no idea what you mean by "record" in this context. the microphone recording is smartphone quality lol. the lg v20 was WAY superior in that regard with hi def 24/96 recording capabilities in flac direct. if you mean the default playback quality, in non-exclusive usb output mode it is limited to 24/96 output via the android audio subsystem. quite shitty really, but HiBy is fantastic for that purpose. the a1's builtin amp is decent but i was VERY bored. with the xd-05 stacking up, i can happily sing my way through a one hour traffic jam because of how much fun the music is again