Since the holiday season is upon us, I thought of posting my review of the UE Wonderboom speaker as I think it's a great gift for someone who wants a bluetooth speaker or just loves listening to music on the go.
Setup Process
The wonderboom is very easy to setup. You just turn on the speaker, press and hold the little button on the top for a few seconds, wait for its name to appear on your device and simply connect. There's no app that you need to download, which makes the process simpler. The UE app doesn't work that good anyways, so you're better off without it.
Sound Quality
The sound signature of the Wonderboom is neutral, which is a good thing. The bass is not overpowering. Highs and lows sound loud and clear. Mids could be a little better though. It has a 360° sound signature which means it fires sound in all directions, so you will hear it loud and clear no matter what direction the speaker is facing. One thing to note about this speaker is that it sounds quieter on volume levels below 60% compared to other speakers, but it starts getting substantially loud once you turn the volume over 60%. Nonetheless, it can easily fill up a small to a medium sized room with no difficulty at all.
Build Quality
Another thing to appreciate about this speaker is its awesome build quality. The buttons on the speaker are responsive and provide a satisfying tactile feedback. The materials used are really premium and solid. There's no flimsiness anywhere. There is a hang loop provided too but it doesn't feel like it's practical, given it's small diameter, but it's there. I have the phantom black version but it does come in a variety of cool colours to choose from:
Also, you don't have to worry about dropping the speaker as it can withstand drops because of it is made to be shock resistant. I wouldn't recommend dropping it from heights more than 5 feet though. It's also water resistant and floats on water as well, which is a really nice feature to have if you're planning on taking it to a pool or a lake. I dropped the speaker from a 3 feet height and dunked it in a bucket full of water for my own testing. It's still working perfectly. Just make sure you secure the flap protecting the charging port before you take it anywhere near water.
Battery Life
The battery life is great as well. UE claims that it has a battery life of 10 hours. I got somewhere around 8, which is still very impressive.
Minor Complaint
One of the things that doesn't bother me but may bother some people is that it doesn't have an AUX port, so if your device doesn't have bluetooth, you won't be able to use it.
Final Thoughts
It's an awesome speaker that sounds great, looks cool, has a really good battery life, can handle drops and is water-resistant as well. I got this speaker for $100 back in June. It's selling for $80 on amazon at the moment. You can use the link below to purchase it through Amazon: