A portable speaker is a thing that costs affordable money, takes up little space, and plays music anywhere and anytime. All this is absolutely true for a completely fresh Xiaomi Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker, which we will begin reviewing immediately.

In general, portable Bluetooth speakers have long been a tired category of gadgets. Now there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them on the market. There are also an incredible number of noname crafts.

As long as the manufacturers of these devices are not perverted. Speakers come in black, white, green, round, square, in the shape of hares and bear cubs, waterproof, heavy, weightless, awkward - in general, whatever your heart desires. Almost any Chinese factory can tomorrow release a product line ready to conquer the market. The components are cheap, the process has been established for a long time - in general, do it, I don’t want to.

Xiaomi is not lagging behind, annually releasing two or three models of its own speakers. But unlike numerous competitors, they all have their own personality. First of all, their gadgets are stylish, made in a minimalist design using high-quality materials. But one of the decisive factors is the price, traditionally low for Xiaomi products.

This also applies to our hero, who was announced relatively recently. Now the official price of Xiaomi Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker is $9.

Since none of us will be able to buy anything in the official store, we should look towards third-party online platforms. So, the column came to me from here. In this store they are asking $13.68 for it, which in Russian money is now about 900 rubles. Pennies? Not that word! Especially considering the quality and capabilities of this baby.

The packaging for the device is very small: 70.7 x 70.7 x 28 mm. At first, I didn’t even believe that they sent me exactly what I ordered. I thought they cheated me.

I unpacked it and it turned out that inside there was indeed a portable acoustic system, which was really miniature.

• dimensions: 52 x 52 x 25 mm
• weight 58 grams

The base of the case is made of metal, which is neatly painted in golden color. There are also two more colors found in nature: silver and dark gray.

I have a gold version - stylish, glamorous, perfect for my style.

On the back there is a large rubber plug, which also doubles as a stand. The power button is closer to the top edge of the bottom. She's the only one here. Hold the button and the speaker turns on, hold it again and it turns off. The pairing process is very fast and hassle-free.

By the way, connection breaks practically never happen. My Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker disconnected from my smartphone on its own only a couple of times. I do not know why. In addition, for normal signal transmission, it is better not to put any obstacles in its path. The speaker will not reproduce anything through the wall. From a distance further than 4-5 meters too. By the way, 5 meters is the maximum working distance declared by the manufacturer itself. You see, they didn’t lie.

Technical specifications of Xiaomi Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker:

• power 2 W
• signal-to-noise ratio 53 dB
• Bluetooth 4.0
• supported profiles: A2DP, HSP/HFP
• noise reduction technology (CVC)

There is also a built-in microphone. I still don’t understand where it is located. There is an LED next to the Micro USB port (flashing red or blue), and there is a loop on the side for attaching a strap. Most likely, the microphone was hidden under a metal mesh, somewhere near the speaker.

Since there is a microphone, the gadget can be used as a wireless headset. Everything is just like that. Moreover, at the other end of the tube the interlocutor can hear your speech perfectly, if you hold the speaker even at arm's length. Once you move a meter or more away, you can no longer hear so well. The expected, quite good result.

Managing a call is very easy. When a call comes in on your smartphone, press the back button once - the call is accepted. Pressed again - hang up. Long press - rejects the call. Everything is simple and clear.

The only inconvenience is the following. For example, you listen to music from a smartphone through a speaker. At this moment a call comes in. I want to talk through the phone microphone. And at this moment there is no way to turn off Mi Speaker. LeEco, for example, does not allow you to go to the Bluetooth settings. You have to talk on speakerphone through a speaker.

The top side is very similar to a shower strainer. I think if the speaker ever breaks, you can take it apart and use the body as a watering can for a yogurt bottle. You can, for example, water flowers or give your hamster a bath. This is some free, useful advice.

Let's move on to the main function of the gadget. The sound quality is quite good. The average volume is enough to fill an average sized room with sound. At the same time, communication will most likely not be comfortable. Setting the volume to one third is another matter.

The speaker is surprisingly loud. At maximum volume, grunting, whistling and other “joys” come out. It is better to set the volume to 80-90%. The music will still play loudly, but the extraneous noise will go away.

If you place the speaker on some hollow wooden surface, it will begin to transmit low-frequency vibrations to the wood. However, I still can’t call it bass. They are only indicated here, but in fact they are not there. Don't forget about the size of the speaker and its cost.

In general, you shouldn’t expect impressive sound quality from acoustics of such a tiny size. The speaker will be perfect for the court where it is absolutely impossible to listen to music through something more or less serious. I would advise audiophiles to pass by. May their ears not be defiled.

