We put the Apple iPhone 15 Pro 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.
In this review, we will break down how it fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specifications include:
- Two speakers: top-center, bottom right
- No Jack audio output
- Dolby Atmos technology
- Spatial Audio playback
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro
142
audio
140
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (158)
139
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (149)
147
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
141
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (162)
91
Asus ROG Phone 5
Best: Asus ROG Phone 5 (157)
137
Honor Magic3 Pro+
Best: Honor Magic3 Pro+ (147)
121
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (146)
110
Vivo X Fold
Best: Vivo X Fold (159)
140
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (170)
152
Black Shark 5 Pro
Best: Black Shark 5 Pro (166)
Position in Global Ranking

14
th
5. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
149
13. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
143
14. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
142
23. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
140
28. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
139
28. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
139
32. Samsung Galaxy S23 FE
138
38. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
137
48. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
134
51. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
133
51. Samsung Galaxy S23 (Snapdragon)
133
51. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
133
51. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
51. Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
133
67. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
130
69. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
129
69. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
129
73. Realme GT Neo 5 (240W)
128
73. Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
128
81. Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
127
81. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
127
85. Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
126
85. Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
126
85. Samsung Galaxy A34 5G
126
92. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
125
92. Samsung Galaxy A33 5G
125
92. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
125
95. Lenovo Legion Phone 2 Pro
124
98. Apple iPhone SE (2022)
122
98. Apple iPhone SE (2020)
122
102. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
121
106. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
106. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Snapdragon)
120
106. Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos)
120
109. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Gaming
119
116. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
118
116. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
118
116. Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (Snapdragon)
118
116. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Snapdragon)
118
116. Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (Exynos)
118
127. Motorola Edge 40 Pro
116
127. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
127. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
127. Xiaomi Redmi K40 Pro+
116
134. Motorola Edge 30 Pro
115
134. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
115
138. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
114
140. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
113
140. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (Exynos)
113
148. Nubia RedMagic 6 Pro
112
155. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
109
162. Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
108
171. Lenovo Legion Phone Pro
105
171. Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro
105
171. Samsung Galaxy A23 5G
105
178. Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro
103
182. Motorola Edge 20 Pro
102
186. Honor Magic5 Lite 5G
97
186. Xiaomi Mi CC9 Pro Premium Edition
97
195. Vivo X70 Pro (MediaTek)
93
201. Vivo X60 Pro 5G (Snapdragon)
86
Position in Ultra-Premium Ranking

9
th
3. Asus Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders
149
8. Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
143
9. Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
142
16. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
140
19. Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max
139
19. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon)
139
26. Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus (Snapdragon)
137
32. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
134
34. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Snapdragon)
133
34. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (Exynos)
133
45. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
130
47. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
129
47. Vivo X80 Pro (Snapdragon)
129
54. Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
126
55. Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
125
55. Vivo X80 Pro (MediaTek)
125
57. Samsung Galaxy S22+ (Exynos)
121
61. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G
120
65. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
118
65. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
118
69. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
69. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Exynos)
116
73. Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Snapdragon)
115
74. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G
114
75. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (Exynos)
113
75. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (Exynos)
113
82. Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
109
87. Lenovo Legion Phone Pro
105
Playback
Pros
- Good performance in all attributes, with a great consistency across them
- Great timbre performance overall, enriched by a deep low-end extension
- Great dynamics performance overall
- Very good spatial performance
Recording
Pros
- Good timbre performance overall
- Good performance when recording loud content such as concerts
- Good dynamics performance
- Good handling of artifacts overall. Wind noise reduction needs some fine-tuning but it works decently
Cons
- Midrange rendition is too dependent on the use case, and can sound either canny or nasal depending on the app and use case
- SNR could be greater, as main vocal content is often a bit masked by the ambient noise
- Poor audio zoom performance
The differences between the iPhone models when it comes to audio playback and recording have usually been minimal. The same holds true now with the release of the iPhone 15 series.
Although the iPhone 15 Pro is smaller in size than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it shares many of the same hardware specs, including the A17 Bionic chipset.
Given the similarities between the models, it’s no surprise that the iPhone 15 Pro’s overall audio score was very close to the 15 Pro Max’s score. We direct you to the full audio test results of the iPhone 15 Pro Max for all the details concerning the 15 Pro’s performance.
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