Summary
- Moondrop offers affordable and high-quality in-ear monitors, now delving into the 5G smartphone market for audiophiles.
- The Moondrop MIAD01 smartphone features dual audio ports, powerful specs, balanced audio output, and high-end components.
- With a 120Hz OLED screen, impressive audio specs, and a unique design, the MIAD01 is a promising option for audiophiles.
If you’ve spent any time online investigating the niche world of audiophilia, you’ve probably come across the name Moondrop a few times. They have a reputation for great in-ear monitors that people can actually afford (headphones can be very expensive) and they offer products at every price range, from the $13 Quarks, to the $1,100 Solis. Not content to make some of the best IEMs on the market, Moondrop is trying its hand at making a 5G smartphone with a high-end audio system, purpose built for its audiophile market. And to announce its launch, it’s put out a cheeky video taking shots at both Apple and Sony.
Amps, DACs, and DAPs: High-end audio devices explained
Learn the difference between these audio devices to start building your audiophile setup
What’s in the video
The video (which is entirely in Mandarin) features a young woman walking through town. She passes a man who can’t plug his headphones into his phone. Her next encounter is with a man carrying the massive Sony DMP-Z1. Next is a woman who has lost one of her earbuds. Unphased by the struggles of her fellow audiophiles, she pulls out her trusty Moondrop MIAD01, plugs in her 4.4 mm headphones, and continues on her way to the awe of everyone around her.
Headphone jacks have become something of a relic these days — not just on Apple’s iPhones, but on Pixels and Samsung’s S series as well — so it’s refreshing to see a newcomer on the phone scene go in the opposite direction and add two audio ports to its phone. The MIAD01 (Mobile Internet Audio Device) is available globally, and if you can find one, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal at just $400. Under the hood it has an 8-core Mediatek Dimensity 7050 processor which clocks in at 2.6GHz. It also has 12GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 256GB of internal storage, expandable up to 2 TB. It’s powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging.
The audio specs seem equally impressive, starting with the balanced 4.4 mm audio output we mentioned earlier. The high-end audio components are shielded from the rest of the phone components and have their own LDO power supply which reduces the noise to the audio circuits. It also has two digital-to-analog converters, which will likely be paired to each stereo channel. And going by Moondrop’s numbers, it has a dynamic range of up to 132dB and a signal-to-noise ratio of 117dB.
As far as traditional smartphone features, the MIAD01 will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 6.7-inch, 120Hz, 1080p OLED screen, a 64-megapixel dual rear camera, and a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Of its camera setup, Moondrop says, “It’s not good, but it works.” Honestly, we appreciate the candor. It might not take good pictures, but I kind of want to play some games on it. Oh, and about that massive DAP in the video, it’s real, and you can buy one for $8,500 (if you can find it).
