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Shanling M3 Ultra Digital Audio Player Review

An Android 10 digital audio player from Shanling, listed at $469 in Black or Green. The page lists two ESS ES9219C DAC chips, 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, Bluetooth 5.0, a 4.2-inch 720P screen and up to 20.5 hours of battery life.

4.0Editorial rating: 4.0 out of 5Editorial rating · research-basedUpdated November 11, 2026
$469Price checked November 12, 2026Pre-order only at Linsoul at our last check (November 12, 2026)
Check price at Linsoul

Our verdict

An Android 10 player for someone who wants two ES9219C chips, 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs, Bluetooth 5.0 and a listed 20.5 hours of battery life at $469. Look elsewhere if you need a clear output power rating, since the page writes its load as 322. The main caveat is that the battery figure and the page's sound descriptions are the maker's claims and were not checked here.

Best for
Someone who wants an Android 10 player with single-ended and balanced outputs and two DAC chips.
Skip if
You need a clear output power rating with a stated load.

Two ESS ES9219C DAC chips sit at the center of the Shanling M3 Ultra, which the page pairs with an RT6863 op amp as a dedicated headphone amplifier. It lists a Snapdragon 665 CPU with 3G RAM+32G ROM, Android 10, Bluetooth 5.0 and a 4.2-inch 720P LCD screen from Sharp. The M3 Ultra is listed at $469 in two colors, Black and Green.

Options and pricing

The page names two colors, green and black, and lists both at $469, so the choice is about finish and not price. It gives no separate specifications for either color, and both are described with the same unibody design and the same 4.2-inch screen. Nothing in the listing text says what is in the box.

How it compares

The Shanling M3 Plus costs the same $469 and its listing text mentions a CS43198 chip with SGM8262 amplifiers, while the HiBy R6 III 2025 is $399 and mentions a CS43198 chip too. The Shanling CD-S100 V25 is priced at $589. The M3 Ultra lists two ES9219C chips at $469, with Bluetooth 5.0 and up to 20.5 hours of battery life.

Shipping

  • Methods and costs. The store's shipping page offers Standard Shipping (4PX, Yanwen or Yun Express), free for most countries, and Express Shipping (DHL Express, FedEx or SF Express) at 15-50 USD depending on the country, free for orders over 270 USD in most countries (checked 2026-11-11).
  • Delivery times. It says an in-stock order ships within 3 working days, Standard takes about 2 weeks after shipping out (up to 1-3 months for some countries, and the store makes no refund for that transit time) and Express takes about 3-7 days. Festive seasons and other circumstances can change the timing.
  • Taxes and fees. The buyer pays any customs, import or processing fees. The page says Standard via YunExpress is tax-inclusive for some countries, that remote areas can carry extra Express charges, and that a parcel refused or left uncollected over taxes is deducted two-way freight and may be destroyed with no refund.
  • Where it ships. The page says the store can generally ship to most countries by Express and many by Standard, and to confirm Standard with the team for your country. It cannot ship to PO boxes or APO/FPO addresses and can only use Express to Hawaii. It does not name the US, Canada, the UK, Australia or New Zealand, so confirm before you pay.
  • Lost parcels. If a parcel has been in transit for at least 3 months, the page offers a one-time reshipment or a full refund for orders under $50 and a 50% refund for orders above $50.

Returns and warranty

  • Returns. The return page allows returning any non-customized product that is still factory sealed within 30 days of receiving it, with the buyer paying the shipping. Email [email protected] within that period; the store asks for the return to be shipped within 5 working days of the RMA instructions and in most cases processes a refund within 5 business days of inspecting it (checked 2026-11-11).
  • Opened items. A product opened within the first 7 days after delivery can be returned for the price minus a restocking fee of 35% of its retail value, including when it still works properly.
  • Refund or credit. The buyer can choose a refund to the original payment method (PayPal or card) or store credit; with no answer within 48 hours of confirmation the default is store credit, which can also be prioritized during promotions, final-sale events and for items 40% or more off retail.
  • Not returnable. Customized products, including faceplate designs, are non-refundable, and the page says the same applies to carry cases, cables, ear tips and other accessories, "due to hygiene purposes". If one item in a package is defective, incorrect or missing, the refund or replacement covers only that item.
  • Warranty. The page gives a 1-year warranty on products, excluding carry cases, ear tips and other accessories, and 3 months on cables and adapters, from the date of purchase. It covers factory defects that affect proper function, not damage from human error, negligence, accidents, dismantling, water, abuse or modification (checked 2026-11-11).
  • Not covered or limited. It does not apply to items bought elsewhere (AliExpress, Amazon, local dealers and the like), prize or giveaway items, normal wear or colour change, commercial use, or items that were stolen or went missing. Coverage is limited for products 40% or more off retail, for review units and for items repaired or modified by anyone Linsoul has not authorized.
  • Claims. Email [email protected] with the order number, the issue and photos and videos of the fault. The store may ask for the unit back for a replacement. It covers shipping for some defects reported within 7 days of delivery if the fault can be shown on video or photo; after 7 days the buyer ships it back. For wrong or missing items an unboxing video of the whole sealed parcel is required.