Personally, I love high-quality sound, but I still consider myself more of an ordinary person. And I am completely satisfied with the sound quality. But I like the dimensions of the speaker even more. It is really very small, weighs almost nothing and can always be taken with you. It won’t fit in a bag, much less a backpack.

And besides, on the side circumference there is a small loop where you can thread a cord and conveniently attach the acoustics to jeans, on a bicycle - or anywhere at all.

Battery life varies greatly depending on the volume setting. For example, at maximum the speaker lasted 2 hours 17 minutes. After this, endless disconnections began to occur, which means it’s time to charge. By the way, this can be done both from a computer and from a regular charger with a 1 ampere output. In the latter case, the gadget is charged to 100 percent in 1 hour 50 minutes.

If you set the volume to the average value (50-60%), then you will have to try hard to drain the built-in battery (300 mAh, by the way). In this position, my gadget played for 12 hours and 20 minutes. It is clear that such autonomy is through the roof.

We are approaching the end, and therefore we will list the positive and negative aspects of the device:

• very competitive price
• stylish, high-quality case
• tiny dimensions
• almost unnoticeable weight
• good sound quality
• good autonomy

• no cable connection (3.5 mm<->3.5 mm)
• wheezing at 100 percent volume

I didn’t consider the lack of a Micro USB cable included as a minus. Still, each of us has one or two such wires through which we can charge our gadget.

And once again: for such a price the speaker can be forgiven for anything. And if for some Xiaomi Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker is still a big compromise, then look again at its design, evaluate the quality of the body and build as a whole, and, well, the price, comrades, the price!

In general, if you don’t need such a gadget yourself, you can still buy it and give it to someone. Still, our country is full of different holidays (March 8, February 23, New Year, Bastille Day, and so on) and it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for them in advance.

Now on sale (online) Price: $13.68 The material was prepared with the support of the online store Gearbest.com

We recommended that you take a closer look at the Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker - they said it was a very interesting option.
Well, why not, I thought, take a closer look, because the last time I dealt with wireless speakers was two or three years ago, so it was interesting to see what kind of progress there is on this front. And I like all sorts of gadgets from Xiaomi and I try to buy and study them.
Two rubber strips are glued to the bottom of the speaker so that the speaker stands firmly on the surface.
On the left side there is an audio input for a wired source connection, a microphone (the speaker can work as a headset), a microUSB port for charging the battery, a slot for a microSD memory card.
On the right side there is a “play/pause” button, also known as power on/off, volume control buttons (they are also the previous/next track when long pressed), and a Bluetooth pairing button.
There is a color indicator around the power button: when the device is charging, it lights up red, when the speaker is charging, it lights up blue.
Inside the speaker there are two speakers and a bass radiator (as it says there). I paired it with my smartphone and turned on the music. I was impressed, to be honest. The maximum volume is very high (notably higher than any speaker I've ever owned), and the quality is excellent for a speaker of this size. And even at maximum volume there is no wheezing or rattling. Very good and quite detailed highs, dense mids and absolutely amazing bass for such a little thing - the radiator is pumping with might and main!

The manufacturer claims that the stereo sound volume here is up to 90 dB. This is enough to “pump up” a small conference room.

The development of D-class amplifiers and DSP processors predetermined the renaissance of compact audio. In general, I like to scale audio tasks. Why can’t you listen to a Bluetooth speaker after some monstrous DAC? It's interesting to find its own pearl in each form factor. For example, the model reviewed here provided an almost esoteric experience in a twilight forest near a lake. First they played the Tropic of Cancer mixtape, then the Latvian wave of the early 90s, and the evening was summed up by “The Ensemble of Christ the Savior and Mother Earth of Cheese.” Ok, the reader may not give a damn about my musical selection, but would it be right for an outdoor audience to carry any kind of speaker?

Price: 3,270 rubles

Passport details

Output Power: 2x3W (4 ohms, THD<1%)
Bluetooth: 4.0
Microphone: yes
Frequency response (-10 dB): 85 Hz - 20 kHz
Battery capacity/voltage: 1500 mAh/3.8V
Charging time: 2.5 hours
Battery life: 8 hours
USB power: 5V/2A
Operating temperature: 0°C – 45°C

Dimensions: 168x24.5x58 mm

• 1. Rating
• 2. Specifications
• 3. Equipment and design: as always, tasteful
• 4. Synchronization with other devices is possible
• 5. Sound: emphasis on bass
• 6. Battery life is enough for 10 hours
• 7. Pros and cons

Chinese Xiaomi is known to most users as a manufacturer of inexpensive but modern smartphones, as well as convenient gadgets for the home. But the appearance of portable speakers on the music device market has become a real sensation! Portable acoustics, although inexpensive, are in no way inferior in capabilities to their more well-known analogues. And not so long ago, a new model went on sale in stores - Mi Bluetooth Speaker, capable of playing the role of not only an audio player, but also a fairly high-quality voice recorder.

