[umvue]

  Check Meizu Pro 5 - they say it sounds even better than V10 (and probably is the best smartphone for audiophile in terms of sound), also HTC 10 is said to sound great (check the thread about it). But I don't know about the weights of those two.
 
Personaly my favourite is Galaxy S7 (non-edge, exynos) ATM, as I'm looking for compact-sized phone with high-end specs and good sound.
Sadly everything with proper audio section is with 5.5 or even 5.7" screens (or is around 145-7mm of height which is too much for me and one-hand useability)... and S7 with Exynos is the only one with dedicated DAC+AMP in this size.

Thanks for your reply. I found Huawei P9 and HTC A9 which seems to have even better audio numbers according to gsmarena and it is only 143g-144g
 
Huawei P9 144g Noise -97.3dB / Crosstalk -96.2dB
HTC A9 143g Noise -94.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB
Meizu Pro 5 168g Noise -93.9dB / Crosstalk -95.7dB
LG V10 Noise -93.3dB / Crosstalk -93.0dB
Samsung Galaxy S7 152g Noise -92.5dB / Crosstalk -92.7dB
HTC 10 161g Noise -90.4dB / Crosstalk -87.3dB

 

[Dobrescu George]

  Thanks for your reply. I found Huawei P9 and HTC A9 which seems to have even better audio numbers according to gsmarena and it is only 143g-144g
 
Huawei P9 144g Noise -97.3dB / Crosstalk -96.2dB
HTC A9 143g Noise -94.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB
Meizu Pro 5 168g Noise -93.9dB / Crosstalk -95.7dB
LG V10 Noise -93.3dB / Crosstalk -93.0dB
Samsung Galaxy S7 152g Noise -92.5dB / Crosstalk -92.7dB
HTC 10 161g Noise -90.4dB / Crosstalk -87.3dB

 
numbers tell nothing of the actual signature and quality....

Most high end players  / DACs / AMPs have similar or very similar numbers, but almost all have a different signature, having an emphasis on something, and having a lack in something... 
 
We must refer to our own experiences to be sure that this is how a device actually sounds like. Learned this the hard way... 

 

[kartik7405]

  Thanks for your reply. I found Huawei P9 and HTC A9 which seems to have even better audio numbers according to gsmarena and it is only 143g-144g
 
Huawei P9 144g Noise -97.3dB / Crosstalk -96.2dB
HTC A9 143g Noise -94.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB
Meizu Pro 5 168g Noise -93.9dB / Crosstalk -95.7dB
LG V10 Noise -93.3dB / Crosstalk -93.0dB
Samsung Galaxy S7 152g Noise -92.5dB / Crosstalk -92.7dB
HTC 10 161g Noise -90.4dB / Crosstalk -87.3dB

If you give priority to this numbers than have a look at LG G3 measurments.

 

[umvue]

   
numbers tell nothing of the actual signature and quality....

Most high end players  / DACs / AMPs have similar or very similar numbers, but almost all have a different signature, having an emphasis on something, and having a lack in something... 
 
We must refer to our own experiences to be sure that this is how a device actually sounds like. Learned this the hard way... 

I agree.
 
I think I will stick with LG V10 then. It is the most discussed phone in this forum. I presume I can get better support here with V10.
 
Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[MusicFi]

How is lg v20 in terms of sq? Is it better than lg v10?
 
Also, which phone under $200 has the best camera?

 

[Gosod]

Just choose one.

what would be better?

 

[artpiggo]

[COLOR=111111]what would be better?[/COLOR]

Depends on each person favorist. I love poweramp alpha and neutron.

 

[MusicFi]

Is it possible to get a good audiophile smartphone for $100 or $150?
 
I am thinking of getting a leeco 1 pro x800. Is there anything I need to know about this phone like which ROM or update to use for best sq?

 

[Vignelli]

Ok i am htc10 user.. This is great phone overall..
One thing you should do before playing music is to turn off the htc boomsound.. And you good to go..

 

[MusicFi]

Is there a skin that I can apply on the back of my smartphone so that it feels less hot?

