I was in search of a portable Bluetooth speaker which is loud and has a good battery backup. My search ended when I found this Zebronics Zeb-Action portable Bluetooth speaker on Amazon. I ordered this Bluetooth speaker for Rs. 1100 last week and has been using it for last 2 days.
Though this speaker has been launched on 12th August 2019, this Amazon’s choice speaker is pretty good enough to be bought still now. I would like to share my experience of using this speaker with you.
The box contains 1 Zebronics Zeb-Action Portable Bluetooth Speaker, 1 micro-USB cable for charging this device and 1 user manual.
Specs
- Output Power (RMS): 10W (5W + 5W)
- Bluetooth Version: 5.0
- Driver Size: 45mm x 2
- Speaker Impedance: 4Ω
- S/N Ratio: ≥90dB
- Separation: ≥45dB
- Max Supported USB/micro-SD memory size: 32GB
- Supported Audio formats: MP3
- Playback time: 12 hrs (at 50% volume)
Features
- Wireless Bluetooth
- True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Function
- Supports USB & micro-SD card
- Built-in FM Radio
- AUX Input
- Call Function
- Media / Volume control
- Built-in rechargeable battery
Connectivity
The Bluetooth speaker comes with the latest Bluetooth version 5.0 which offers excellent connectivity. It’s very simple to pair with your device.
First, turn on the bluetooth on your device. Then press the ‘Power’ button on the speaker. It will turn on with a sound. You can find ‘ZEB-ACTION’ in the list of available devices. Select it and it’s connected. That’s how easy it is to pair the device.
From next time, it will automatically connect with the last connected device, if the device’s bluetooth is turned on.
Design and build quality
The speaker is a bit on the heavy side but that makes the speaker tough from the outside. Accidently it fell from my hand once, but thanks to its build quality, there’s no scratch or anything. It also has a hanging cord to help someone like me from not dropping it.
It has a barrel design, which is quite good. You can keep it both horizontally or vertically. But the only downside it that it doesn’t look or feel premium, but you can’t complain cause it provides a lot of feature in such a competitive price range of Rs 1100.
Sound quality
Honestly, I am pretty amazed by its sound quality. It was way above my expectations. I thought it would be a mediocre one but it turned out to be giant. The sound quality is unparalleled in this price range. It is very loud, I couldn’t put it on 100% volume for normal use in my room.
The bass is also good and the sound doesn’t crack if you put in on full volume. This is one of the main reasons why I would suggest you to buy this speaker.
Battery backup
Zebronics claims the Bluetooth speaker will last 12 hours at 50% volume. In this price range, it offers you the best backup. The other speakers offer around 7-8 hours. So it is a great boost.
I have used this at around 70-80% volume and it lasted for around 10 hours, which is pretty good. You shouldn’t have any complaint about its battery backup.
The only thing which caught my eye is that the portion where you need to connect the charger is covered by a rubber material. I felt with time the rubber cover would come off, which will then make it difficult to use it outdoor. They could have made the port area better.
Multiple features/connectivity options
You can get a stereo-like experience when the speaker is paired in a truly wireless function to another similar model. When both speakers are in Bluetooth Mode, press and hold the mode button on any one of the speakers to wirelessly interconnect both the speakers via TWS Function.
You can also just turn on the speaker and without connecting it to any Bluetooth device, just plug in an AUX cord or a USB or a micro-SD card and enjoy the music.
You can also answer calls while using the speaker’s microphone.
For increasing/decreasing the volume, long press the +/- button.
Or, you can also listen to the in-built FM Radio. Turn on the speaker and press the Mode button ‘M’, it will switch to FM Radio mode. You need to have the micro USB cable plugged in which will act as the antenna. Then long-press the ‘M’ button and it will auto search the radio channels. After the search is complete you can press the +/- button to change the radio stations.
But, here I would like to share my experience. I couldn’t turn the FM-Radio on at first. It’s very confusing to turn the radio on and then search for the channels. Even after I was able to turn on and search for the channels multiple times, I couldn’t listen to the FM radio as there was no channel. I don’t know the reason why it couldn’t search for the channels. I guess you shouldn’t even consider this feature. Even without the FM radio, this speaker is a value-for-money product.
Pros
- Loud and clear sound quality
- Audio quality is good including the bass
- Easy connectivity
- Long battery backup
- Multiple connectivity options
Cons
- FM radio doesn’t work properly
- Doesn’t feel or look premium
- ‘M’ button is a bit confusing
- The port area should have been made better
Verdict
Personally, I would suggest you to buy this product if you are looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker in this price range. Even if your range is under Rs 1000, you should spend another Rs 100-200 and go for this speaker.
The main criteria for me were to have a Bluetooth speaker which has great audio quality and lasts long enough. This speaker ticks all the right boxes. Most of the other speakers don’t even offer FM radio function, so you can omit that part.
Overall, this speaker is good for normal-everyday use.
You can buy it from here: https://amzn.to/2BonZFv
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