In terms of audio quality when it comes to smartphones, safe to say that we shouldn’t really expect much. Granted some phones out there do come with an emphasis on audio, like with front-facing stereo speakers, or using technology from Harman Kardon or Bang & Olufsen. It turns out that Samsung could be interested in similar technology as well.
According to recent reports, word on the street has it that Samsung might be turning to the use of a top-of-the-line audio chip from ESS. To be more specific, the rumors claim that Samsung could use the ESS SABRE 9018AQ2M chipset which is supposedly a chip favored by companies such as Vivo or Meizu who have put out hi-fi phones in the past.
As it stands, Samsung relies on Wolfson DACs for their mobile products, so it is unclear if going with ESS will result in an improvement since we have yet to hear an audio comparison between both technologies. However according to the specs of the ESS chipset, it seems that it won’t be a battery hog which could be one of its selling points.
It could also be that due to the supposed higher quality, Samsung could use that as a marketing point especially in today’s market where music and video streaming services are becoming more popular. In any case take it with a grain of salt for now, but how important is audio quality when it comes to your smartphone?
