HiBy Digital M300 Pocketable Android Digital Audio Player review – A hi-end music player in a smartphone world

REVIEW – Remember when the Apple iPod became a thing and changed how we listen to music? As you may know, Apple no longer makes the iPod. It’s been replaced by the more practical and much more important iPhone. The iPhone—and other smartphones—can play unlimited music and perform numerous functions. Smartphones are—literally—pocket computers. Yet, despite Apple killing off the iPod, there are still many dedicated digital audio players (DAPs) available today. HiBy is a maker of many high end and expensive DAPs that rival the best home units in both audio and features. HiBy has now spun off HiBy Digital introducing the HiBy Digital M300 – Pocketable Android Digital Audio Player, a more affordable DAP. Is it any good and does it fit in a world of smartphones that also play music?

What is it?

The HiBy Digital M300 – Pocketable Android Digital Audio Player is just that. Think iPod Touch on steroids. It’s a dedicated music player built upon an Android OS. It can also use apps from the Android store—but on a smaller screen than smartphones. 

Built-in tech in the M300 includes a capable Snapdragon chip, Cirrus-Logic DAC (digital audio converter) chip, solid aluminum case, sharp 1240×480 IPS color touch screen, 32GB internal memory, 29+hours playtime, and more.

What’s included?

• HiBy Digital M300 player
• Charging cable
• Manual

Tech specs

Design and features

Let me begin the review with a confession: I am an unapologetic Apple snob—since 1988. I’ve only used Android on a few items I’ve reviewed—never on anything I’ve purchased. Our home is Apple-based, so everything just works together seamlessly. That said, I get that Apple demands total control over their domain and anyone who wants to create competing products uses Android because of its openness and Apple’s control issues. This brings us to digital audio players using an Android-based OS.

Over the last few years, DAPs have become better, smaller, and less expensive. You can now get fantastic audio from a DAP for a couple of hundred bucks that would have previously cost upwards of a thousand dollars. This presents a dilemma. 

As I’ve reviewed a few DAPs over the years, I increasingly wonder about the viability of such players in the smartphone era. Not because of the Android vs Apple war, but because other than (sometimes much) better DAC chips, there’s not much a DAP can do that a smartphone cannot. As an anecdote, I have never seen someone listening to music in public via a DAP. It’s always been a smartphone. However, I do see why someone might prefer a dedicated DAP. So this review will come from that angle.

The HiBy Digital M300 is becoming well-known in the DAP community. It’s the first product from HiBy Digital, an offshoot of HiBy Music. As I said, the M300 is Android (13) based with a (small) touchscreen that can play music stored in its 32GB internal memory and/or from an inserted micro SD card (up to 2 TB—not included).

The M300 shell is made from a block of aluminum with a glass screen. It’s a small unit, so the 1240 x 480 screen feels tiny compared to my iPhone 15 Pro max screen. However, it is Android, so it plays games, YouTube videos, and anything else the Android OS will do—albeit in a smaller footprint. The screen colors are sharp and bright. The glass screen feels great. HiBy makes an optional silicone case for the M300. I don’t have one and I’ve dropped the M300 without any noticeable marks or damage. It’s a tough little player.

The opening screen is typical Android showing whatever apps/icons the user chooses. Since the M300 is a DAP, I concentrated on the HiByMusic, Apple Music, and YouTube apps. Included on the M300 is an FM radio app whose signals seem fairly strong and solid. However, it is FM, so the audio quality is one step above satellite radio (ugh)—not great. FM only works with earphones. It will not work with the M300’s built-in speaker. It’s just as well because the built-in speaker is a joke—worse than the iPhone 15 speakers. ‘Nuff said.

Charging is by USB-C connection—USB-C to USB-A cable included. The bottom of the M300 contains the charging port, 3.5mm earphone port, and speaker. The right side houses volume, skip, and on/off buttons. There is also a Function button that can be programmed to perform limited functions. I generally ignore this button mainly because I use the M300 as a music player, nothing more. To access the main screen from sleep, the power button must be pressed. Touching the screen will not wake the screen as on most smartphones. 

The best way to listen to music in hi-res is using the HibyMusic app using wired earphones or headphones. Wired works best because, despite Bluetooth advances in audio quality (LDAC, AAC, SBC, aptX—to be added later via firmware update), Bluetooth does not broadcast true hires audio. However, I challenge most people to tell the difference. So, the bottom line is that the “Hi-Res” audio from the M300 (wired or wireless) will please almost everyone. I could notice a slight “more detailed” difference between my wired Drop+Etymotic ERX In-ear Monitors and wireless AirPods pro earphones. Again, if I wasn’t listening back-to-back, I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Notice all the contradictions in the previous paragraphs? Yeah, they are hard to miss. This is why DAPs are hard to review. Regular ‘ole smartphone audio tech is now near the quality level of higher-end digital players. 

Let’s go over the advantages of DAPs such as the Hiby M300 exhibit. As stated earlier, the M300 is Android 13-based. This has many advantages with Google Play for gaming and YouTube Music for tunes. However, the HiByMusic app is the best for playing music directly from the M300. Because it’s Android 13, Apple makes their Apple Music app available. Once I downloaded it, I had access to my complete Apple library. While nice to have Apple access, it had no audio advantages over my iPhone. In fact, the Apple iOS Music app has more features than its Android cousin. 

The HiByMusic app has a built-in 10-band graphic equalizer. EQ can be set and saved to whatever you wish. This is much preferable to pre-set EQs offered by other apps. I prefer a slight bass/vocal boost over tweaking any higher frequencies. I’m not a fan of “bright-sounding” recordings. A flat EQ setting is also a good choice—it’s the same as no EQ.

I have a test micro SD card that contains hires music files that are—at a minimum—equal to CD quality. Playing these files over the DROP wired earphones is nothing short of FUN. The clarity and musicality can be astonishing—depending on the music source, of course. For instance, the binaural recording of Amber Rubarth’s “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” is stunning. You feel like you are in the middle of the studio due to the binaural mic placement. Yes, you can get the same effect with Apple AirPods Pro’s spacial audio, but the audio quality is slightly better and more true-sounding with the M300. 

Jennifer Warnes’s iconic “Famous Blue Raincoat” an ode to Leonard Cohen’s music is one of those hires go-to albums for headphone testing. The M300 brings out the best this recording has to offer, especially “Joan of Arc”. The harmonies are note-perfect, especially when juxtaposed against Cohen’s aged, gravelly vocals creating hair-raising moments.

What I like about the HiBy Digital M300 – Pocketable Android Digital Audio Player

• Music sounds great
• Easy to carry
• Android OS
• Solid build  

What needs to be improved?

• Need to press the On button to wake

Final thoughts

The HiBy Digital M300 – Pocketable Android Digital Audio Player is a well-made and great-sounding player. It can be perfect if you want to separate your music library from your smartphone—for instance, home listening or in the car. I get that. As smartphones become increasingly sophisticated, however, I worry about the continued relevance of a dedicated DAP. I hope I’m wrong because quality audio needs all the help it can get and companies like HiBy Digital are leading the way.

Price: $179.00
Where to buy: HiBy and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by HiBy. HiBy did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.