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We put the Fairphone 4 by means of our rigorous DXOMARK Audio check suite to measure its efficiency each at recording sound utilizing its built-in microphones, and at taking part in audio again by means of its audio system.
On this overview, we’ll break down the way it fared in a wide range of assessments and a number of other frequent use instances.
Overview
The Fairphone 4, like earlier fashions on this eco-conscious line, is modular, and arrange in order that customers can simply substitute the battery and another elements themselves. Components and uncooked supplies are as a lot as attainable sourced responsibly, in line with the corporate. Working on Android 11, the machine is powered with the mid-range Snapdragon 750G chipset and is 5G prepared. On the audio entrance, the machine has two audio system, one high heart and one backside proper. Amongst its friends on this value vary (about 650 euros), its international rating was among the many lowest, notching a 53, which matches the rating of the Vivo X51 5G. In playback, the Fairphone 4 is practical. Steadiness is sweet, and voices are basically intelligible. However the timbre could be very midrange centered — low finish is desperately absent and excessive finish isn’t nice both — and at most quantity artifacts turn into obtrusive. As a recording machine, the Fairphone 4 is practical with some flaws in most use instances. However the machine’s memo app was deeply flawed throughout use instances and attributes, bringing down the general rating. In some instances, the recordings had been merely unintelligible.
Key audio specs embody:
- Two audio system, one high heart, one backside proper
- No earphone jack, however there’s a USB-C port
93rd
7. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
77
9. Apple iPhone 13 Professional Max
75
15. Apple iPhone 12 Professional Max
74
20. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
72
20. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
72
22. Apple iPhone 11 Professional Max
71
22. Lenovo Legion Telephone 2 Professional
71
22. Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely (Exynos)
71
22. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
71
31. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
70
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 Extremely 5G (Snapdragon)
70
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 Extremely 5G (Exynos)
70
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
70
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
70
31. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
70
40. Samsung Galaxy S20 Extremely
69
40. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
69
45. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Extremely 5G (Snapdragon)
68
45. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Extremely 5G (Exynos)
68
45. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming
68
54. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
66
54. Samsung Galaxy Notice 10+ 5G
66
54. Samsung Galaxy Notice 10+
66
54. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Professional+
66
75. Oppo Reno6 Professional 5G (Snapdragon)
62
77. Huawei Mate 30 Professional 5G
61
81. Lenovo Legion Telephone Professional
59
92. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Professional Premium Version
54
98. Vivo X70 Professional (MediaTek)
51
102. Vivo X60 Professional 5G (Snapdragon)
47
12th
3. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
70
Playback
Execs
- Respectable general spatial efficiency
- Clean and unaggressive treble, making voice content material intelligible
- Good steadiness in all use case
Cons
- Lack of assist for 24-bit audio
- Very midrange-focused timbre, missing low- and high-end extension
- Occasional resonance on the low mids, relying on the content material
- Most volume-induced distortion and pumping, decreasing the spectrum on the low facet
Recording
Execs
- Right envelope in loud (excessive sound-pressure stage) situations
- Right steadiness when recording movies indoor
Cons
- Very poor timbre in memo recording
- Poor dealing with of noise-canceling
Take a look at abstract
About DXOMARK Audio assessments: For scoring and evaluation in our smartphone audio opinions, DXOMARK engineers carry out a wide range of goal assessments and undertake greater than 20 hours of perceptual analysis below managed lab situations.
(For extra particulars about our Playback protocol, click on right here; for extra particulars about our Recording protocol, click on right here.)
The next part gathers key components of our exhaustive assessments and analyses carried out in DXOMARK laboratories. Detailed efficiency evaluations below the type of stories can be found upon request. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
Playback
55
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
How Audio Playback rating consists
DXOMARK engineers check playback by means of the smartphone audio system, whose efficiency is evaluated in our labs and in real-life situations, utilizing default apps and settings.
As a playback machine, the Fairphone 4 scores on the backside finish of its price-range group. By way of timbre, treble is a constructive, even when missing excessive finish. It stays clean, clear, not aggressive. Midrange is typically boxy, and resonant within the low mids, imparing voice readability. Kick and bass data usually are not properly rendered in any respect. The shortage of low-end extension is the obvious defect on this attribute. When taking part in video games and watching strikes, the shortage of low-end extension impairs the feeling of punch. Dynamics basically are beneath par. Assault is mushy in most use instances. Bass precision is surprisingly satisfactory when gaming, listening to music, or watching a film. Within the spatial attribute, the Fairphone 4 presents restricted wideness, barely extending past the bodily dimensions of the machine, and localizability will not be properly outlined. On a constructive word, steadiness is properly centered and distance notion is on the right track. Voices in films and spoken content material are at display place. When taking part in video games, spatial efficiency is common, and localizability doesn’t impair playability. At most quantity, the machine doesn’t turn into “harsh” sounding, however compression tends to amplify the low-end extension and intensify the midrange-centric timbre. The primary quantity step is barely discernible. The machine didn’t rating properly within the artifacts attribute both. Distortion emerges at excessive volumes, accompanied by apparent pumping. On the technical facet, aliasing and frequency resonances are recurring issues.
Take heed to the examined smartphone’s playback efficiency on this comparability with a few of its rivals:
Nokia N95 Stereo Widening
Right here is how the Fairphone 4 performs in playback use instances in comparison with its rivals:
Timbre
54
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Timbre rating represents how properly a cellphone reproduces sound throughout the audible tonal vary and takes into consideration bass, midrange, treble, tonal steadiness, and quantity dependency. It’s crucial attribute for playback.
