We subjected the Oppo Find X6 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 speakers (top side, bottom side)
- No audio output Jack
Reproduction
Pros
- Decent timbre, thanks to the solid midrange
- Good volume
Against
- Muffled tonal balance in all use cases
- Unbalanced, right-leaning stereo in landscape orientation
Registration
Pros
- Pleasant and natural recordings
- Good volume performance
- Artifacts well under control
Against
- Lack of brightness in the recordings
- Slightly disappointing when recording loud events, like concerts
In the SBMARK audio test, our experts found the Oppo Find X6 to be a good device for both audio playback and recording. Overall performance was very similar to the Find X6 Pro. Results were slightly better when recording sound and slightly lower when playing back. As a playback device, the Find X6 performed best when watching movies and playing games, but the results were nearly as good for listening to music content. Recordings were best with the main camera and memo app, but the front camera results weren’t far off.
The device provided a pleasant tint and loud sound, both when playing audio through the built-in speakers and when recording audio. However, our experts also found the device to sound slightly dull in both playback and recording. They also noted the bass distortion with the built-in speakers.
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.
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 Oppo Find X6 fares 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 dependence. 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 | |
| Oppo Find X6 | 74.1 dBA | 72.3 dBA |
| Oppo Find X6 Pro | 74.5 dBA | 72.4 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon) | 73.9 dBA | 69.1 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.
Here’s how the Oppo Find X6 fares 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 loud 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:
| Encounter | Videos life | Selfie videos | Memorandum | |
| Oppo Find X6 | -25.7 LUFS | -21.1 LUFS | -19.5 LUFS | -19.7 LUFS |
| Oppo Find X6 Pro | -25.7 LUFS | -20.6 LUFS | -18.7 LUFS | -18.5 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon) | -26.5 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -22.4 LUFS | -21.6 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:
matrix(3) {
[“Oppo Find X6”]=> string(60) “resources/Oppo/FindX6V2.1/OppoFindX6_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Oppo Find X6 Pro”]=> string(63) “resources/Oppo/FindX6V2.1/OppoFindX6Pro_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Samsung Galaxy S23”]=> string(66) “resources/Oppo/FindX6V2.1/SamsungGalaxyS23_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a” }
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.
Start a new Thread