[Review] X-mini UNO capsule speaker

We all see these types of capsule speakers everywhere – even in pasar malam which includes a bunch of functions with horrible build quality and sound production. The interesting about X-mini UNO though is claimed to be the first ever of the capsule speakers by X-mini to be using ceramic drivers. In summary, it means better sound quality, but this review will be the judge of that. Without further ado, let’s get on with it!

X-mini again adapts the very basic packaging style with plastic everywhere. The box is unnecessarily large though, giving a lot of clearance space at the top part of the box. The package can further shrink in size with the speaker packed in its compressed state instead of the expanded state, but I guess X-mini has to show the true potential of what this speaker can do. More information on these states later.

[nextpage title=”Contents”]The contents of this speaker is more or less similar to all the other X-mini products – there’s a user manual, a sticker, a user manual, standard USB/3.5mm audio jack to microUSB, Children International introduction, a pouch, and the speaker itself. The Children International introduction is included, because for every X-mini product sold, an amount is donated to them for charity.

[nextpage title=”Design”]

 

Available in 6 colours – gunmetal, red, green, purple, blue and orange – the speaker looks absolutely sleek with its reflective soft touch finish all around the top and the bottom. Because of the reflective soft touch material, the photos appear to have dark spots, which indeed is not the manufacturer’s fault – just a reflection of my camera. The accordion design shown in the image above is actually a feature for the X-mini capsule speakers called Bass Xpansion System (BXS) which can enhance the bass played through this speaker, but more on that later.

It can be compressed to this size, and then lock it down by twisting it clockwise to align the lock-lock icon’s vertical line to the bottom one to secure it with a satisfying tactile click. Then, pop it into the included pouch to carry it around everywhere!

There’s a reason why the pouch is included for this but not for the X-mini WE thumbsize speaker that we also reviewed as there is absolutely no protection for the exposed tweeter at the top, except for the small arch bridge.

Don’t get me wrong – the arch bridge is actually pretty strong and can handle a large amount of force to the point that the entire speaker is in its compressed state, but if something latches onto the bridge from below and got pulled, it will break rather easily.

At the side, there is a micro USB port, a 3.5mm input jack, volume control, and the on/off switch. At the bottom, there is a 3.5mm audio output jack alongside with a coloured LED indicator and three sets of rubber feet, which seems to be double-tiered. There is also a small cutout at the beginning for the audio cable to go out of the speaker without causing any elevation to the speaker itself. A plus for cable management right here, albeit the super short audio cable.

[nextpage title=”Performance and features”]The X-mini UNO is actually very good for its size. You can charge the speaker while its playing music, and with the given USB cable design, it gives a little more space to work with instead of a short cable with the 3.5mm audio input jack tied down together with the USB port like the one that came in with the X-mini WE speaker.

Taking out the 3.5mm audio jack from below the speaker takes nothing but a finger, and the cable is out. Plug it into your device and flip the switch to on and the blue indicator light comes up, and music will be played! Be sure to turn the speaker counterclockwise to transform it into the expanded state so that the Bass Xpansion System works.

I do have one minor complain is that the LED indicator is a little too hidden, but then again it is actually way too bright and hard to miss, but only if you’re looking at the speaker nearly a parallel to the table.

After using the speaker for so long, I listen to a bunch of songs from a variety of genres – electro, oldies, classical and pop – and the results are as below. Also, the test are done in the expanded state for its true potential.

Lows : Bass can definitely be felt and heard
Mids : Distinct and clear
Highs : Goes a little overboard, causes piercing highs
Vocals : Excellent clarity

As for as the performance goes, I really do enjoy using the X-mini UNO. I had a lot of fun seeing the little speaker’s tweeter bounce intensely to the point that I’m just mesmerized by it. I did listen my songs at a rather high volume level, and all I can say is that it sounds very good, given that the songs doesn’t have much highs or screaming, else it gets very uncomfortable.

The one somewhat major thing I realized with previous X-mini capsule speakers is that it jumps when the volume is high, causing it to hop around and potentially bringing your device down to the floor and breaking it as well. Chained suicide? Maybe. The X-mini UNO however has a much heavier base to prevent that, also the double-tiered rubber feet seems to absorb most of the energy to prevent jumping. This is definitely a big plus to X-mini for fixing this problem.

[nextpage title=”Battery”]It has a 500mAh battery – about double of the X-mini WE thumbsize speaker – which is expected, as the X-mini UNO is nearly about the radius of the WE, not to mention a lot taller too. Charging is the same as any other X-mini speakers – just plug in the USB to any port and plug the micro USB to the speaker itself to charge. A red light will then be shone from the LED indicator.

For the entire review, I only charged it for once – that is when I first got it. The battery can definitely last very long, no doubt with that. Another big plus for the speaker!

[nextpage title=”Wrap up”]The X-mini UNO is an excellent speaker. It shows the power of portable speakers of the size of a palm which you can definitely carry around.

Another thing that I should mention is that the speaker itself has a small little hole to have strings ot bands to hook around it, but I’m afraid anything like a chain is just impossible to go through and requires some improvisation. Anyhow, the included pouch is already a very suitable way to carry the speaker around as the exposed tweeter will be facing an extreme threat if left hanging through the hole as shown above. There are no other protection for the tweeter except that arch bridge.

Well, enough of those. What about the overall rating for this X-mini UNO? Before I get into that, the speaker itself costs RM109 RRP.

• Pros
  • Small sized
  • No jumping around at higher volumes
  • Has daisy chaining
  • Bright, distraction-free LED indicator
  • Excellent sound quality for its size
• Cons
  • Exposed tweeter that is begging to be poked
  • Audio cable wrapped at the bottom is a little too short

Rating
I’ll give this little speaker an excellent 9/10. It does have its own cons, sure, but for RM109 you get excellent sound quality for a small speaker alongside with extra long battery life and also a small pouch to carry it around with. At first I thought the LED indicator is too bright, but then again I was looking directly at the light at that time. Place it on the table and it’s just about right. My only two complaints are the short audio cable and also the much exposed tweeter. Get that out of the way and it’ll be excellent.

X-mini, I’m looking forward to what you can bring forth with the next capsule speaker. The X-mini UNO is now widely available in Malaysia and again, it costs only RM109.
I’m guessing that these speakers are great gifts too.

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