We subjected the Vivo X90 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 analyze how it performed in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Two speakers (front top, side bottom)
- No audio jack output
Reproduction
Pros
- Good spatial performance
- Good dynamic performance
Against
- Distortion and compression at maximum volume
- Harsh, aggressive tonal balance at maximum volume
- High mid-centric tonal balance
Registration
Pros
- Good spatial performance
- Relatively free of unwanted artifacts
Against
- Slight distortion in recordings
In our SBMARK Audio tests, the Vivo X90 Pro+ delivered a decent performance, especially in the Recording category. The built-in speakers worked well overall and the microphones were able to record clean sound with nice deep bass and offered great audio zoom and wind noise reduction features.
In playback, the Vivo delivered the best results for gaming, but it was also a decent phone for listening to music or watching movies. It delivered good overall performance in the spatial and dynamic categories, but our testers found the tonal balance to be too midrange-focused, as well as harsh and aggressive at maximum volume. With the volume level cranked up, distortion and compression were also noticeable. In recording, the device delivered a very balanced performance across all use cases. Our testers were particularly impressed with the good spatial performance and lack of unwanted audio artifacts. Sometimes only a slight distortion may be noticed.
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.
The X90 Pro+ delivered a decent performance as an audio playback device. Tonal performance was only average, however, with a fairly midrange-focused tonal balance that lacked significant low-end and high-end extension. Dynamic performance was good, with fairly good bass accuracy, proper punch, and fairly sharp attack. Dynamics were consistent across all volume levels. Spatial performance was also good despite a slightly off-center balance. Sound sources were easy to spot in large audio scenes, and the sensation of depth was satisfying. However, voices were heard a little too far away.
Volume performance was decent. Minimum volume was too low, making it difficult to hear voices and other audio content, but maximum volume was loud enough, despite some distortion. Our testers also noted some compression at maximum volume.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
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 Vivo X90 Pro+ 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 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 | |
| Vivo X90Pro+ | 73.8 dBA | 72.2 dBA |
| Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) | 72.5 dBA | 73.3 dBA |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | 74 dBA | 71.1 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.
The Vivo performed very well as a recording device, featuring a full, warm timbre with natural tonal balance, even at high sound pressure levels, such as when recording concerts. In terms of dynamics, the device provided a realistic envelope and an excellent signal-to-nose ratio, resulting in clear and intelligible speech content. When using the main camera, the recordings allowed for easy locating of sound sources across the large scene, and distances were rendered correctly, resulting in a good overall spatial performance.
The volume in the recording was great in all use cases and unwanted audio artifacts were very well under control, with just a little bit of compression and distortion, making the Vivo a great option for recording loud content. The underlying tonal balance was natural and didn’t hinder the main signal.
Here’s how the Vivo X90 Pro+ 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 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:
| Encounter | Videos life | Selfie videos | Memorandum | |
| Vivo X90Pro+ | -26.3 LUFS | -22 LUFS | -20.6 LUFS | -22.1 LUFS |
| Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon) | -24.8 LUFS | -19.4 LUFS | -21 LUFS | -20.3 LUFS |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | -26 LUFS | -22.9 LUFS | -19.2 LUFS | -19.6 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) {
[“Vivo X90 Pro+”]=> string(62) “resources/Vivo/X90Pro+V2.1/VivoX90Pro+_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)”]=> string(73) “resources/Vivo/X90Pro+V2.1/VivoX80Pro(Snapdragon)_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max”]=> string(70) “resources/Vivo/X90Pro+V2.1/AppleiPhone14ProMax_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.
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