Oxford Dictionary 4+

[modified]pronunciations sound muffled

(added June 12, 2020)
It sounds much better. Thank you for updating!

(summary in Japanese)
これまで発音の音質が良くなかったのですが、アップデートでかなり改善されたようです。ちなみに有料版使用です。
オックスフォードということで、やはり一定の信頼感はあると個人的には思います。

—————
good, reliable English dictionary.
But word pronunciations don’t sound clear. The sounds are muffled.

デベロッパの回答 、

Hi,

Please update to the latest app version. We have a better, far more superior 12-bit sound quality now :)

Let us know if you like it and if there's something else we can do to get a perfect score from you :)

- MobiSystems Support Team -

Recommendations to improve

The dictionary is good, but there are two problems I wish app developers would address.
１. Favourites button
I wish there would be an easier way to add the word to favorites, for example, direct star button next to the word.
2. Quicker way to search next word
It is annoying that there is no quick way to search for a next word. There is a search sign and also an X sign to type in new words but both of them just lead to the word that I have typed earlier. So I have to click second time to remove it and then type a new word. You could leave a search sign for an option to edit previously typed word, and the X sign to directly remove and allow to immediately type in the new word.

Still a terrible app. Now crashes on launch.

Summary:
Most of this app is a distraction that keeps the user from their purpose: using the dictionary. There should be a way to switch between the default, bubbly social interface and a more lean, mature, and professional reference mode. The software company Monokakido makes such an interface for various dictionaries on iOS. A source as authoritative as Oxford deserves better.

Detailed comments:

Goes through fits of crashing on launch.

Bookmarks don’t sync across devices.

The paid version of this app cannot be shared using family sharing because ‘premium’ (aka the book) is an in-app purchase. Thus you must purchase a new copy of the dictionary for every family member who wishes to use it.

Instead of using a two-column design in landscape mode so we can see neighboring words it is only ever possible to view a single dictionary entry or a list of words.

The toolbar at the top of the screen changes continually while the app is being used instead of remaining static in its functionality. Bookmarking is relegated to a submenu for some bizarre reason in spite of it being a key feature of digital books.

The ‘home screen’ has about as many advertisements as usable app features even after purchase. The worst part about this home screen is that nothing is customizable by the user. It is a full-screen platform for the app developer to advertise to you. It is not a workspace for the user even though you have paid for a reference tool.

The app comes with a slow and unnecessary loading screen that displays the cover of the physical book shoehorned into the iPad’s display instead of appropriately re-drafted. It should have been re-rendered at the image level. Again, there should not even be a loading screen. iOS design uses the icon as the sole medium of introduction to any app. From the moment an app is launched it should begin to function. If a loading screen is necessary it is likely due to inefficient coding.

Update: it's still got all these issues. Nothing's changed as of iOS 13. In fact, it now crashes on launch even more often.