Heavy hitters
HTC One Max vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Audio quality
The fact that HTC One Max lacks a Beats audio label got quite a few people worried that it might not be able to match the audio output of its One sibling. As it turns out there was nothing to worry about, as the HTC phablet was easily able to take this round.
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 delivers perfectly clean output, it can't quite match its rival in two key aspects - volume levels and stereo quality with headphones on. The differences aren't too huge and probably won't matter to many of you, but they are still there.
And here go the results so you can see for yourselves.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| HTC One Max | +0.14, -0.14 | -93.8 | 93.8 | 0.0009 | 0.015 | -94.1 |
| HTC One Max (headphones attached) | +0.26, -0.02 | -93.6 | 93.6 | 0.026 | 0.080 | -80.4 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | +0.02, -0.07 | -96.5 | 92.8 | 0.0035 | 0.0099 | -96.3 |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (headphones attached) | +0.01, -0.09 | -96.2 | 92.7 | 0.017 | 0.017 | -62.1 |
HTC One Max frequency response
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 frequency response
You can learn more about the whole testing process here.
Winner: HTC One Max. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 delivers impressive audio output, but it just can't match the One Max, which is among the best audio players we have ever seen.
Loudspeaker
The HTC One Max has two loudspeakers on its front, the so-called BoomSound setup. This is great for multimedia and gaming (stereo sound and more immersive experience), but it's great for notifications too - leaving the phablet on its back allows sound to come out unhindered.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 speaker is only one, at the bottom. While it doesn't get muffled when you put the device on its back, it's still a little one-directional.
Both phablets scored a Good mark on our loudspeaker test, with almost identical results. Note that the sound from the One Max speakers is much better in terms of quality, which is important for people who listen to music or watch videos without headphones on the go.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overal score | |
| 60.1 | 58.3 | 61.6 | ||
| LG G2 | 65.7 | 62.2 | 66.2 | |
| HTC One Max | 68.5 | 67.2 | 78.0 | |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 3 | 70.5 | 66.6 | 78.0 | |
| HTC One | 69.3 | 66.6 | 75.9 | |
| HTC One mini | 68.0 | 68.7 | 78.1 | |
| Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4 | 70.6 | 66.2 | 77.3 | |
| 72.7 | 66.6 | 78.1 | ||
| 74.6 | 71.3 | 82.7 | Excellent |
Winner: HTC One Max. This was an easy one - with double the speakers and better positioning, the One Max walked to the victory here.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 speaker is good enough for notifications, but audiophiles won't enjoy its sound too much.
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