 

[TabCam]

  Thanks for your reply. I found Huawei P9 and HTC A9 which seems to have even better audio numbers according to gsmarena and it is only 143g-144g
 
Huawei P9 144g Noise -97.3dB / Crosstalk -96.2dB
HTC A9 143g Noise -94.8dB / Crosstalk -94.0dB
Meizu Pro 5 168g Noise -93.9dB / Crosstalk -95.7dB
LG V10 Noise -93.3dB / Crosstalk -93.0dB
Samsung Galaxy S7 152g Noise -92.5dB / Crosstalk -92.7dB
HTC 10 161g Noise -90.4dB / Crosstalk -87.3dB

You are mentioning the numbers for the external amplifier attached, not when used with headphones. The list then becomes:
 
Meizu Pro 5 168g Noise -95.9 dB / Crosstalk -86.2 dB / Dynamic range 95.9 dB
Samsung Galaxy S7 152g Noise -91.9 dB / Crosstalk -82.4 dB / Dynamic range 92.1 dB
HTC 10 161g Noise -92.8 dB / Crosstalk -77.9 dB / Dynamic range 92.8 dB
LG V10 192g Noise -93.1 dB / Crosstalk -67.3 dB / Dynamic range 91.9 dB
Huawei P9 144g Noise -93 dB / Crosstalk -65.5 dB / Dynamic range 97.9 dB
HTC A9 143g Noise -94.0 dB / Crosstalk -65.4 dB / Dynamic range 92.8 dB
 
And reigning king of the numbers:
HTC One M9 157g Noise -93.7 dB / Crosstalk -91.6 dB / Dynamic range 92.7 dB
 
Of course, these numbers don't tell how loud/controlled a phone can play with demanding or very sensitive headphones.

 

[TabCam]

  Is there a skin that I can apply on the back of my smartphone so that it feels less hot?

Any case will do, but cases also prevent heat transfer. You should prevent heat buildup should as much as possible. If your phone is too hot to hold, it surely is to hot for it's own good.

 

[fericske]

  Is it possible to get a good audiophile smartphone for $100 or $150?
 
I am thinking of getting a leeco 1 pro x800. Is there anything I need to know about this phone like which ROM or update to use for best sq?

 
Yes, it's possible. At the moment my eyes are on the Lenovo X3 Lite K51c78 (http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/35113818). It has the same audio chips inside for half price - around $130 - like the Meizu pro5 (http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/50b536e4), and with good battery life and gorilla glass protection, what I need.

 

[Gotty]

   
Yes, it's possible. At the moment my eyes are on the Lenovo X3 Lite K51c78 (http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/35113818). It has the same audio chips inside for half price - around $130 - like the Meizu pro5 (http://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/50b536e4), and with good battery life and gorilla glass protection, what I need.

From what I understand the Lite version doesn't have the Sabre chip, only the Wolfson one. It's still better than the stock Snapdragon/MTK audio but worse than the Sabre one. I've read a lot of discussions about the Lenovo X3 and many complained that the audio wasn't as good as expected and it turned out that Android 5.1 didn't use the Sabre chip properly and used the Wolfson instead, only Android 6 supports it fully. So yeah, I guess the difference is noticable.

 

[fericske]

  From what I understand the Lite version doesn't have the Sabre chip, only the Wolfson one. It's still better than the stock Snapdragon/MTK audio but worse than the Sabre one. I've read a lot of discussions about the Lenovo X3 and many complained that the audio wasn't as good as expected and it turned out that Android 5.1 didn't use the Sabre chip properly and used the Wolfson instead, only Android 6 supports it fully. So yeah, I guess the difference is noticable.

 
Okay, maybe you are a bit confused about the models. That one I linked - that's why the deep specs link - has sabre dac and texas opa. Compare to the meizu I linked also.
Alters of this model: vibe x3 c78, vibe x3 youth, lemon x3 youth (http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_vibe_x3_c78-7756.php)
 
You mention for the next model and its alters: K4 Note A7010a48, A7010, Lenovo Vibe X3 Lite (http://www.gsmarena.com/lenovo_vibe_k4_note-7802.php)
 
 
And from gsm arena: "I have upgraded to 6.0 via a ROM I found on the VibeUI.com site. It seems a bit buggy, may not be ready for wide use, but they're certainly working on it." But official 6.0 update is coming, just check under my very first link.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell, the wolfson wm8281 is not a dac, just a codec for reducing noises, so only a software.

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