Xiaomi launched its new Sound Outdoor Bluetooth speaker alongside the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus last month. It overshadowed the Redmi phone in terms of value proposition. For the asking price of INR 3,999 (approx. $45), it punches above its weight and delivers impressive performance. Here’s what you need to know about Xiaomi’s best value-for-money product this season.
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Bluetooth speaker is small enough to fit in any backpack you’d take trekking. Weighing 597 grams and measuring 196.6 x 68 x 66mm, the speaker is designed to be your portable travel companion, and it reflects in its design language. The device is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance and features a rubberized lanyard for hanging it on your bag or a hook.
While I haven’t felt limited by it, I prefer a Sony Ult Field 1-style threaded lanyard because it’s more versatile and can be tied to more places. That being said, it ticks all the right boxes for an outdoor portable, budget Bluetooth speaker.
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor features a lot of buttons, including three over the lanyard – Power, Bluetooth, and Link. On the top, you’ll find volume controls and a play/pause button that doubles as a call pickup button, which is possible because of the included mic for hands-free calling. I picked a few calls on this and my callers said that my voice sounded clear and free of echo.
Setting up the Xiaomi Sound Outdoor is effortless and requires just one press of the power button. It automatically enters pairing mode when switched on for the first time. If you have two of these speakers, you can pair them using the Link button to create a stereo output. There’s also a multi-speaker mode that delivers a standard mono mix – better for setups with more than two speakers.
Xiaomi claims you can link up to 100 Sound Outdoor speakers, but I couldn’t test that. However, pairing two of them is simple. The process involves pressing the Link button, and that’s it. The stereo effect is very good, with no latency between the two speakers.
Coming to sound quality, this budget-friendly Xiaomi portable speaker offers an impressive music experience with a 30W power output. For context, the more expensive JBL Flip 5 offers a 20W power output with an IPX7 rating and similar battery life. While the JBL speaker has a wider soundstage, the Xiaomi speaker isn’t far behind – impressive for a speaker priced 40% less.
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Bluetooth speaker exceeds expectations for its size. It’s equipped with dual woofer radiators on both sides to deliver a fuller bass. It’s energetic and powerful. The speaker has a bass-heavy tuning but vocals remain clear, and the mids and highs are well-balanced. It gets surprisingly loud for its size, with no noticeable distortion at high volumes.
Plus, you won’t have issues hearing vocals at lower volumes. It’s usually a problem as higher frequencies become overwhelming to drown the mids. But Xiaomi’s smart volume balancing feature adjusts the audio to ensure a consistent listening experience across volume levels.
The company promises 12 hours of battery life at 50% volume. In my testing, it lasted approximately nine hours at 60%-80% volume, which is better than many more expensive portable speakers.
Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Speaker Review: Verdict
The Xiaomi Sound Outdoor Bluetooth speaker offers exceptional value at INR 3,999 (approx. $45). It’s available for $70 at Amazon.com in the USA, and it’s stil good value.
For that price, you’re getting a good-sounding outdoor speaker with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, alongside a full suite of controls, and the ability to take calls via its included mic – a feature typically found in more expensive Bluetooth speakers. I highly recommend buying two of these for your next trek or outdoor activities.
