The optimal solution for high resolution on your smartphone! Reason why Onkyo's SIM-free terminal is the strongest | & GP

Provided by Onkyo

Recently, “Hi-Res” has become very popular. I've read the detailed explanation, but I don't quite understand it. However, I was surprised when I actually listened to the demo at a consumer electronics store. It may be a cheap expression, but the sound is good anyway. Whether it's breadth or depth, it's different anyway. I can see why everyone would recommend this.

Once you hear this, you can never go back to the original sound. So, I thought about buying a music player for a long time, but when I started considering it, I got a little hesitant. The biggest reason is...

"I don't want to have two!"

Until now, I listened to music on my smartphone. It was just right because I always carry my smartphone with me. But if you buy a player, you'll end up carrying a smartphone and a player. Two chargers of course. That's what I'm talking about.

When I was wondering what to do, there was a rumor about a model that caught my attention. Apparently Onkyo is going to release a smartphone. If the audio maker Onkyo puts it out, the sound must be good. I'm curious about this! What's more, in the launch commemorative campaign, you can get 20 high-resolution sound sources, and you can win 200 songs by lottery. This is a great opportunity to get both the player and the sound source at once.

I want to see it in action soon. When I was thinking about such a thing, I got an opportunity to get it by chance. That is Onkyo's first smartphone "GRANBEAT DP-CMX1". When I touched it, I was pleasantly surprised.

Reason 1: Unusual texture for a smartphone

The texture is so amazing that you want to confirm once again that this is a smartphone. Like the Onkyo digital audio player "DP-X1A" that I had before at a mass retailer, I can feel the unique feel of metal in my hands, and it feels like I'm going to hear a good sound just by holding it.

The volume is also the same dial type as the player. The smooth movement feels like an audio device.

The terminal has a microUSB for charging on the bottom and two on the top. One of them is an earphone jack. I understand this. It's the one that comes with most smartphones. The other seems to be a "balanced terminal". It is a terminal for a connection method that can eliminate the left and right crossed wires that inevitably appear with a 3.5mm terminal (earphone jack). In recent years, it seems that it is a terminal that has begun to be equipped with portable audio, and it seems to be useful when you want to listen to high resolution and want to be more particular about sound. Of course, for those who already have an extraordinary commitment to sound quality, it must be an important point in choosing this.

Anyway, it looks like a high-end audio player. But when I turned it on, I found out. After all, this is a smartphone. Because, look, the screen is that of the familiar Android.

There's a Google search bar, and there's a phone icon. Moreover, the movement is slimy and crispy. Isn't this a high performance smartphone?

Reason 2: Audio function that allows you to fully enjoy high resolution

What about the audio function? I tapped the icon that looks like a play button. The player app will launch. It may not be much different from the app you used before.

Let's plug in the earphones and listen. The song is Tchaikovsky in high resolution.

Oh...

I got a little chills. That's right, this is high res. It has an atmosphere similar to the "DP-X1A" that I listened to before. Amazing...

Enjoy it for a while and play around with different apps to see what you can do. At the bottom right is a button labeled "EQ". It's probably an equalizer.

When I tapped it, it turned out to be an equalizer. But I don't know what settings to use. When I was thinking about it, it seems that there is also a setting that matches the genre in advance. This helps.

What else can you do? Oh, and it also has an “up-sampling” feature. This is a function that will make the MP3 you have now sound better.

I'm happy because I can't suddenly replace all sound sources with high-resolution. This is because I thought, "MP3 will ruin even the high functionality." If you have this, you can listen to the songs you have been steadily increasing with good sound. I want more and more.

Reason 3: It can also be used as a dedicated player

And another thing that caught my attention was the "standalone mode". It seems to be a mode where you can enjoy only the sound purely by turning off Wi-Fi, calls, data communication, and even the screen.

Put all the power of "GRANBEAT" into the sound and enjoy a better sound. This is the idea of ​​pure audio. When I actually tried it, I immediately noticed the difference. You might want to enjoy this with headphones in a quiet environment at home.

Moreover, this mode can be easily changed from the notification screen that appears when you swipe down from the top of the screen. User-friendliness is well thought out.

I'm also happy that the background of the home screen has been changed to the jacket of the song I'm listening to now. It feels like a smartphone made for listening to music.

Even with high-resolution songs, you can easily go to the sales site because you have a smartphone.

I'm worried about the amount of communication, so I think I'll download it when connected to Wi-Fi, but even songs I bought on sites such as "e-onkyo" will be displayed in the app as they are if I download them. This convenience is unique to smartphones.

Reason 4: You can keep your mobile phone bills low with a cheap SIM

No problems with calls. Because it is SIM free, you can choose your favorite communication carrier. Even cheap SIM can be used. Cell phone charges that were wasted every month. I thought that I had to reconsider it, so it might be just right.

Reason 5: Enhanced camera functions

And what surprised me was the camera performance. I thought it would be nice to be able to shoot normally, but it seems that this can also shoot 4K videos. It may have been a little surprising that it also has high performance as a smartphone.

Until now, I have replaced my smartphone with the latest model at that time at a pace of once every two years. I thought it would be nice to listen to music on my smartphone.

But recently, I heard that a cheap SIM is good, and I thought it would be a waste to pay for a mobile phone, but it's also true that I was hesitant about smartphones, which are not well known.

In the meantime, I learned about high-resolution high-quality sound. However, I don't want to carry two. After all, as usual, I was wondering if I would buy a new one after two years, but the appearance of "GRANBEAT" at the timing might be a sign of something (laughs).

But with this one, it's not only comparable to any of the latest smartphones, but it also has a texture that will attract everyone's attention. Above all, you can always enjoy good sound. I want to listen to music all the time, so I wanted to choose a smartphone by sound, so it's perfect.

"GRANBEAT" may be the optimal solution for choosing a smartphone in the high-resolution era.

Click here for special content that gives you a deeper look into the world of GRANBEAT

(Interview/text/ & GP editorial department Hidekazu Endo Photo/ Akihiko Sonoda)