When it comes to Bluetooth speakers and boombox solutions manufacturers today are investing more in improving sound while reducing the overall size of the devices. And surprisingly enough these small pocket sized solutions sometimes even put the bigger systems to shame in terms of their relative music/ sound output.
Logitech has also come up with a similar solution called the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox. The solution itself is portable enough to be easy on carrying anywhere possible while it promises big sound and battery backup as well. But how well the promises live up to the reputation lest find out.
Look and Feel
Logitech is known for its simple and functional design and that is what powers the idea behind the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox. The mobile boombox speaker comes in both plain black and jazzy colours.
The casing is built using sturdy plastics that have been treated with a rubberised coating that gives scratch and smudge protection while its matte colour finish looks good. The miniaturised size of the device and its rectangular design makes it portable. The seamless casing enthuses confidence of durability.
Due to the front side placement, speakers are uni-directional while small stereo separation make it a bit difficult to notice unless you really pay attention to the sounds reproduced and that too while being very close to the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox.
The top of the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox features the volume control and the Bluetooth call connect/disconnect keys. The power key is provided on the backside of the speaker along with the charging port and the 3.5 mm jack which can be used for connecting it with non-Bluetooth devices.
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox has two LED indicators – one on the front right which glows up if the device is not connected or is available for paring, the other one is a charging indicator and lies in the back. The charging indicator glows in a breathing pattern while the box is charging and comes to full on when the charging completes.
Sound reproduction
Since the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox speaker comes in a small size, it cannot reproduce powerful sound which most users seek. To overcome this Logitech UE Mobile Boombox encloses a resonance chamber that helps in amplifying and improving the overall sound quality.
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is powered with 2.1 inch speakers that have been given the responsibility to reproduce full range or spectrum of sounds. The resonance chamber helps improve sound by enhancing bass and mid frequencies for a fuller sound, the bass radiator given at the back helps resonate the sound even more by offering an expandable chamber while at the same time the diaphragm acts as an additional speaker creating additional low end Frequency based sounds offering deeper bass.
We tried finding more details about the digital amplifier used in the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox but sadly we were not able to find the details of the same. But considering the size and volume reproduction, it feels as is the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox utilises a 10 W (RMS) amplifier offering 5W per channel for sound reproduction.
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox also features loudspeaker functionality that allows it to connect to devices and work as a Bluetooth loudspeaker as well. Users can simply use it to answer calls while driving or while relaxing outside enjoying the music.
Connectivity
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox comes with Bluetooth version 3.0. Along with that it is capable of connecting to non-Bluetooth devices through the 3.5 mm jack. With the use of the Bluetooth media remote profile, the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox can pause the music when it receives a call and continues the music once the call disconnects.
However the media control keys have not been given which we dearly missed as if you are a restless soul and you like to play only selected songs or skip a few from the playlist, you will have to pick up the mobile device and do it from there.
Performance and Battery
The sound quality offered by the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is good if not great. The bass on higher volume levels tries to overpower other frequencies, but if it is kept between 60-80 per cent, the volume stays perfect. Overall the sound is nice and balanceed with clear highs, subtle mids and deeper lows. The bass radiator design make a big difference at higher volume as it helps the sound resonate more inside the chamber.
The battery used in the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is not replaceable. As per the company, it gives the speakers 10 hours’ worth of playback time when played at normal volume. Well we got similar output as advertised but yes playing at loud volume reduces the battery performance and backup by about 30-40 per cent which is a big loss.
The charge up time varies between 2-3 hours using the a smartphone charger or about 3 or more hours from a completely depleted battery while using the PC USB port for charging.
Conclusion
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox is a small and powerful speaker that comes with a good battery backup. But its ordinary looks and a Rs 8,500 price tag might scare away some of the users for sure.
The Logitech UE Mobile Boombox features a sturdy build that can handle some rough use as well and its rubberised surface allows it to be kept at almost any surface and it sticks to it no matter what the volume level is.
All in all we are happy with the sound but we surely miss the media control keys and more importantly a pocket friendlier price tag. At this price of course with a few extra bucks the Jabra Solemate offers much powerful sound as compared to the Logitech UE Mobile Boombox but with a bigger size.