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About Mini Speakers
Mini speakers have become a real trend item. Especially in the summer months, you will find them on every lawn and on every barbecue area. There is a huge selection of different models in all price ranges. We explain in our guide what is really important when buying.
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Perfect sound for leisure and work
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Mini speaker: Mini-dimensions and large sound
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Our practical tip: Use mini speakers as hands-free system
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Wireless thanks to Bluetooth
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Battery life: Critical criteria
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Which is the best mini speaker for me?
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FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about Mini Speakers
Perfect sound for leisure and work
A mini speaker is the ideal way to enjoy music anywhere alone or with friends. The small speakers fit in any pocket and are quickly connected to your smartphone via cable (for example, USB cable) or Bluetooth. But the mini-speakers are not only available for use in leisure time. Business people who travel a lot can make use of such a mini-speaker: This makes it possible to use some of these devices as hands-free equipment. There is nothing in the way of a conference call in the hotel room in the evening.
Mini speaker: Mini-dimensions and large sound
There are mini speakers for every budget: The fun starts at well below 10 euros. Good Bluetooth speakers, which combine a usable sound with a reasonable quality, for example the anchor SoundCore Mini, are available from about 20 euros. For the top models like the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A2, Ultimate Ears Megaboom or the Bose SoundLink Mini, amounts are due in the three-digit range. The higher price results from the high technical effort that is used to tickle the best possible sound from the small loudspeakers. The high-quality materials used, such as aluminum or leather, also have an impact on the price.
The desired features are also important: The compact speakers are available with a variety of useful features. There are models with an integrated card reader that can play music directly from an SD card without the need to connect an MP3 player or smartphone. Some of the small speakers have a display that shows useful information. Others have a built-in alarm clock, hands-free function or FM radio. There are even mini speakers that already have a built-in voice assistant such as Amazon Alexa. What was most of the small speakers had was a Bluetooth module.
Our practical tip: Use mini speakers as hands-free system
There are Bluetooth speakers with a built-in hands-free kit. Use them to allow multiple people to follow a conversation through the speaker at the same time. Or use your mini Bluetooth speaker for conference calls when you are on a business trip.
Wireless thanks to Bluetooth
Thanks to Bluetooth, you can comfortably connect mini speakers, such as the sound core mini from Anker, to your mobile phone or tablet without cables. Bluetooth version 4.0, 4.1 or 4.2 is often used with such mini transducers. And that's not without reason: The standards of the 4.x series are specially designed for an economical handling of the available energy. When you buy it, make sure that the speaker you are aiming for is at least Bluetooth 4.x wireless, so that you do not have to suffer any loss of battery life. The maximum possible range between the smartphone and Bluetooth speaker is currently around 10 meters.
In connection with Bluetooth, you will often encounter the abbreviation aptX. What is the purpose of this? These are audio codecs that have been specially optimized for real-time data transmission. AptX Lossless and aptX-HD are of particular interest for transferring high-resolution audio material, such as files in FLAC format, to your Bluetooth speaker. Only if your mini-speaker has this audio codec, you can playback high-resolution music with up to 96 kHz and 24 bit loss-free.
Battery life: Critical criteria
For a mobile speaker, the capacity of the battery and the associated runtime are crucial. Most manufacturers indicate the possible runtime in hours instead of the size of the battery. There are mini-sized speakers that can only play for 3 to 5 hours due to the small battery, and larger Bluetooth speakers that last for more than 20 hours. A modern lithium-ion battery is used as the current storage, which is not subject to any memory effect. The battery is charged either via a charger or via USB. By the way: Some Bluetooth speakers can also charge your smartphone or tablet via USB with their large built-in battery. Convenient, right?
Which is the best mini speaker for me?
The volume of the box is especially important for the playback of low tones. The larger the volume, the fuller your Bluetooth speaker sounds. The hook is that a larger volume is always at the expense of the size of the speaker. A model with a volume of more than 5 liters certainly sounds good, but it is no longer really compact. Therefore, if possible, test multiple speakers of different sizes to find out what sound you like. Independant mini-speaker tests may help with the decision. If you want to use your speaker with players that do not have Bluetooth, you should pay attention to an AUX input.
Would you like to take the Bluetooth speaker with you for hiking or camping? If so, it may be useful to select a loudspeaker that is either splash-proof or completely waterproof, like the Ultimate Ears Boom 3. Even cover caps, which protect USB port and AUX-in from penetrating dust and water, are definitely a plus for outdoor use. A large selection of different loudspeakers with Bluetooth function can be found in our online shop.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about Mini Speakers
Can ich connect one Bluetooth box to another stereo pair?
Some manufacturers offer this feature, for example, two connected anchors can play SoundCore 2 high-quality stereo sound.
What was the difference between Bluetooth 4.x and 5.0?
Some Bluetooth speakers already use the latest Bluetooth technology 5.0. With the new standard, the maximum speed has been increased to up to 2 Mbit/s. The theoretical Bluetooth range has also increased and is now up to 200 meters in open terrain and up to 40 meters in buildings. Bluetooth 5.0 is fully backward compatible with Bluetooth 4.x.