Dynamics
51
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Dynamics rating measures the accuracy of adjustments within the power stage of sound sources, for instance how exactly a bass word is reproduced or the influence sound from drums.
Spatial
48
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The sub-attributes for spatial assessments embody pinpointing a particular sound’s location, its positional steadiness, distance, and wideness.
Quantity
61
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Quantity rating represents the general loudness of a smartphone and the way easily quantity will increase and reduces primarily based on consumer enter.
Listed below are just a few sound stress ranges (SPL) measured when taking part in our pattern recordings of hip-hop and classical music at most quantity:
| Hip-Hop | Classical | |
| Fairphone 4 | 75.4 dBA | 71.2 dBA |
| Oppo Reno6 Professional 5G (Snapdragon) | 73.9 dBA | 68.8 dBA |
| Oppo Discover X3 Neo | 76.5 dBA | 71.8 dBA |
The next graph exhibits the gradual adjustments in quantity going from minimal to most. We anticipate these adjustments to be constant throughout the vary, so that every one quantity steps correspond to customers’ expectations:
Artifacts
86
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
The Artifacts rating measures the extent to which the sound is affected by varied varieties of distortion. The upper the rating, the much less the disturbances within the sound are noticeable. Distortion can happen due to sound processing within the machine and due to the standard of the audio system.
Recording
45
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
How Audio Playback rating consists
DXOMARK engineers check recording by evaluating the recorded recordsdata on reference audio gear. These recordings are executed in our labs and in real-life situations, utilizing default apps and settings.
As a recording machine, the Fairphone 4 is available in on the absolute backside on this value vary with a rating of 45. Amongst all gadgets examined for recording, it’s close to the underside as properly. Within the timbre attribute, the issues fluctuate from software to software. When capturing life video (rear digicam) in an inside house, tonal steadiness is right regardless of a scarcity of heat in voices, Treble is sweet, however midrange sounds hole, with a scarcity of low mids. Within the city state of affairs, voices sound actually canny, centered on the excessive mids and higher trebles. In selfie video, tonal steadiness is practical, however the timbre is concentrated on excessive mids as in life video. Relating to the memo app, recordings are actually insufficient due to a poor file structure. Voices are barely comprehensible. There aren’t any treble notes in any respect, only a sloppy midrange. In dynamics, the signal-to-noise ratio is right in life and selfie video. Within the memo app, once more an issue, the envelope is severely impaired. Plosives usually are not sharp in any respect. Within the excessive sound-pressure-level state of affairs (an digital music live performance), the envelope is right regardless of slight compression that hinders fast transients like snares. Within the spatial attribute, localizability is right within the video functions, though the audio scene is sort of slender in life video and non-existent in selfie video. Memo app is once more a disadvantage: Localizability and wideness are nonstarters, and distance rendering is unrealistic. As for artifacts, some clipping was observed on the excessive SPL state of affairs and on shouting voices within the video functions. Within the background attribute, noise-canceling triggers after 10 seconds of recording in loud environments with both video software. That utterly impairs background restitution, which turns into muffled and never pure in any respect. When the memo app is used, background is just non-existent due to the poor high quality of recordings. A brilliant spot: Background is rendered accurately within the at-home state of affairs.
Right here is how the Fairphone 4 performs in recording use instances in comparison with its rivals:
Timbre
56
Honor Magic3 Professional+
Honor Magic3 Professional+
The Timbre rating represents how properly a cellphone captures sounds throughout the audible tonal vary and takes into consideration bass, midrange, treble, and tonal steadiness. It’s crucial attribute for recording.
Dynamics
38
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Dynamics rating measures the accuracy of adjustments within the power stage of sound sources, for instance how exactly a voice’s plosives (the p’s, t’s and ok’s, for instance) are reproduced. The rating additionally considers the Sound-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), for instance how loud the principle voice is in comparison with the background noise.
Spatial
25
Black Shark 4S Professional
Black Shark 4S Professional
The sub-attributes for spatial assessments embody pinpointing a particular sound’s location, its positional steadiness, distance, and wideness on the recorded audio recordsdata.
Quantity
51
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Quantity rating represents how loud audio is normalized on the recorded recordsdata and the how the machine handles loud environments, akin to digital live shows, when recording.
Listed below are the sound ranges recorded within the audio and video recordsdata, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we anticipate loudness ranges to be above -24 LUFS for recorded content material:
| Assembly | Life Video | Selfie Video | Memo | |
| Fairphone 4 | -39.2 LUFS | -27.7 LUFS | -25.4 LUFS | -32 LUFS |
| Oppo Reno6 Professional 5G (Snapdragon) | -21.6 LUFS | -16.6 LUFS | -15.4 LUFS | -17.1 LUFS |
| Oppo Discover X3 Neo | -19.3 LUFS | -17 LUFS | -16.4 LUFS | -15.7 LUFS |
Artifacts
55
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
The Artifacts rating measures the extent to which the recorded sounds are affected by varied varieties of distortions. The upper the rating, the much less the disturbances within the sound are noticeable. Distortions can happen due to sound processing within the machine and the standard of the microphones, in addition to consumer dealing with, akin to how the cellphone is held.
Hear for artifacts on this extract, which has been recorded in a busy residence surroundings:
Background
16
Black Shark 5 Professional
Black Shark 5 Professional
Background evaluates how pure the assorted sounds round a voice mix into the video recording file. For instance, when recording a speech at an occasion, the background mustn’t intervene with the principle voice, but it ought to present some context of the environment.
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