Before you buy

Linsoul says it was founded in 2016 by the Crazy HiFi team to bring Chinese HiFi makers closer to listeners worldwide, and that it now sells other makers' products alongside four brands of its own, THIEAUDIO, Kiwi Ears, ZiiGaat and Tripowin (checked 2026-11-11).

We have not read any independent review of this product or of the store. Ratings and owner reviews shown on the store's own pages are the store's and were not verified.

What we liked

  • The page names its chips: two ESS ES9219C DACs and an RT6863 op amp as the headphone amplifier
  • 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs are both listed
  • The page lists up to 20.5 hours of battery life and Bluetooth 5.0
  • MQA 16X decoding, DLNA, Air Play and NAS support are listed
  • Single and dual DAC modes are listed

Worth noting

  • The page writes the load for its output power figures as 322, which is unclear
  • The listing text gives no battery capacity, weight or frequency response
  • The page's sound and tuning descriptions are the maker's wording and cannot be checked here

Questions before you buy

Which DAC chips does the M3 Ultra list?

The page lists two ESS ES9219C DAC chips and an RT6863 op amp as a dedicated headphone amplifier, with single and dual DAC modes to choose from.

Which output power figures does the page write?

The page writes 140mw@322 for the single-ended output and 260mw@322 for the balanced output. The load as written, 322, is unclear, so the figures cannot be read as a rating at a known load.

What battery life and wireless features are listed?

The page lists up to 20.5 hours of battery life, Bluetooth 5.0 with a two-way connection, MIMO Wi-Fi, DLNA, Air Play and NAS support, and MQA 16X decoding. It gives no battery capacity.

Can I return it if I change my mind?

The return page allows returning a non-customized product that is still factory sealed within 30 days of receiving it, with the buyer paying shipping. An opened product returned within 7 days carries a 35% restocking fee. Refunds go to the original payment method or to store credit, which is the default if you do not choose.

How long does shipping take?

The shipping page says in-stock orders ship within 3 working days. Standard Shipping takes about 2 weeks after shipping out, up to 1-3 months for some countries, and Express takes about 3-7 days. Standard is free for most countries; Express costs 15-50 USD and is free over 270 USD (over $499.99 for large items such as headphones and desktop DAC/AMPs).

Does Linsoul ship to the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand?

The page says Linsoul can generally ship to most countries by Express and many by Standard, and to ask the team about Standard for your country. It names no restriction for the US, Canada, the UK, Australia or New Zealand, but it does not list them either, and it can only use Express to Hawaii.

What warranty does it have?

The page gives a 1-year warranty on products from the purchase date for factory defects, not for human error, accidents or modification. Coverage is limited for items 40% or more off retail and for review units, and it does not apply to items bought from other sellers.

Sources & verification

What this review is based on and the day we last read it. Specs and claims from the maker are the maker’s own; the verdict and the rating are ours.

From the store

  • Shanling M3 Ultra product page: specs, options and price (the buy buttons go there)Specs, options and the listed priceRead November 11, 2026
  • Linsoul shipping pageStandard and Express shipping, costs and times, import taxes, lost parcels, couriers, trackingRead November 11, 2026
  • Linsoul return policy and warranty page30-day returns of sealed items, 35% restocking fee on opened ones, 1-year and 3-month warranties, exclusions, how to claimRead November 11, 2026
  • Linsoul support FAQThe same shipping, return and warranty rules in question form, plus order changes and cancellationsRead November 11, 2026
  • About LinsoulFounded in 2016 by the Crazy HiFi team; names its own brands; the awards listed there are the store's own accountRead November 11, 2026

What we couldn’t verify

  • The page's claims about sound, such as adjusting audio tuning toward a house sound, and about its HiFi cloud music library are the maker's words and were not checked here.
  • Per the page, output power reads 140mw@322 single-ended and 260mw@322 balanced; the load as written is unclear.
  • The listing text gives no battery capacity, weight or frequency response, and the page gives the 20.5 hours without a playback mode.
  • We have not read an independent review of this product or the store, and the store's own ratings were not verified. We read the store's catalog description only: a specification table or image shown just on the live page was not read.
  • The shipping page names no US, Canada, UK, Australia or New Zealand times or fees: its figures are general and we could not confirm them for these countries.

Spotted an error or something out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it and update the date.

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