Portable audio players have been extremely popular in the past, especially after Apple released the iPod that disrupted the music industry and led to its digital transformation. The next step was once again made by Apple that together with the iPhone, introduced the iPod Touch, a smart audio player that was exactly the same as iPhone minus the phone calls. The smartphone industry as we know it today practically diminished the role of standalone audio players as phones started doing that job.

Shanling M6

Nevertheless, there are still people that prefer a standalone audio player as they usually come with better audio quality and much longer battery life. Shanling M6 is one of those audio players and it was announced on September 2nd bringing high-end audio quality and Android OS allowing for more functions. Based on the success of Shanling M5s, Shanling M6 features a 4.7″ Sharp IPS HD screen and it is powered by the Snapdragon 430 octa-core SoC backed by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Also, you can expand its memory up to 2TB more via the microSD slot. The audio quality is taken care of by the Dual AK4495SEQ chip with both DACs working even in single-ended mode. Lastly, Shanling developed an all-new Music app as the stock music player.

The OS running on the M5 is based on open Android OS and allows for installation of third-party apps just like on any Android device. Also, having the SD430 means it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge™ 3.0 protocol and can be fully recharged in 2 hours. What’s more, it supports 2-way Bluetooth connection meaning that you can connect it to your wireless speaker/headphones or pair it with another phone or tablet to enjoy music, movies, Spotify, Tidal or even Youtube with top-quality sound (SBC, AAC, and LDAC codecs support).

 

Shanling M6 key specs

  • Full open Android OS, allowing installation of any third-party app
  • Customized Android, avoiding any problems and sound degradation caused by Android’s SRC
  • Newly developed Shanling Music app as a stock music player
  • Support up to 32bit / 768 kHz and DSD256
  • Octa-core Snapdragon 430 CPU
  • 4 GBRAM/32GB storage
  • Dual AK4495SEQ, with both DACs working even in Single-Ended mode
  • Both 2.5mm and 4.4 mm balanced connectors
  • 4.7″ Sharp IPS HD screen
  • 4000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0
  • Battery life up to 12 (SE) / 9 (Balanced) hours
  • Bluetooth 4.2 with support of LDAC, LHDC, aptX HD, aptX, SBC.
  • Bluetooth receiver mode supporting LDAC and SBC
  • Output power 143 mW@32ohm Single-Ended, 330 mW@32ohm Balanced
  • 135.5 x 68.5 x 17 mm, 220g

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