The Black Shark 4S Pro was released in mid-October 2021, with the “plus” version of the Snapdragon 888 chipset. In this short review, we compare its results in our comprehensive audio protocol tests with that of the Black Shark 4 Pro, released in March 2021.
Audio specifications include:
- Fully symmetrical dual loudspeakers (top front-firing and bottom side-firing)
- Three microphones with noise cancellation
- Headphone jack output
- Featuring DTS, AAC and Cirrus Logic components
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ 5G chipset
About DXOMARK Audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, DXOMARK engineers perform a variety of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluation under controlled lab conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our testing. Note that we evaluate both Playback and Recording using only the device’s built-in hardware and default apps. (For more details about our Playback protocol, click here; for more details about our Recording protocol, click here.)
Test summary
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Black Shark 4S Pro
149
audio
151
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (158)
143
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (149)
158
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
150
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
87
Asus ROG Phone 5
Best: Asus ROG Phone 5 (157)
137
Honor Magic3 Pro+
Best: Honor Magic3 Pro+ (147)
125
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (146)
145
Vivo X Fold
Best: Vivo X Fold (159)
110
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (170)
122
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (145)
149
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (166)
Please be aware that beyond this point, we have not modified the initial test results. While data and products remain fully comparable, you might encounter mentions and references to the previous scores.
Position in Global Ranking
5
th
5. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
149
13. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
143
14. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
142
23. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
140
28. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
139
28. Samsung Galaxy S24+ (Exynos)
139
28. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
139
28. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
139
34. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
138
50. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
134
50. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
134
54. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
133
54. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
133
54. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
54. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
133
70. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
130
72. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
129
72. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
129
76. Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
128
76. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
128
84. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
127
84. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
127
88. Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
126
88. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
126
88. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
126
95. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
125
95. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
125
95. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
125
98. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
101. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
101. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
122
105. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
121
109. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
109. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
109. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
112. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming
119
119. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
118
119. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
118
119. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
119. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
119. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
130. Motorola Edge 40 Pro
116
130. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
130. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
130. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
116
137. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
115
137. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
115
141. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
114
143. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
113
143. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (Exynos)
113
151. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
112
158. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
109
165. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
174. Lenovo Legion Phone Pro
105
174. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
105
174. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
105
181. Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro
103
185. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
102
189. Honor Magic5 Lite 5G
97
189. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
198. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
204. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Position in Premium Ranking
3
rd
13. Samsung Galaxy S24 (Exynos)
134
24. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
28. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
28. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
32. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
32. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
32. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
47. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
54. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
56. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
58. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Playback
Cons
- Slight hissing noticed on specific tracks as well as some bass distortion at loud volumes
- Some bass distortions and resonances at maximum volume
Recording
Pros
- Great timbre performance, natural tonal balance and good extensions
- Great spatial performance, very wide audio scene in landscape mode, and good localizability and distance
- Good, very natural background rendering
Cons
- Poor artifacts performance, especially in a high SPL scenario: systematic clipping severely impairs other attributes, and compression issues induce variations in loudness.
- Maximum recording level without distortion is poor compared to other tested devices.
- Middling dynamics performance, as dark tonal balance tends to increase background noise, especially in an urban scenario.
- Narrow audio scene in selfie videos
Given the identical results, we are posting only this short article on the Black Shark 4S Pro. For the full set of measurements and the complete analysis, please click on the link below and read the full review of the Black Shark 4 Pro.
Go to the audio review of the Black Shark 4 Pro.
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