OnePlus 10 Pro is the latest version of this flagship model. It has the specs you’d expect from a high-end smartphone, including the latest and fastest Snapdragon chip (the 8th Gen 1) and a 6.7 ″ display with 120Hz refresh rate. Even more elite, the cameras were made with Hasselblad (tested by our engineers and reviewed here). An important difference between this model and its competitors is the price – at around $ 899 it’s significantly less expensive than other flagships with the same kind of specs.
The brand places a particular emphasis on the playability of this model: “With ultra-precise control, low latency and immersive feedback, your competitive advantage has arrived. Enhanced by Dolby Atmos and stereo speakers, transform your games.
We subjected the OnePlus 10 Pro to our rigorous SBMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers. In this review, we’ll break down how it fared across a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Key audio specs include:
- Two loudspeakers, one on the upper front, the other on the lower side
- Dolby Atmos
- Support for noise cancellation
- Type C port
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual assessment under controlled laboratory conditions. This article highlights the most important results of our tests. Please note that we evaluate both playback and recording using only the device’s built-in hardware and default apps.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
Test summary
Reproduction
Pros
- Clear tonal balance
- Decent performance in volume and artifacts
Cons
- Latency with play / pause button
- Aggressive tone at maximum volume
- Lack of punch
- Lack of low end
Registration
Pros
- Pleasant and natural tonal balance
- Satisfactory recording volume
- Mostly free of artifacts
Cons
- Dynamic performance lower than stellar
- Irregular localizability
With an overall score of 66, the OnePlus 10 Pro is at the bottom of our database rankings among Ultra-Premium phones. The Oppo Find X5 Pro (Oppo is the parent company of OnePlus) also earned a 66, while the previous model in this line, the OnePlus 9 Pro, earned a 69.
The OnePlus 10 Pro was much more adept as a recording device, especially in capturing a satisfying and rich tone, than as a means of listening to audio content, where it produces a tone that is somewhat thin and lacking in both bass. and high-end frequency spectrum. It’s functional, but audiophiles won’t like it. With the exception of volume and artifacts, where it compares quite well with similarly priced smartphones, it was average or below average as a tool for playback.
As a recording device, the OnePlus 10 Pro scored well in the stamp attribute and was average in the other attributes. In some respects, such as the spatial attribute, its performance depended on the situation. As for localizability, the ability to locate sound sources in the stereo field, the OnePlus device worked quite well whether you were shooting indoor video or using the memo app indoors. Quiet environments produced better results. In scenarios that involved a lot of background noise outdoors, localizability was by no means great and the background was too obvious.
Explanation of secondary scores
The overall score of 66 SBMARK Audio for the OnePlus 10 Pro comes from the playback and recording scores and their respective secondary scores. In this section, we’ll take a closer look at these audio quality sub-scores and explain what they mean to the user.
Reproduction
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Timbre tests measure how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble, tonal balance, and volume dependence.
The score in the timbre attribute is among the lowest in our database for Ultra-Premium smartphones and three points lower than last year’s model, the OnePlus 9 Pro. That said, the tonal balance is clear, with a focus on high midrange and low treble. This helps with intelligibility, but it can feel harsh at times. The treble lacks high-end extension, and thus brilliance, and it also doesn’t sound very natural due to the prominence of the bass treble.
Despite a good upper bass presence, the low end is also missing, with an elusive low end extension and weak bass. Since the tonal balance doesn’t provide enough support for the low mids, it sounds a bit thin and focused on the high mids. When holding the device in portrait mode, the stamp shows even more cunning. At mellow volume, reducing the high mids and bass treble mitigates the lack of low-mid range, even if it’s still not enough. At maximum volume, the tonal balance benefits from a stronger mid-bass body, but the bass remains too weak and furthermore the highs become aggressive. This is especially noticeable when playing; special effects can sound unpleasant. Thanks to Dolby Atmos, the user can choose between some presets. We recommend using the “Film” preset, which seems to improve bass and treble power.
SBMARK dynamic tests measure how well a device reproduces the energy level of a sound source and how exactly it reproduces low frequencies.
OnePlus 10 Pro has average dynamics. The attack is quite snappy, but at maximum volume it becomes rather flattened and is weak at softer volumes. The lack of low end hampers bass accuracy, resulting in a lack of sustain in the bass envelope. At both smooth and maximum volume, the performance maintains these flaws. The 10 Pro isn’t very punchy, mainly due to its lack of mid-range power.
Secondary attributes for perceptual spatial tests include localizability, balance, distance, and breadth.
