We subjected the OnePlus 10T 5G 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 analyze how it performed in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Two stereo speakers
- No audio jack output
- Noise cancellation
Reproduction
Pros
- Free of artifacts
- Decent dynamic performance
- Good volume performance
Versus
- Midrange-focused tonal balance and overall poor timbre
- The lack of low-end extension compromises bass accuracy and tonal balance
Registration
Pros
- Good tonal balance in most recordings
- Overall good intelligibility of the recorded speech content
- Good wind noise reduction
Versus
- Inconsistent recording quality; better for main camera videos than selfie videos and memo recording
- Memo recordings in mono
In our SBMARK audio tests, the OnePlus 10T 5G proved to be a good device for audio recording, especially thanks to the excellent intelligibility of voice content, even when recording in strong winds. Overall, the recording quality could have been more consistent, however, with the main camera performing noticeably better than the front camera or memo apps.
In playback, the phone delivered a decent dynamic performance, and the sound was virtually free of artifacts. However, the lack of low-end and high-end extension resulted in a dull sonority. Overall, there are better options for audio playback in the 10T 5G’s price range.
Trial summary
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 evaluation under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our playback protocol, click here; for more details on our recording protocol, click here.)
The following section compiles the key elements of our extensive testing and analysis performed in the SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, the performance of which is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and preset settings.
In playback tests, the OnePlus 10T 5G delivered average tonal performance with no major flaws, but the midrange-focused tonal balance lacked bass and top-end extension. The dynamic performances have been decent overall, thanks to a fairly precise attack that has allowed an accurate restitution of the transients. However, the clarity, bass accuracy, and punch left some room for improvement.
The sound stage was narrow and the imprecise localizability made it difficult to locate individual elements in the audio field, resulting in overall poor spatial performance during playback. Distance and depth rendering were also imprecise, but the balance was good, with centered elements feeling center stage.
The OnePlus did well for volume, thanks to good content intelligibility at the minimum volume setting and good volume at maximum. Surprisingly, the audio playback of the 10T 5G was also free from any kind of unwanted audio artifacts.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Recordings of smartphones playing some of our songs at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment via 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the OnePlus 10T 5G fared in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, tonal balance, and volume dependency. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Frequency response of music reproduction
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency emitted by your smartphone as it reproduces a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately a bass note or impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include pinpointing the location of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance, and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how smoothly the volume increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPL) measured while playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| hip-hop | Classic | |
| One Plus 10T 5G | 76.4 dBA | 73 dBA |
| Xiaomi 12T Pro | 74.1 dBA | 69.8 dBA |
| Apple iPhone 14 | 74.8 dBA | 71.9 dBA |
The following graph shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume steps match user expectations:
Music volume consistency
This line graph shows the relative loudness of the playback versus the user selected volume step, measured at several volume steps with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded 0.20 meter on axis.
The artifact score measures the extent to which the sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Playback Total Harmonic Distortion (maximum volume)
This graph shows total harmonic distortion and noise over the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device playing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40cm) at the device’s maximum volume.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are made in our laboratories and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
The OnePlus 10T 5G performed better as a recording device than a payback. That said, tonal performance varied a lot depending on the use case. The highs were clean and open in recordings from the main camera, but recordings sounded much more muffled with the memo app. When recording concerts or other loud content, too much high-mid range resulted in a slight punchiness.
Dynamics were average for recording with both the main and front cameras, but the background was slightly too noisy in recordings with the memo app. In recordings from the main camera, individual sound sources were easy to spot and the distance rendering was correct. The sound stage could have been wider, however, and was further reduced when recording in portrait orientation with the front facing camera. Memo recordings are in mono by default.
Volume was great for both main and front camera recordings, but dropped noticeably with the memo app. In terms of artifacts, some distortion was noticeable with sudden loud noises and at high sound pressure levels. Overall though, with the vocal content at a nominal volume level, the recordings were clean enough. The same was true for the background which also had a good tonal balance.
Here’s how the OnePlus 10T 5G fared in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Use case scoring
The Timbre Score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Video frequency response of life
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency captured by your smartphone while recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately plosives in a voice (p, t, k, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the lead voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include locating a specific sound’s location, positional balance, distance, and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directness of registration
Smartphone directivity graph while recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to 0° angle, in front of the device.)
The loudness score represents how loud audio is normalized on recorded files and how well the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, while recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); for reference, we expect volume levels to be above -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Match | Videos life | Selfie videos | Memorandum | |
| One Plus 10T 5G | -25.5 LUFS | -17.9 LUFS | -16.4 LUFS | -18.7 LUFS |
| Xiaomi 12T Pro | -30.3 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -20.2 LUFS | -25.3 LUFS |
| Apple iPhone 14 | -23.8 LUFS | -22.5 LUFS | -20.5 LUFS | -18.7 LUFS |
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortions can occur due to in-device sound processing and microphone quality, as well as user handling, such as how the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
Recordings of a voice sample with slight background noise, facing a 5 m/s turbulent wind
Background evaluates how smoothly various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background shouldn’t interfere with the main vocal, but should provide context of your surroundings.
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