Information about Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Speaker

7.3 Evaluation

Specifications

Equipment and design: tasteful as always

It is obvious that the manufacturer, when developing its devices, focuses on conciseness and minimalism. Here, too, the tradition is followed - even in the box there is nothing superfluous. There are instructions, however, only in Chinese. But fortunately, controlling the speaker is even intuitive. But the gadget itself inside the box is additionally protected by a soft bag, so that the purchase will definitely reach the user intact.

The design still remains quite simple and has no unnecessary details. The rectangular speaker takes up little space: its dimensions are only 168x24.5x58 mm. If you move away from dry numbers, you can compare the speaker with any modern smartphone - the hero of the review will be a little larger in size. So you can hide the gadget in your pocket or put it in a handbag. And if necessary, even long-term carrying in your hands will not create discomfort.

The front part is decorated with stylish perforation - it also covers the speaker. And all control buttons have been completely moved to the side surfaces.

Synchronization with other devices is possible

A quick inspection of the Mi Bluetooth Speaker shows that all the buttons and connectors are located on the side surfaces. This means that there is practically no need to connect the gadget to a smartphone.

Directly using the buttons, the user can increase or decrease the volume, pause the track or, conversely, start it.

It turns out that you only need to connect the speaker to the phone to select a song.

The model can play tracks from a smartphone (the model supports tracks in MP3 format, but does not “read” FLAC at all), only if it is connected via Bluetooth. Unlike many Xiaomi devices, there is no proprietary application here. However, the hero of the review has an important advantage - the case has a slot for memory cards, from which playback is also possible. There is a separate button on the side surface, which you can press and hold to enable wireless communication. However, the constant operation of this option apparently affects the battery life. So microSD support comes in handy.

On the same surface there is a tiny microphone. So with the help of Mi Bluetooth Speaker you can not only listen to music, but also record your own files, and even receive incoming calls (naturally, if it is synchronized with a smartphone).

But after the first test recording, it is clear even to a non-professional that the boombox got this option “in addition” - the quality of the recorded sound leaves much to be desired: extraneous noise is audible.

Sound: emphasis on bass

You get much more than you expect from this tiny audio system. The main emphasis is on the mids, although the bass also received special attention. Low frequencies sound so powerful that even the speaker vibrates noticeably (by the way, at such a moment it can fall if it is unevenly installed on the surface - and even rubberized legs will not save it). The higher the volume is set, the stronger the full power of the bass is felt.

The device also copes well with mid frequencies, although sound detail is not so good. And the high frequencies are very poorly developed. The speaker will not cope well with all styles of music. Although here we can remember the price of the gadget: expecting a boombox for $50 to fully disclose all the nuances is at least naive.

Battery life is enough for 10 hours

The boombox has a built-in 1500 mAh battery. Considering the fairly wide capabilities of the Mi Bluetooth Speaker, you should not count on long-term battery life. But you can still listen to music at medium volume and use the application with Bluetooth synchronization for as long as 10 hours. In practice, this is quite enough - you can entertain yourself on the road and have fun with friends the whole night.

You can charge the device in just a couple of hours using a regular micro-USB cable by connecting it to another gadget or to an electrical outlet. Interestingly, Xiaomi did not supplement the package with the appropriate cable, much less an adapter. Perhaps this is what made it possible to significantly save on the final cost of the column. But, in any case, today finding the right cable is not at all a problem.

Considering that the device does not have a display, and there is no application for the phone, a logical question should arise - how can you find out about the battery charge level? For this purpose, there is a button on one of the surfaces. When you press it, Mi Bluetooth Speaker loudly and clearly notifies you of the remaining charge percentage. True, he does this in Chinese, so it’s worth preparing Siri or Alice for audio translation in advance.

Bottom line: great device for the money

With the help of a new portable speaker from Xiaomi, anyone can have a mini-party at home or outdoors. For this, Mi Bluetooth Speaker has all the necessary capabilities. Of course, there are a couple of significant drawbacks. But everything is covered by the cost - when it went on sale, the boombox cost no more than 4,000 rubles.

• Durable aluminum housing
• Stylish design in several colors
• Availability of a slot for microSD
• Excellent low bass
• Long battery life

• No charging cable included
• Instructions and alerts are in Chinese only
• Unfinished recording function
• Vibration and instability when reproducing low frequencies