Localizability is a bit confusing, especially for sources around the center of the stereo field, which is shifted slightly to the right when held in landscape mode. The stereo scene is not very wide compared to other devices of the same size and the unbalanced balance accentuates this impediment. Distance rendition is quite good, but the main elements can sound as though they are coming from the wrong distance from the reference due to inadequate low-mid range and emphasis on the high mid-range. It’s worth noting: the stereo scene doesn’t rotate horizontally inverted when using the main music app.
Volume tests measure both the overall volume a device is capable of reproducing and how smoothly the volume increases and decreases based on user input.
The maximum volume volume compares well with other devices, both perceptually and objectively. At minimum volume, intelligibility is not perfect but remains intelligible. The consistency of the volume steps is good.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured while playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| 73.9 dB | 70.8 dBA | |
| OnePlus 9 Pro | 75.5 dBA | 72.4 dBA |
| Long live iQOO 9 Pro | 73.1 dB | 73.7 dBA |
Artifact tests measure the amount of distorted source audio when playing through a device’s speakers. Distortion can occur due to both the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
In daily use, the OnePlus 10 Pro produces few artifacts, but our tests using synthetic signal reproduction revealed strong distortion and aliasing. More refined ears may notice a slight pump at maximum volume and a slight distortion. The most frustrating problem in this attribute is the play / pause button, which acts with unfortunate latency, prompting the user to hit play twice in frustration and then unintentionally stopping. This is also accompanied by an occasional click, or transient burst, when the play button is pressed.
Registration
OnePlus 10 Pro offers better performance as a recording device and also shines in the recording stamp attribute. It comes close to rivaling its predecessor, the 9 Pro, which earned an 83 in this attribute. Recordings made by the 10 Pro show a very natural and open tonal balance. Treble sounds clear and natural, with no harshness or resonance, despite the lack of high-end extension.
The mid-range is also very clean, with a sense of fullness, thanks to a slight increase in the low-mid range that doesn’t detract from clarity. This low-mid-range boost to around 500Hz can be a bit confusing in some cases, but vocal content is generally very well rendered. When recording at high SPL, the quality suffers. Tonal balance is relatively satisfying but somewhat resonant. A sharp boost to around 1kHz hinders the clarity of the upper mid-range, and the low-mid range is a bit fuzzy. The highs aren’t very bright and the lows can be quite boomy despite the lack of low-end extension.
OnePlus 10 Pro did not excel in dynamics. Due to a rounded attack, the envelope rendering is inaccurate. This was especially noticeable in urban use cases, where there is a lot of background noise. In these cases, the transients seem dull and dependent on the background content. This is less of a problem when recording indoors in a quieter environment. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is below average; background noises are very noticeable and sometimes even intrusive, although voice-based content still manages to find its way into all of our use cases. When recording loud content such as concerts, the sound is very compressed, making the sustain of the envelope much exaggerated compared to the rounded attack.
The spatial attribute is a mixed bag for the OnePlus device. The sound of selfies and life video recordings made outdoors show blurry localizability. In quieter indoor environments, the 10 Pro offers better performance. When using the memo app, the device produces good localizability. Amplitude is good when recording landscape videos and when using the memo app.
When recording portrait-oriented video, however, the amplitude, while still noticeable, is much narrower. The rendering distance of recorded voices appears to be correct in indoor scenarios, but voices sound slightly too distant in outdoor conditions due to the overly prominent background level.
The volume of the recording is satisfactory. Objective measurements, however, show a significant amount of high-level distortion.
Here are the results of our tests, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Encounter | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| -20.7 LUFS | -17.8 LUFS | -16.6 LUFS | -15.7 LUFS | |
| OnePlus 9 Pro | -23.5 LUFS | -22 LUFS | -24.7 LUFS | -15.1 LUFS |
| Long live iQOO 9 Pro | -24.8 LUFS | -20.7 LUFS | -20 LUFS | -20.7 LUFS |
The OnePlus 10 Pro is mostly free of artifacts, except in high SPL recordings where it shows some signs of distortion and compression, as well as a slight resonance at 1kHz.
You can check for artifacts yourself in this sample recording:
OnePlus 10 Pro offers a very clean and natural background rendering in its recordings.
Conclusion
OnePlus 10 Pro is functional when playing – the voice content is intelligible and clear. Dolby Atmos programming allows users to choose presets which can change and even improve the sound quality. But for audiophiles it’s bound to be a little underwhelming, even considering the price tag which is lower than many other flagship smartphones. On the other hand, this smartphone has the ability to produce satisfying recordings under the right conditions.
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