Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro remains atop DxOMark audio chart despite strong showing from new Apple iPhone 12

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro has retained its position as the number one device for audio quality in DxOMark’s rankings for that particular field. The site has just published its review of the Apple iPhone 12, and while the latest smartphone from Cupertino performed adequately, it was not sufficiently good enough to replace the Mi 10 Pro at the top. The iPhone 12 scored 73 points (73 for playback and 73 for recording) compared to the Xiaomi flagship on 76 points (77 playback and 71 recording).

DxOMark puts the devices through numerous audio-related tests to find out what strengths and weaknesses the smartphones exhibit in audio quality. For the Apple iPhone 12, the timbre was quite far behind the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (72 vs. 78) and spatial audio playback also lagged behind the Chinese competitor (67 vs. 77). The iPhone 12 was strong with recording timbre (84 vs. Apple iPhone SE on 85 points) and its volume was also praised.

The Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro was a bit weaker with recording but considerably stronger with audio playback. The smartphone managed the highest scores so far in the playback timbre and spatial tests, and it was commended for its overall “consistent” performance, although the maximum volume was a little lackluster compared to other high-end smartphones (70 vs. Realme X2 Pro on 79 points). Neither the Mi 10 Pro nor the iPhone 12 features a 3.5 mm audio jack, though.