I purchased the MOONDROP MIAD01.
3.5mm & 4.4mm jack equipped smartphone
From the audio brand MOONDROP, famous for its earphones and other products, comes the MOONDROP MIAD01.
Although it is supposed to be positioned as an audio player/Internet audio device in the MOONDROP sense and not a smartphone, it can do 5G mobile communication, VoLTE calling, and installing apps, and is no different from a regular smartphone.
Since the performance of other manufacture’s Android DAPs were too low, such as the Snapdragon 665 and 3GB memory, the MOONDROP MIAD01 is inexpensive, yet has top-class performance for a DAP, allowing you to build a comfortable music playback environment.
It is recommended for those who want to enjoy music streaming playback in comfort.
- High performance for an Android DAP
- Equipped with 3.5mm & 4.4mm jack
- Two CS43130 DACs on board
- 256GB storage, microSD card support
- Large 6.7-inch screen
- 5,000mAh battery
- 5G mobile data support
- Texture is cheap
- Noise may occur when switching songs
- Camera quality is subtle, as described by the manufacturer
- Poor GPS grab
- No Play Protect certification & Widevine L3
| MOONDROP MIAD01 (MD-PH-001) | |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 13 |
| RAM | 12GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 256GB UFS 3.1 microSD card compatible |
| SoC | MediaTek Dimensity 7050 |
| Display | 6.7inch FHD+ 2460 x 1080 Aspect ratio 20:9 120Hz refresh rate AMOLED |
| Size | 163 × 75 × 13mm |
| Weight | 204.8g |
| SIM | nano SIM + nano SIM |
| Rear camera | 64MP (Sony IMX686) + 8MP (Ultra-wide OMNIVISION OV8856) |
| Front camera | 32MP (OMNIVISION OV32B40) |
| Battery | 5,000mAh |
| USB Port | USB Type-C (USB 3.2 Gen 1) |
| Bands | GSM: B2/3/5/8 WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8 LTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28(A+B)/38/40/41/66 5G: N1/3/5/7/8/20/28/41/77/78 |
Index
- 1 3.5mm & 4.4mm jack equipped smartphone
- 2 Display: Smooth operation at 120Hz
- 3 Rear: Texture is cheap but looks good
- 4 Audio: 100 volume levels and 4.4mm balanced
- 5 Port: Enables high-speed data transfer
- 6 Performance: High performance for a DAP
- 7 OS: Other languages and Play Store are available
- 8 Conclusion
The package, with a large illustration of a anime girl, contains the instruction manual and charging cable.
The protective film is factory-applied.
Display: Smooth operation at 120Hz
The MOONDROP MIAD01 features a 6.7″ AMOLED display with 2460 x 1080 resolution.
The array is diamond pixels.
AMOLED displays on DAPs are rare, but it even supports 120Hz refresh rate.
It runs very smoothly, thanks in part to a generous 12GB of memory and a SoC that is mid-range class by 2024 standards.
The color temperature can be changed in My Tone in the settings.
When measuring brightness with LX-1336B during all-white HDR video playback with automatic brightness adjustment on, the brightness reached a maximum of 442 nits.
There does not appear to be a high brightness mode, making it a little difficult to see outdoors.
When the touch sampling rate was measured with the Touch Sample Rate Tester, the Movement Rate was around 120 Hz for both single and multi-touch.
The total touch latency measured by the WALT Latency Timer was 63.1 ms.
The delay is larger than that of a typical smartphone, but the MOONDROP MIAD01 is not originally suited for sound games since it only has mid-range class performance. You will not feel the difference except for games.
It is a Widevine L3, so it can only play SD quality in video streaming playback. It is the same as other Android DAPs.
Rear: Texture is cheap but looks good
MOONDROP MIAD01 is made entirely of plastic material, perhaps to cut costs, and looks cheap.
It has a cyber-like print, and I think it is good that the design is unique and not found in general smartphones.
The camera does not stick out and does not rattle easily when placed on a desk.
It weighs 204.8g.
The camera is really subtle, as the manufacturer itself describes it as “not good, but it works”.
Taking notes and reading QR codes will not be a problem.
Audio: 100 volume levels and 4.4mm balanced
MOONDROP MIAD01 is equipped with stereo speakers.
The best feature is that it has both 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced jack, so you can enjoy music playback without having to hang around with an external DAC.
The overall impression is soft, with vocals prominent and bass somewhat subdued.
With the 3.5mm jack, there was sometimes a small jiggle noise when switching music or unlocking the device. It is not loud and does not interfere with use.
There are two Cirrus Logic CS43130 DAC.
The volume can be adjusted in 100 steps when connected to the 3.5mm and 4.4mm jacks, and it sounds good enough at 30 or less.
YouTube
They have SRC avoidance when connecting jacks, but it seems to be a different issue than whether bit-perfect playback is possible.
When I streamed a 24-bit / 96KHz song on Amazon Music, it was 24-bit / 48KHz.
