We subjected the Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) 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.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Two speakers (top front and bottom)
- No audio jack output
Reproduction
Pros
- Fairly good tone and dynamics
- Strong presence of bass, with a pleasant color
- Fairly well-controlled artifacts
versus
- Lack of freshness and brightness in the tonal balance
- Overwhelming attack
- Inconsistent dynamics between use cases
Registration
Pros
- Natural sounding tonal balance
- Good wind noise performance
- The signal-to-noise ratio and intelligibility of the recordings are good
- High sound pressure levels are handled well
versus
- Slight lack of low-end extension, dull highs
- Poor audio zoom
- Subject to occlusions
With a SBMARK Audio score of 129, the Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) occupies a mid-table position in the segment rankings. The phone offers decent tone and dynamics, as well as a strong bass presence, making it a good option for listening to music and gaming. The user experience is not far off even when watching movies. Also, the device controls sound artifacts quite well in Playback. On the downside, tonal balance might need a little more sharpness and brightness, and the attack is softened by processing. In general, Dynamics performance varies somewhat between use cases.
For recording, the X80 Pro performs at a very similar level in all use cases, making it a decent all-rounder for recording purposes. The tonal balance sounds natural and the wind noise reduction does a decent job. A good signal-to-noise ratio ensures good intelligibility of content and the built-in microphone copes well with high sound pressure levels. Areas with potential for improvement include a slight lack of low-end extension, dull treble, and poorly performing audio zoom. Accidentally covering the microphone with your hands while recording will also make your audio file virtually useless.
Test 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 assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in 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, whose performance is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
The Vivo X80 Pro offers a satisfying tone with good overall clarity, but lacks sharpness and brightness. Tonal balance is quite good, with satisfying bass and support for mid-bass on almost all volume levels. Our testers noted dynamic compression and processing in the Vivo’s audio output, but the overall Dynamics results are good, with decent bass accuracy and good punch at all volumes. Attack is ok too, but it sounds somewhat softened by processing.
In the Space category the X80 Pro has average performance. The stereo is mostly centered but given the overall size of the phone the width could be better. A lack of clarity means that the distance rendering could be better and while the sound sources are fairly easy to spot in the scene, the positioning isn’t very accurate. The minimum volume of the device is adequate, low but not too low, but the maximum volume is held back by dynamic processing and the consistency between the volume levels could be better. The X80 Pro performs quite well in terms of artifacts. Our testers didn’t notice much distortion or loud pumping, but dynamic processing can involve compression or volume jumps at any volume level.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
Recordings of smartphones that play some of our music at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment from 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) 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, midrange, treble, tonal balance and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Music playback frequency response
A 1/12 octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency emitted by the smartphone when playing 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 the precision with which a bass note or the impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how the volume gradually increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured when playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) | 72.5 dBA | 73.3 dBA |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | 72.5 dBA | 72.1 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | 74.1 dB | 70.2 dBA |
The graph below shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume levels match user expectations:
Music volume texture
This line graph shows the relative playback volume versus the user-selected volume step, measured at different volume levels with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded on axis at 0.20 meters.
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Total harmonic distortion reproduction (maximum volume)
This graph shows the total harmonic distortion and noise in the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device reproducing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40 cm) at the maximum volume of the device.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test the recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are performed in our labs and in real-life conditions, using apps and predefined settings.
Rubber stamp
The X80 Pro (Snapdragon) has overall slightly better performance as a recording device than as a playback device. The tone is solid, with a natural tonal balance, consistent lows and clear mids. However, the highs can sound a bit dull. The intelligibility of the recorded content is excellent, thanks to a well-rendered dynamics with a good signal-to-noise ratio and an accurate envelope and precise attack, even at high sound pressure levels.
The Vivo performs well for spatial attributes but leaves some room for improvement. The breadth allows for engaging content to be recorded but isn’t quite on par with best-in-class. The distance rendition is quite good, but it is a little difficult to pinpoint the exact position of the sound sources in the scene. Volume is great in all use cases and apps, and the built-in microphone handles high SPLs very well, making Vivo a good option for recording loud events, such as concerts. However, the audio zoom feature leaves some room for improvement. Volume consistency is poor, with a noticeable increase in volume when zooming in.
In terms of sound artifacts, our testers noted slight compression on the loudest parts and slight pumping in the noisy sections while recording the main camera video. You can also accidentally cover the microphone with your hands, which can make the recording unusable. Wind noise reduction works very well, maintaining great intelligibility even in strong winds. Thanks to a natural tonal balance, the background sounds natural. It is also virtually free of artifacts.
Here’s how the Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) fares in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Record of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Life video frequency response
A 1 / 12th octave frequency response graph, which measures the volume of each frequency captured by the smartphone when 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 the explosives of a voice (p, tek, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the main voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include locating the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directivity of registration
Smartphone directivity graph when 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 the 0 ° angle, in front of the device.)
The volume score represents the normalization level of the audio on the recorded files and how the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, during recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Match | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) | -24.8 LUFS | -19.4 LUFS | -21 LUFS | -20.3 LUFS |
| Oppo Reno8 Pro 5G | -23.2 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -18.9 LUFS | -17.8 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos) | -28.8 LUFS | -21.7 LUFS | -21.2 LUFS | -23.9 LUFS |
The Artifacts Score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortions can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the microphones, as well as user handling, such as the way 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 light background noise, facing a turbulent wind of 5 m / s
Background evaluates how naturally the various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background should not interfere with the main voice, but should provide context for the surrounding environment.
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