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
4
th
4. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
149
11. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
142
15. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
140
18. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
139
18. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
139
25. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
137
32. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
134
34. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
133
46. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
130
47. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
129
50. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
128
55. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
127
55. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
127
58. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
126
63. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
125
63. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
125
63. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
125
66. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
69. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
69. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
122
72. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
121
76. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
76. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
76. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
79. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming
119
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
96. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
96. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
96. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
116
102. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
115
102. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
115
106. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
114
108. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
113
108. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (Exynos)
113
116. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
112
122. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
109
129. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
136. Lenovo Legion Phone Pro
105
136. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
105
136. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
105
145. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
102
149. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
157. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
162. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Position in Premium Ranking
3
rd
11. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
18. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
21. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
21. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
40. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
46. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
48. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
49. 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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