Portable Bluetooth speaker, 21 cm

When the phone's own speaker runs out of room

There is a point where music from a phone turns into background noise. With four people talking in the kitchen, or once everyone has moved out onto the balcony, the little driver in the handset simply disappears. This 21 cm speaker takes that step up: two 52 mm drivers and 2 × 6 W inside, while its weight and wrist strap keep it easy to pick up.

Four ways into the music

Most of the time you will connect over Bluetooth: version 5.2 pairs quickly, and the range runs past 10 metres, so you can move around freely with the phone in your pocket. The memory function remembers where playback stopped and carries on from there after an interruption.

The other three routes matter when the phone is out of reach. It plays directly from a TF card and a USB stick, and an AUX cable brings sound from any headphone output. The connectors sit together in one row: a 3.5 mm AUX input, USB-A for the stick and USB-C for charging.

The battery and the real running time

The built-in battery is a 1500 mAh lithium-ion cell. A charge is good for 6 hours of playtime, around 4 to 6 hours at medium volume. The louder it plays, the sooner it runs down. For an afternoon, a film or a working day that is plenty.

The mute button you will be grateful for

There is a dedicated mute button. This is the one you reach for when somebody speaks to you, the doorbell goes, or a call needs a moment of quiet. Hunting for the phone is always slower than one press on the speaker itself.

Thanks to the built-in microphone the device also works as a speakerphone. On a longer conversation or an online meeting the phone stays off your ear.

Light to go with the sound

A built-in light sits at the end of the speaker, with red, purple, blue and white LEDs. By day you barely register it; in the evening it is what makes the device stand on a shelf more like a lamp than a piece of equipment. On a balcony or in a living room, light shapes the mood as much as music does.

IPX5: it comes into the kitchen and out onto the balcony

IPX5

A protection rating against splashing water. The device withstands water splashed onto it, but it is not fully waterproof, and immersing it in water is prohibited.

In practice this means splashes at the sink, near the bathroom or out on the balcony are nothing to worry about. Prolonged soaking harms it as it would any other electronics.

The look that keeps it out on the shelf

The Fashion series carries the same line here as on the kitchen pieces: a cylindrical body with a dotted texture, the lit metallic ring at the end, and the brand's mark down the side. A speaker is usually one of those objects that goes into a drawer when guests arrive. This is the kind that stays on the sideboard.

Alongside the Type-C cable the box holds a carry pouch. On a trip that is exactly what decides whether the speaker goes into the bag or stays at home.

Where it will live

At home it plays on the desk or the shelf, alongside work and study. In the evening it takes the living room, for films and series, on its two 52 mm drivers. At the weekend it goes out to the balcony, the garden or a picnic, carried one-handed by the strap.

Care and safety

• Unplug the cable after charging and keep the connectors clean, wiping them with a dry cloth.
• Immersing the device in water is prohibited; IPX5 covers splashing water.
• Throwing it into fire, dismantling it or exposing it to prolonged strong heat is prohibited.
• Protect it from heavy impact and from being dropped.
• Store it out of reach of small children and supervise its use.
• Before longer storage, charge it partially and put it back in the carry pouch.

Who it is for

It makes an obvious gift, because the box holds everything needed to start: the charging cable and the carry pouch. For a hall of residence, a rented flat or a holiday house, the good speaker is the one that needs no separate mains adapter.

Frequently asked questions

Technical data