Portable Bluetooth speakers are the easiest, most affordable way to spread music and podcasts across a room, near a swimming pool, or at the beach. Because these speakers come in a variety of designs and sizes, no model is perfect for every situation — but the excellent sound and design of Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker make it one of our favourites of the year.

The small, pill-shaped speaker (which measures 196.6mm by 68mm by 66mm and weighs 597g) has a clear, spacious sound that most listeners will enjoy.

The hardware

On the speaker are three buttons — volume up and down, besides pause/play. On the other side of the speaker is the USB-C charging port, power button, Bluetooth connectivity and a link button to connect to similar speakers. The last mentioned button is interesting because you can put a bunch of these speakers (up to 100) around the room and put them in stereo mode to get excellent sound. But making anything over four speakers to play together could be a challenge if you are unsure of the pairing process.

The speaker connects via Bluetooth but doesn't come with app support

The buttons on the speaker are tactile, and you will rarely have a false press. The speaker has a couple of silicon anti-slip pads to keep it firmly on the table. These are important because if you crank up the volume, there is a great deal of vibration.

The device has a premium feel when you hold it. There is a small strap to carry the speaker around or you can dangle it from the handle of a cycle.

Sound quality

The speaker can get very loud without compromising on vocal quality. The bass is souped up, making this a great buy for the party season. The sound is fuller and fuller than most offerings in the market.

It’s a 30W speaker with dual subwoofers, promising room-filling sound. I was taken aback by the loudness of the tiny speaker. Even when I tried listening to music from YouTube at full volume, there were hardly any distortions. Even when you turn down the volume, you can still feel the bass.

There is no app support and hence no equaliser, yet the sound is better than many speakers from, say, Boat. It even does better than some Sony or JBL speakers, in terms of sound and battery life.

Make the call

On the speaker is Bluetooth 5.4, which offers excellent connectivity and range. I have an old house, yet the speaker managed to connect through thick walls. Another aspect of the speaker I enjoyed is the beep you hear when pairing the device. Instead of that irritating “Bluetooth pairing mode” response, you get a nice, clear beep.

It’s possible to take calls on the speaker but I wouldn’t recommend it because there is not enough clarity to deal with the task.

IP67 rating translates into dust and waterproofing

You will get 12 hours of Bluetooth playback at 50 per cent volume. But you will obviously get less than that because in the season to be jolly listeners amp up the volume.

On the charging front, you get a Type-C point, complete with support for 15W charging. Having IP67 rating means a good degree of dust and waterproofing. During party season we need that extra bass in the room and Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker delivers it in plenty.

At a glance

Device: Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker

Price: Rs 3,499

High notes

Excellent sound output despite the small size

IP67 rating for water and dust

Good battery life

Simple but effective design

Good choice of colours (black, blue and red)

Muffled note

No app support