Audiophile Brand, Moondrop, Has Just Released A Smartphone – Talk Android

Back in 2016, the Apple iPhone 7 set a trend in the smartphone space by making us all say sayonara to the headphone jack. It took some time, but as of today, the only smartphones you may be likely to find a 3.5mm headphone jack on are the ones at the bottom of the price ladder.

So, it’s rather odd to hear of an audiophile device that won’t just bring one headphone jack into the mix, but two. Yep, Moondrop, an audio-focused company, is about to release its first smartphone, and unsurprisingly, it is going to be a dream for those who like their music to sound its very best.

The Moondrop MIAD01 Is An Audiophile’s Dream Phone

Moondrop is an audio brand out of China, best known for making IEMs and other audio products. If you’re not an audiophile, it’s fair if you haven’t heard of them before, but it should still be a bit surprising to you when a company with such a portfolio decides it wants to jump into smartphones.

Well, Moondrop has taken that plunge with the MIAD01 (which stands for Mobile Internet Audio Device 01), and it’s not too shabby for its price, especially if you’re big on the listening experience that you get with your smartphone.

The Design

In its special way, the MIAD01 looks futuristic. It opts for sharp lines and only sharp curves (where there are even curves), along with a light grey finish and text that makes it look aircraft-grade. The accented power button and volume rockers are also very noticeable.

The bottom two-thirds of the back panel is completely flat and featureless, but the body thickens suddenly in the upper third. This is where you’ll find the dual camera setup and a lot of branding text. The reason for the thicker top part is to accommodate the headphone jacks on the top edge of the phone.

The Screen

The display is a 6.7-inch FHD+ (2460 x 1080) OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It is also curved at the edges, so this phone isn’t ready to embrace the flat panel love that seems to be coming back, even for high-end smartphones.

The Hardware

The phone goes for a proper mid-range setup when it comes to its internal hardware, and that includes a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 processor paired with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a microSD card slot.

You’ll also get a well-sized 5,000 mAh battery that can be charged at up to 33W when wired. It runs on stock Android 13, has dual speakers, and NFC support.

The Audio Experience

The audio is what will likely make anyone choose this device over similar-priced options in the market, and there’s a lot to talk about here (some of which is too audiophile-focused for even me to understand).

First of all, the standout feature is the presence of not just a 3.5mm headphone jack like a few other phones in the market, but the addition of a 4.4mm balanced jack. There’s a flagship DAC in this, in particular, a quad-channel dual Cirrus Logic MasterHiFi chip with excellent dynamic range and signal-to-noise and distortion ratio. There’s also a six-layer gold-sinking audio circuitry and an LDO power supply.

With the right audio files playing and the right headphones plugged in, the music coming out of this smartphone should be better than anything else on the market, at least theoretically.

The Cameras

You shouldn’t really be here for the cameras, but you get a 64MP primary sensor paired with an 8MP camera (depth sensor? Moondrop hasn’t been specific) on the back of the phone. The selfie camera is 32MP, which isn’t too bad.

The Pricing And Availability

The Moondrop MIAD01 is going to be available internationally through select stores online, and it’s going to cost $399, which is a pretty sensible price if your music matters to you more than anything else on your phone.