Xiaomi’s focus in the audio segment has been confusing over the years. The brand has launched a slew of TWS earbuds in the market but other products like soundbar and portable speakers have been at a premium. So it is finally good to see the brand launch the new Xiaomi Outdoor speaker in the country and yes, it is easy on the pocket like other products from the company.

The new speaker is part of a small lineup from the brand in the country and one that might appeal to a lot of buyers, not only because of its Rs 3,499 price tag but also the overall package. So, does the Xiaomi Outdoor speaker become an obvious choice for people who are looking for a reliable, portable music companion? We will give you the answer.

Design That Works

There is nothing unique about the Xiaomi Outdoor speaker and that is not a bad thing. This speaker has a cylindrical body with mesh finish on the front and even besides that it gives you a sense of durability that is needed for a portable speaker. It gets IP67 rating which straightway makes it usable near the water and it can handle a few accidental splashes too.

Even with a strong build, Xiaomi has managed to keep it light at 597 grams which makes it easier to carry the speaker in the bag for long hours and not feel the heft.

The controls are at the back, with the USB C port covered to protect it against water and dust. The Xiaomi branding on the front mesh is hard to miss but doesn’t make it look shabby by any means.

Let’s Talk About The Sound

Now, we get to the point about this product, which is the audio quality and its ability to handle music of different genres. The Bluetooth pairing works effectively and the connection happens in seconds. Once you start playing different tracks, you want to try out the speaker in different postures to see what profile works the best for you. We noticed the stand up position of the Xiaomi Outdoor speaker is the ideal way to make the speaker do its job.

You can easily feel the bass effect making its impact in the tracks, even if the profile is mostly balanced. The overpowering bass output was never going to be possible with this unit but the actual results were quite good, not only for the product features but also the hardware packed innards. The mid-range notes are crisp and detailed and at 60 percent volume, you get the best results.

Going beyond that shows the limits of the speaker with mild distortion evident in the tracks at higher volume. We would have liked the option to change the equaliser settings of the speaker, which is possible with the budget Redmi Buds and other products but that is a minor quibble and not really a deal breaker.

Know About The Features

Xiaomi Bluetooth speaker supports Bluetooth 5.4 version for connectivity which is the latest standard. The basic controls on offer are the power button, Bluetooth pairing (with one tap) and a special multi-speaker connect link which works through up to 100 Outdoor speakers from the brand for a stereo setup.

While we can’t tell you how the multi-speaker feature works, the others are quite tactile and work nicely without needing a lot of effort. You also get a power on/off and pairing sound that is helpful but we would have liked a battery indicator to be more functional rather than just blinking when the levels are low. The speaker supports calls but it does not have a mic so the output is not effective and we didn’t use it beyond a few times.

And the last aspect to cover is the battery life on the Xiaomi Outdoor speaker and safe to say the 2600mAh unit can run you over a weekend’s trip on a single charge. The USB C port does not support fast charging which means it takes a few hours to fully charge the device which again might sound like a drawback but for the budget it is not surprising to see.

Xiaomi Outdoor Speaker is exactly what it is called, a rugged unit that delivers a balanced sound profile on a budget with a decent battery life and IP rating that allows you to use it with multiple speakers for enhanced sound experience.