet. I suggest you take a look at poweramp website, first.

http://forum.powerampapp.com/index.php?/topic/8736-list-of-android-devices-with-hi-res-audio-support-internal-dac/

I believe at a minimum the phone must be running Android 6.0 or higher to avoid the down sampling. Of course if you're playing compressed files the down sampling really won't matter and other aspects of the phone's audio circuitry may be more important

 

[flashmp3]

Guys help me please,
 
I would like to understand why phone brands keep promoting DACs (LG V10 has 4 DACs) but never the amps !!! Cause from my experience, my understanding and in terms of what you hear (and not what is written), it seems that amps will play a more important role than DACs. What i want to say is that i think a simple regular ESS DAC + Good and powerful AMP > ESS Quad DACs + regular AMP

Maybe i'm mistaking but IMO the most important before everything is to be able to give the headphones the power they need to shine. For example my HTC M8 could give lot better result than my old Galaxy S3 with ESS DAC because i think it had better amp. I don't see the point having 4 DACs but then not being able to drive the headphones well. I'm a basshead so i need power. It's cute to have a player that can play 
32-bit 394kHz and DSD512 capable but if it can't drive headphones well i truly don't see the point ! Why spending money to have high quality sound and player if your headphones suck ?!

Give my your thoughts 

 

[Guppy_]

  Guys help me please,
 
I would like to understand why phone brands keep promoting DACs (LG V10 has 4 DACs) but never the amps !!! Cause from my experience, my understanding and in terms of what you hear (and not what is written), it seems that amps will play a more important role than DACs. What i want to say is that i think a simple regular ESS DAC + Good and powerful AMP > ESS Quad DACs + regular AMP

Maybe i'm mistaking but IMO the most important before everything is to be able to give the headphones the power they need to shine. For example my HTC M8 could give lot better result than my old Galaxy S3 with ESS DAC because i think it had better amp. I don't see the point having 4 DACs but then not being able to drive the headphones well. I'm a basshead so i need power. It's cute to have a player that can play 
32-bit 394kHz and DSD512 capable but if it can't drive headphones well i truly don't see the point ! Why spending money to have high quality sound and player if your headphones suck ?!

Give my your thoughts 

The S3 had a ESS DAC?!!?

 

[Francisk]

Bassheads don't need good DACs....just pump up the bass with whatever device you have and you'll be happy. The pumped up bass already masks the rest of the frequencies therefore there's no point in having high quality DACs...you wouldn't have noticed the difference anyway so don't bother. Good luck to you..... 

 

 

[club968]

if I can get this phone factory unlocked without a lot of carrier interference in the US, then I'm definitely going to try it out.  I never tried the V10, but the G5 with hifi module was a fantastic phone.  I only see improvements here.  The screen size is indeed massive but I think I will be fine with it.  Hopefully the battery life isn't affected too much with all this hidef audio goodness all over the place.