Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker review: What else do you want for Rs 1399?

Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker review: No matter how good a soundbar or pair of headphones you possess, there is also space for a good Bluetooth Speaker that allows you to enjoy your favourite tracks on the go. And, things are just so much better if those speakers have a trendy design as well. Hoping to address that, Xiaomi recently launched Mi Outdoor Bluetooth speaker, priced at Rs 1,399.

I have been using these for a few days now and since we are all stuck at ‘home’, it gave me enough time to test the Mi ‘Outdoor’ Bluetooth Speaker. See the irony? Anyway, here is what I think of it. 

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Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker review: Design

A Bluetooth speaker is like an accessory you carry long and it has to look good which is the first box ticked by the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker. The 5W speaker comes in a square form factor and almost fits in your palm. It is not too thick which adds to the portability of the speaker. Xiaomi has kept the thickness at 2 inches to be precise. 

The top half of the speaker has a Mesh design which gives it a rugged look. The bottom half has a rubberised finish ensuring that the speaker is not too slippery. 

The right panel features the volume buttons with the mic in the centre. On the left side you get the power button, play/pause button and an LD light. At the bottom, you get the micro-USB charging port with the aux port. On top is a stretchable lanyard that can be used to fasten the speaker or hang it.

The speakers are IPX5 splash-proof which means you can’t take them in water but they can certainly survive splashes. 

The only issue with the design is that while the speaker fits into your pocket, the size is slightly bigger than what you may desire for. The lace on top allows you to hang it on the bag. So, that’s an alternate.

Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker review: Performance 

The Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker produces crisp sound. The 5W output is enough for a bedroom for playing songs as well as streaming content but the sound starts to fade when you into bigger surroundings, even if it is a hall. There are times when you experience bass but overall the output is quite balanced. 

I played ‘Trampoline’ by Shaed and Zayn, ‘ How Do You Sleep’ By Sam Smith and ‘Feel Me’ by Selena Gomez. Even at full volume, the sound was crystal clear which was a good thing to see. 

Despite the bass dominating the audio, the vocals were quite clear. I played the entire album from ‘Jhankar Beats’, ‘Ghungroo’ from War and ‘Dil Se Re’ from Dil Se. The output was quite impressive here as well. 

But, you do notice the difference in output while streaming content. I watched a few episodes of ‘The Mandalorian’ and ‘Special Ops’ by connecting my laptop to the speaker. The experience is good but you want better impact while watching a movie of series. But, given the 5W output I saw this coming. 

Having said that, the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker seems capable of delivering when you are travelling. 

The speaker allows you to take calls as well. There was no major distortion in sound while making calls but I personally don’t prefer using a Bluetooth Speaker for this. The speaker comes with support for Google Assistant but there is no dedicated button for the same which is bit of a let-down. 

Xiaomi claimed that the speaker could last for about 20 hours on one charge and it almost does. I managed to take out around 18 hours of music from the 2000 mAh battery.

Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker review: Final Verdict

What could have been better? Well, first of all, Xiaomi could have opted for a Type-C USB charging port instead of the micro-USB port it has used. Not only this would have made the charging faster but would have allowed you to leave the extra charging cable at home. The other thing that could have been better is the maximum audio output. 

But, when you consider that the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker costs you less than one month’s gym membership, you can’t ask for more. It has a super cool design, sturdy look, good audio output, Bluetooth 5.0 support and an amazing battery life. All of these make the Mi Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker a real value for money buy.