LG's upcoming V20 flagship smartphone will be the industry's first handset to feature a 32-bit Quad DAC (digital to analog converter).
The South Korean electronics maker said on Thursday that it worked closely with ESS Technology on the audio upgrade. A Quad DAC, LG says, delivers a clear and crisp sound that up-samples audio saved directly on the device, music that is streamed from a third party and even audio tracks of videos.
The company further claims that the sound its Quad DAC generates is superior to that produced by a traditional DAC as it can reduce ambient noise levels by as much as 50 percent.
There is, however, one big "catch" that you'll want to be aware of. To get the full benefits out of the high-end Quad DAC, you'll need to be using compatible wired headphones. Wireless headphones, which have become quite popular as of late, apparently won't be able to reap the hardware's benefits.
LG revealed earlier this month that its upcoming device will run Android 7.0 Nougat. We also know that LG is planning on unveiling the device at a media event in San Francisco on September 6 but outside of this, not much is currently known about the device.
Given the stale nature of the smartphone industry as of late, however, I wouldn't expect anything exciting outside of the usual mild specs bump. While the aforementioned Quad DAC will be nice for audiophiles, it's not a game-changing, must-have feature for the masses.