Music Lovers Will Embrace LG’s V20, The First Smartphone to Feature Quad-DAC for Optimal Sound

Apple’s upcoming iPhone 7 may have done away with traditional headphones, but LG appears to be taking a markedly divergent tack — doubling down on delivering higher quality audio through the 3.5mm audiojack.

The Verge reports that LG’s newest flagship phone, the V20, will feature four digital-to-audio converters, making it the first phone with Quad-DAC. The four 32-bit Hi-Fi DACs, which LG has collaborated once again with ESS to engineer, ought to result in noticeably enhanced and refined sound much to the delight of audiophiles and amateurs alike. One thing to keep in mind that you won’t be able to enjoy the benefits of Quad-DAC powered audio through wireless headphones, only wired ones.

The Quad-DAC solution that ESS and LG have come up is innovative in that it is adapted to mobile use. It features a low-power mode that turns off three DACs when the phone is playing low-quality music or using low-quality headphones, according to The Verge.

This heightened focus on delivering quality audio is a canny move on LG’s part as it seeks to differentiate itself from the pack. It’s also LG’s way of acknowledging that smartphones have become a central medium of content consumption and that audio quality must be improved accordingly. “Higher quality audio is simply the natural evolution of the smartphone, as the industry moves toward a more holistic multimedia consumption experience,” said Juno Cho, president of LG Electronics and Mobile Communications Company, according to Android Central.

LG is planning on showcasing the V20 on September 6 in San Francisco.