There are plenty of Bluetooth speakers in the market right now with offerings in every price point imaginable but there isn’t many that are rugged and made specially for outdoor use. Now this is where Ultimate Ears, a brand of Logitech, comes in with their Wonderboom series of Bluetooth speakers with IPX7 water resistance, 360-degree sound etc.
We used the newly launched Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker for a week and found it quite interesting. Let us now get straight to the review.
Design
Construction wise the Wonderboom Freestyle is about the size of a Big Mac (for McD fans out there) or a coffee mug. The core of the speaker is made out of high quality plastic with soft rubber finish finish on top and bottom. Since it’s a waterproof speaker, the middle part is covered in thick mesh fabric. Around the back of the speaker, there a flap that hides the micro-USB charging port.
Talking about the buttons, you would find the volume and down button on the front with the power button on the top. There is a lanyard attached on the top for easy and secure mounting. The Wonderboom Freestyle is also available in a bunch of color and finish options like Concrete, Avocado, Patches, Raspberry and Unicorn.
Features and Setup
The UE Wonderboom Freestyle is IPX7 water resistance rated — meaning it can be immersed in water up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. The speakers weight & design make it buoyant and this why the speaker floats on the surface. The ruggedness makes the Wonderboom Freestyle ideal for outdoor use in challenging environments. If your Wonderboom gets dirty, just rinse it off.
UE Wonderboom can be paired very easily with iOS and Android devices over Bluetooth. There is no need for an app which cuts down so much effort and simplifies the whole pairing process. When you turn it on the first time, the speaker goes into pairing mode. Android users can go into Bluetooth settings and can see the Wonderboom in the available devices.
Sound Quality and Battery
Talking about the audio quality, the speaker is loud with good mids and highs. The sound signature is more towards bass side and is ideal for loud music. The Wonderboom promises 360-degree sound, so it doesn’t matter where the speaker is placed, you will get even sound. You can pair two Wonderboom’s together to play a synced track but we weren’t able to test it out, since we only had a single review unit.
The battery is built right into the speaker and charges via micro-USB port on the bottom back of the speaker. There is a supplied flat style USB cable in product packaging which can be hooked to a PC to charge the battery. Logitech claims the battery will last 10 hours and we got around a similar usage time during our tests.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom Freestyle Speaker Pricing
- UE Wonderboom Freestyle – INR 6,995
Pros
- Sturdy Design
- Waterproof
- Decent Playback time
Cons
- Pricing
Verdict – Should you go for it?
The Wonderboom is an excellent product with good design and the IPX7 rating makes it even more desirable but at the same time, it doesn’t come cheap. The Wonderboom is priced at INR 6,995 which is INR 1,000 shy of last year’s model. If you’re comfortable paying a premium for a Bluetooth speaker, then try it out.
