INTRODUCTION

   Summer is almost upon us people so i expect that it won’t be long now before most of you storm the beaches around the world (like some friends of ours I’m guessing some of you already have) so just like pretty much everyone we know you're probably looking for ways to make your time there more pleasant and carefree. Now there are plenty of things one can bring along while at the beach but there are only two devices which happen to be at the top of the list especially amongst teenagers (not including smartphones obviously). So according to what we hear from friends and family, even from some of you via emails and FB messages the number one gadget people consider bringing along is a portable battery pack (PowerBank) followed very closely by a compact wireless speaker. A couple of our readers even mentioned large Boombox stereo speakers which is somewhat funny since back in the day that was our number one to bring toy when at the beach and why not even a guitar if someone knew how to play (smartphones were in their infancy back then). Times however change and now with the help of smartphones tiny portable speakers have effectively all but replaced the many times larger Boombox stereo speakers and so today we'll be taking a thorough look at the latest Solemate Mini Portable Wireless Speaker by Jabra.

   GN Netcom, led by the Jabra brand, continues to build on its standing as one of the world’s leading and fastest growing suppliers of hands-free communications solutions. With approximately 875 employees and sales offices around the world, GN Netcom develops manufactures and markets a broad range of wireless headsets for mobile users and both wireless and corded headsets for contact center and office-based users. GN Netcom’s business activities also include its original equipment manufacturing (OEM) business to a wide range of global customers including mobile phone, PC and PDA manufacturers.

   A while back Jabra released the 172mm long, 64mm wide and 70mm tall Solemate Portable Wireless Speaker which featured not one but two soft dome tweeters, one mid/woofer and a bass radiator to produce a very good amount of volume (for its size always) for up to 8 hours. So since the original was quite compact we never expected for Jabra to design and manufacture an even smaller version (if any we expected a larger) but to our surprise they did and named it the Solemate Mini. Well the new Solemate Mini is indeed smaller (roughly 48% smaller to be exact) and measures 125mm in length, 53mm in width and 61mm in height with a weight of just 295g (as opposed to the 610g of the original). Of course certain sacrifices had to be made because of its size and so it wears just two full range speakers and a bass radiator. However because of that (and also thanks to EDR mode which was not supported in the original Solemate) its battery although smaller compared to that of the original Solemate still gives it up to 8 hours of music playback. The rest of the features are roughly the same so the Solemate Mini has a wireless range of 10m, can be paired with up to 9 devices (only connects with one at a time), has an Omni-directional microphone for calls, is NFC compatible and comes with support for the usual A2DP (v1.2), hands free (v1.6) and headset (v1.2) profiles. Well the time has come for us to move forward with this review and see how well it does compared to its larger brother.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The Solemate Mini arrived inside a small box with a large product image at the front right next to the Jabra logo, compatible devices and the NFC logo.

On the right side of the box you can see a picture showing all the available connectors.

You can take a quick look at the main features of the product on the left side.

At the rear you can see a picture of the product without the front grill, a picture of the product that shows the cable storage at the base and finally 3 boxes used to show its place in the Solemate family of speakers.

Listed at the bottom of the box are the contents of the bundle along with a quick product description in 12 languages.

Inside the box you will find the Solemate Mini with the 3.5" audio cable mounted at the bottom, microUSB to USB cable, warranty paper, product registration paper and the user’s guide.

THE SOLEMATE MINI

Much like the larger Solemate the Solemate Mini features a rugged splash-proof exterior housing made by ABS (Acryl Butadiene Styrene) and TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane).

To showcase its size we placed it right next to the tiny RockDoc 4GB memory speaker.

The answer/end/redial calls button (also used to check the status of the battery and to enable Bluetooth pairing) is placed at the top right between the volume control buttons (tap both buttons to mute the microphone).

If you want to use the Solemate Mini with NFC you will have to touch your NFC compatible devices on the left side.

On the right side we see the On/Off power switch, 3.5mm jack port, microUSB charging port and the Omni-directional microphone.

The 3.5mm audio cable is placed at the bottom just like with the original (it's not as long however).

Here we see the front of the Solemate Mini without the grill (marketing material).

It really goes without saying that it's highly recommended to download the latest firmware update for the Solemate Mini from the Jabra support page.

CONCLUSION

   As i write these lines in front of me i have the Solemate, Solemate Mini and Solemate MAX wireless portable speakers by Jabra because it really helps having tested all the models in a specific product line. Of course i can't really speak about the massive Solemate MAX since that review is still ongoing but i have to admit that the Solemate Mini was a bigger surprise overall since for its size it actually puts up one hell of a fight against its larger brother the original Solemate. If i had to guess I’d say that it's roughly 20% less powerful but having almost half the size that's not bad at all. Unfortunately it doesn't offer the same amount of bass as the Solemate but it does very good in mids/highs so unless you really like listening to bass heavy tunes it will do perfectly. We did find that the battery can hardly last 7 hours with the volume turned all the way up (as expected since manufacturers never test the battery life with the volume maxed out) but on the other hand it took roughly just two and a half hours for a full charge using a wall charger.

   With a huge number of wireless portable speakers in the market currently by a large number of manufacturers it's not very easy for any one company to stand out but Jabra has always offered top tier solutions at very fair price tags something that consumers around the world have embraced. The Solemate Mini (black) currently retails for USD99.47 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 73Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag that puts it amongst the lowest cost portable wireless speakers in the market by well-known and established brands. Certainly if you can afford to climb a bit higher you can opt for the normal Solemate or perhaps the A33 by TDK but for that amount of money the Solemate Mini is the obvious choice and that's why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Size/Weight
- Audio Quality (Mid/Highs)
- Volume Levels (for the size)
- Rugged Housing
- 3.5mm Output
- Speakerphone
- Battery Life
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Bass Levels (For Some)