When downloaded, it will remain at 96KHz. (It is not clear if it is completely bit-perfect, as there are patterns where the final output is different even if the app is correct)
The WALT Latency Timer measured the audio output delay of the earphone jack to be 21.2 ms.
With the USB port, it seems to be still a bit larger at 38.2 ms.
When I checked the supported codecs on the Bluetooth Codec Changer, I found that only SBC, AAC, and LDAC were supported as indicated on the official website, and even if we connected earphones that support both LDAC and LHDC, we could only connect with LDAC.
While there is an entry in the developer options regarding the LHDC codec, this is just an entry in MediaTek’s OS template, not evidence that the codec is enabled.
Port: Enables high-speed data transfer
The USB Type-C port is USB 3.2 Gen 1 compliant for fast music and video file transfer.
Unfortunately, video and audio output in DisplayPort Alt Mode does not seem to be possible.
Two nano SIM or nano SIM + microSD card can be inserted, and the supported bands are
- GSM: B2/3/5/8
- WCDMA: B1/2/4/5/8
- LTE: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20/28(A+B)/38/40/41/66
- 5G: N1/3/5/7/8/20/28/41/77/78
VoLTE calling is available.
As a DAP that can be plugged into a SIM, it would be quite useful for those who often use streaming playback.
It has a 5,000mAh capacity battery with USB PD 33W charging support, which gives the impression of being less depleted when on standby.
The fact that it can be used for a relatively long time even with the power on, so it can be used immediately when you want to listen to it, is also an advantage over general DACs and DAPs because it is easier to use.
The power and volume buttons are located on the right side.
Performance: High performance for a DAP
The MOONDROP MIAD01 is equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7050, which is sufficient for everyday use.
Other companies’ DAPs, even if they are focusing on audio, have neglected basic specs such as Snapdragon 665 (announced in 2019), 3GB memory, and 2,000mAh battery, and are no longer powerful enough to run streaming playback apps.
MOONDROP MIAD01 offers middle-range class specifications by 2024 standards, and I believe it can be used comfortably for a long time.
In Geekbench 6, single-core 992 and multi-core 2561 were obtained with the package name disguised version (=not affected by manufacturer’s illegal boost), and single-core 1100 and multi-core 2636 with the normal version.
Since there is no significant difference, it seems that performance is not controlled by the package name determination.
The Wild Life Extreme Stress Test in 3DMark, which disguised the package name, had a score of 639 to 635.
As you can see from the scores, it is impossible to play heavy games comfortably.
It is sufficient for music and video playback.
PCMark Work 3.0 (package name disguised), which measures performance in everyday use such as document manipulation, scored 11172.
The score must be at least 8,000 by the 2024 standard to operate comfortably, and since the score exceeds the standard, it should be safe for a while.
It uses SK hynix H9RT1GGA65X029 with UFS 3.1 storage and LPDDR4X memory.
Compared to other Android DAPs, it’s so fast.
OS: Other languages and Play Store are available
MOONDROP MIAD01 is designed to be between the Chinese and global versions, and can be set to a language other than English or Chinese by pressing “其他” in the initial setup.
There are a few areas where the translation is wrong here and there, but not enough to cause problems in everyday use.
If you turn on Settings→Applications→Google Basic Services, the Play Store will be installed automatically.
Location history, which is not available in the general Chinese version, is also available.
The GPS seems to have a poor grip and does not respond to pressing the current location button on Google Maps, etc.
Since it is not Play Protect certified, some apps (such as banking apps) cannot be installed.
Gestures are supported in a variety of humble ways, and screen on/off is also possible with a double tap.
The notification sounds are lovely, with some 8-bit style sounds.(I uploaded them here)
The AOSP style has little extra customization and is less confusing to operate.
It is compatible with Wi-Fi 6, not with 6 GHz and link speeds of about 600 Mbps.
Although a bit slow, it is sufficient for streaming music.
Sensors such as magnetic sensors and gyroscopes are also included.
MOONDROP MIAD01 can be easily Bootloader Unlocked with the fastboot flashing unlock command.
By rooting and using Magisk module, you can also pass Play Protect certification.
I uploaded ROM dump here.
Conclusion
- High performance for an Android DAP
- Equipped with 3.5mm & 4.4mm jack
- Two CS43130 DACs on board
- 256GB storage, microSD card support
- Large 6.7-inch screen
- 5,000mAh battery
- 5G mobile data support
- Texture is cheap
- Noise may occur when switching songs
- Camera quality is subtle, as described by the manufacturer
- Poor GPS grab
- No Play Protect certification & Widevine L3
It is just the right DAP for those who want to listen to music comfortably in both indoor and outdoor.
Because it has driving power and sounds solid, the MOONDROP MIAD01 will allow those who have been listening to music by hanging an external DAC on their smartphone to enjoy it on its own.
Except for the subtle camera, the specifications are good for everyday use, and for some people, it even can be used as a main smartphone.
The MOONDROP MIAD01 is available for $399.