We put the Samsung Galaxy S23 through our rigorous DXOMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both at recording sound using its built-in microphones, and at playing audio back through its speakers.
Overview
Key audio specifications include:
- Two speakers (1 top front under-screen, 1 bottom side)
- No jack audio output
- Dolby Atmos technology
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
audio
126
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (158)
129
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (149)
146
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
130
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
89
Asus ROG Phone 5
Best: Asus ROG Phone 5 (157)
127
Honor Magic3 Pro+
Best: Honor Magic3 Pro+ (147)
128
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (146)
109
Vivo X Fold
Best: Vivo X Fold (159)
120
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (170)
122
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (166)
Position in Global Ranking
54
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
15
th
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
Recording
Pros
- Good timbre performance overall
- Good audio zoom despite the device missing a super tele zoom
- Very good wind noise performance in life video and selfie video
Cons
- The device is very sensitive to wind in memo
- Treble sounds a bit metallic with the recorder app
- General lack of brightness in all apps used
All the models in the S23 Series are equipped with the same audio specs, and performance results were relatively similar among all three models, except for a few minor differences. For example in playback, the S23’s sound was quite bright, but it lacked some bass and low-midrange. Upper treble was a bit resonant and not particularly pleasant.
In recording, all three devices provided an excellent audio-zoom performance, but the S23 Ultra had the upper edge over the other two because of its extensive tele zoom level, which allowed the S23 Ultra to gain significant points in the timbre attribute.
Listen to the tested smartphone’s playback performance in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
Recordings of the smartphones playing some of our music tracks at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment by 2 microphones in A-B configuration, at 30 cm
Here is how the Samsung Galaxy S23 performs in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback use-cases scores
Because the Galaxy S23’s audio performance was the same in all other testing areas, we direct you to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s audio test results for the full details.
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