In our Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker review, we see if Xiaomi’s latest sets the benchmark for audio quality, feature set at its price point.
See also: What are the best Bluetooth speakers? The Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker is aimed squarely at the popular UE Boom and similar rugged and waterproof speakers. In the Android Authority Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker review, we’ll find out if Mi’s budget speaker is unique, or just filler. About this Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker review: I wrote this Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker review after spending a few days with it as my primary music listening source. Xiaomi India supplied the device. The Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker keeps it basic with the design, and it looks akin to the popular rugged Bluetooth speakers from Logitech’s Ultimate Ears brand. A woven mesh wraps around the speaker, and it isn’t of great quality. You can see that the speaker has been built to a cost, but the plastic-coated material should be easy enough to wipe clean if you drop a beverage on it. The speaker is IPX7-rated, so it can live poolside. The lanyard loop along the side is a nice addition that brings function to this cheap speaker. Xiaomi includes a pre-installed fabric hand loop, but there’s enough clearance at the anchor point to attach a carabiner instead if you prefer. A rubberized strip houses the control panel. I’m not a huge fan of rubberized panels since they tend to attract dust and grime over time. However, they make waterproofing easier, and I can see the reasoning here. All six buttons offer good enough tactile feedback and are easy to click through. Indentations on the speaker are all well and good, but the black-on-black labeling might make it hard to make out which button does what in low-light. I feel Xiaomi could have nixed the stereo pairing button in favor of the equalizer. As it stands, a long press of the volume plus and play button toggles the equalizer setting. An auxiliary input as well as a USB-C charging port rest along the bottom of the speaker. Overall, the design delivers enough quality for the price, and is a cut above competing options.
