We put the Samsung Galaxy S23 through our rigorous DXOMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both at recording sound using its built-in microphones, and at playing audio back through its speakers.
Overview
Key audio specifications include:
- Two speakers (1 top front under-screen, 1 bottom side)
- No jack audio output
- Dolby Atmos technology
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
audio
126
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (158)
129
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (149)
146
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
130
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
89
Asus ROG Phone 5
Best: Asus ROG Phone 5 (157)
127
Honor Magic3 Pro+
Best: Honor Magic3 Pro+ (147)
128
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (146)
109
Vivo X Fold
Best: Vivo X Fold (159)
120
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (170)
122
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (166)
Position in Global Ranking

34
th
4. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
149
11. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
142
15. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
140
18. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
139
18. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
139
25. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
137
32. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
134
34. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
133
46. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
130
47. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
129
50. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
128
55. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
127
55. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
127
58. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
126
63. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
125
63. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
125
63. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
125
66. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
69. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
69. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
122
72. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
121
76. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
76. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
76. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
79. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming
119
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
85. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
96. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
96. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
96. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
116
102. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
115
102. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
115
106. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
114
108. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
113
108. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (Exynos)
113
116. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
112
122. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
109
129. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
136. Lenovo Legion Phone Pro
105
136. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
105
136. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
105
145. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
102
149. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
157. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
162. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Position in Premium Ranking

11
th
11. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
18. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
21. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
21. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
25. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
40. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
46. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
48. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
49. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Playback
Pros
- Timbre performance stable at all volumes
- Good dynamics performance
- Good wideness for its size
Cons
- Excessive treble boost
- Volume steps consistency needs fine-tuning
- Artifacts performance is a bit average
Recording
Pros
- Good timbre performance overall
- Good audio zoom despite the device missing a super tele zoom
- Very good wind noise performance in life video and selfie video
Cons
- The device is very sensitive to wind in memo
- Treble sounds a bit metallic with the recorder app
- General lack of brightness in all apps used
All the models in the S23 Series are equipped with the same audio specs, and performance results were relatively similar among all three models, except for a few minor differences. For example in playback, the S23’s sound was quite bright, but it lacked some bass and low-midrange. Upper treble was a bit resonant and not particularly pleasant.
In recording, all three devices provided an excellent audio-zoom performance, but the S23 Ultra had the upper edge over the other two because of its extensive tele zoom level, which allowed the S23 Ultra to gain significant points in the timbre attribute.
Listen to the tested smartphone’s playback performance in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
Recordings of the smartphones playing some of our music tracks at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment by 2 microphones in A-B configuration, at 30 cm
Here is how the Samsung Galaxy S23 performs in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback use-cases scores
Because the Galaxy S23’s audio performance was the same in all other testing areas, we direct you to the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s audio test results for the full details.
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