Tech review: Onkyo Granbeat DP-CMX1 smartphone – awesome for audiophiles, but comes up short for regular users
If you know what FLAC stands for and shudder when you see others listening to music via YouTube, Onyko’s new phone could be just for you – otherwise, an underpowered processor and ageing OS will likely put you off
With a new smartphone seemingly hitting the market every other week, what chance does a company have if it lacks the brand cachet of an Apple or the deep pockets of Chinese corporations such as Huawei and Oppo?
One logical way to tackle this problem is to go after the niche market, and that’s exactly what Japanese audio-product maker Onkyo has done with the Granbeat DP-CMX1 – a device built with a long list of features that will have audiophiles drooling but leave average Joes scratching their heads.
Design and hardware
The first thing you notice when picking up the Granbeat is its size and heft. At 11.9mm thick and weighing 234g, together with a boxy design that doesn’t even bother to hide the sharp corners, the handset feels like a brick – albeit one finely crafted from cool aluminium.
Every bit of that thickness is needed, because the Granbeat seemingly comes with two of everything: two DACs (digital-to-analogue converters), two amplifiers and two headphone jacks – a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and a “balanced” 2.5mm jack.
The latter is a staple of audiophiles, using two amps in unison to pump out a deeper, fuller sound.