If you are looking for a compact, Bluetooth portable speakers that you can sneak into your handbag and one that offers decent sound quality, your search might lead you to Logitech mini boombox. Don’t get mislead by the size of the speaker, it does pack a punch and neat features.
Design and build quality
So how big is the mini boombox? This big.
The picture says it all. Measuring 2.3 by 2.8 by 4.6-inches the tiny curved rectangle small box is easy to throw into your small handbags and measuring just 219 grams marginally heavier than your smartphone, it won’t weight you down also.
Sitting behind the small front grille is two speaker drivers for stereo audio.. The sides are flanked by rubber material which also aids in the durability during occasional falls and bumps. To add dash of color to the mini boombox, you also get a red and white options instead of the black side panel you see in our review device.
Bottom of Logitech mini boombox also gets two small rubber footings for a bit of protection and cushioning as well as for friction support.
The black top is a capacitive screen with red, under lit capacitive touch controls for Track Forward and Backward, Play/Pause, Volume Up and Down,and Bluetooth and Phone Answering. Yes, the speaker also has phone answering mode, we will talk about it features section a little down.
The top panel is only connected to the rest of the speaker only in the front thereby opening a tiny space below that acts as the vent for bass.
The back panel lists the power On/off switch, micro USB connection and a 3.5 mm aux input.
Controls and Features
It’s a Bluetooth speaker alright but what if you get a phone call when you have paired your phone with the mini boombox? Don’t scramble around. The top capacitive panel also has controls for phone answering.
The mini Boombox has a tiny microphone pinhole on the left side that acts as a speakerphone and the calls can be answered and ended by pressing the on-screen call buttons.
Bluetooth pairing is simple and as fast as Ussain bolt on track. What if you have a gadget without Bluetooth support that you need to hookup with the speaker? The 3.5mm auxiliary input comes handy.
If there is anything that annoyed me a bit is the the mini-USB charge port. These days with micro-USB being the norm for all phones, had Logitech gone ahead with microUSB port it would have spared us from carrying the second cable around.
Battery life and power indicators
Logitech has packed inside a rechargeable NiMH battery and the company claims up to 10 hours on a single charge. Pretty decent stuff here, that will keep your party going on till you drop. We talk more on the battery life in the performance section below. A full charge takes around 4 hours.
Power indicators:
While charging the light indicator on the front panel, blinks blue.
When fully charged, it turns blue
A red light comes on to indicate a low battery
It flashes red, when the battery is critically low.
A battery level indicator on the top capacitive screen would have been a great addition, allowing us to know how much battery is left.
Performance
Now to the all important question. How does the sound quality of Logitech mini boombox live up to? Surprisingly for a very compact, portable speaker it delivers a ‘loud’ sound. Judging the sound quality let’s be realistic that it’s a pint-sized speaker and comes with certain limitations. With both the speakers at close proximity, the stereo differences in the audio is at a disadvantage, still you get a stereo mix which is clearly better than a mono audio.
The sound quality is at best at medium volume, turn it to high you witness distortions. The device also starts vibrating at very high volume and moves around. Inspite of the small size, the bass is decent enough for such a device. On mid-range volume, the sound is full without being harsh nor it cracks up.
In short being realistic and understanding the compactness of the device, the sound quality is decent and good enough if not impressive.
Now coming to the battery, though Logitech claims it gives a 10 hours of music on a single charge. Note that it might vary during actual usage. If you are listening on a medium volume, you get more juice out of the battery but less when blasting on the higher volume. Expect 7-8 hours battery life.
The mini Boombox does a pretty good job as a speakerphone too. When you receive an incoming call, you get a beep sort of audio notification and the music stops. By pressing the Bluetooth/Phone button on the top panel we can answer and end calls. Call clarity is also good and the recipients also had no issues with the voice.
Logitech mini boombox is available in India for Rs. 4,999 (US $ 90)
Verdict
For it’s tiny size, Logitech mini boombox gives your money’s worth combining both as a Bluetooth portable speaker as well as speakerphone. It’s easy to carry around and it’s a tiny, music dynamite on the move which might impress most of us.
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