Review: Powerful Capsule Speaker Caps Competition

The original capsule speaker that outperforms the competition in the same tiny form factor.

I took a look at a capsule speaker earlier this year from Divoom that came with fairly clear sound on a tiny unit that truly lived up to the idea of being ‘pocket-sized.’ Today we look at what is advertised as “the original capsule speaker” that outperforms the competition in the same tiny form factor.

The spherical speaker measures up to 60mm x 44mm when closed and weighs 83 grams. It has a weight in your hand that gives it the feel of a good quality speaker while still being ultra light and portable.

The 2W speaker pumps out sound with deep bass without compromising on clarity up to relatively high volumes. While it’s no replacement for bigger portable speakers you’d use on a laptop around the home, it’s gorgeous sound for such a tiny device.

When loosened, the speaker pops up with a spring-like coil on the inside, improving the range, clarity and bass on the unit. Holding the unit during playback lets you feel the light push of bass hits that are surprisingly deep.

Battery life fairs greater than the Divoom option at up to 12 hours of battery life (though typical of portable sound products, you’re more likely to reach a few hours short when you push the volume above medium).

The capsule is rechargeable via USB and plugs into music players with its in-built 3.5mm jack.

It comes with a tiny loophole in case users want to strap it to a keychain/phone etc, and it also comes in a range of colours that can make the speaker either cool or cute, though the black with red speaker stands out as the sleekest. Multiple capsule speakers can be hooked together for bigger sound.

The X-mini II Capsule Speaker sits at an RRP of $44.95 – around ten dollars more than the latest Divoom pocket-sized speaker – but is easily worth the extra dosh in comparison. While it’s good for what it is, a near-$50 price tag seems a bit much for such a tiny speaker that has limited appeal after the novelty runs out.

The X-mini II Capsule Speaker is distributed in Australia by New Age Trading.