If you’re looking for portable, Bluetooth-powered, wireless speakers, Sony is one of the brands to look into. And if you want something that you can carry around or just put on your desk, the Sony SRS-XB100 is perfect for that purpose. Read our thoughts about it below.

Sony’s SRS-XB series has been around for a while now, and we even have the XB10, which we got in 2017. It still works well and still looks good – a testament to the quality of the said line.

Compared to its predecessor, the XB100 feels familiar but more stylish, available in orange, blue, light gray, and black. The body and strap are partially made from recycled plastic materials to help reduce its environmental impact, but at the same time, gives a good rugged impression considering it has an IP67 water and dust resistance. This allows you to bring the XB100 near the pool or out in the rain.

The strap, on the other hand, is also versatile. Instead of just one fixed loop, you can unhook one side of it so you can easily loop it somewhere like your bag or a tree branch.

The XB100 goes beyond your typical Bluetooth speaker as it also has a speakerphone function with a built-in microphone for hands-free calling. It even has Echo Canceling, which allows two people to talk at the same time without cutting off either of them. To make it even cooler, if you or your friend has an extra XB100, you can pair the two with the help of Bluetooth 5.3 for a stereo sound. This makes it a great pair of desktop speakers as well.

As for the sound quality, we have a passive radiator that works together with a full-range speaker to enhance low-end tones, giving bass a boost. Although tiny, the XB100 also attempts at a surround sound with its Sound Diffusion Processor. This is easily noticeable when you’re using it on top of your desk while working, or on a table with your friends sitting around it. As for the battery life, the XB100 can provide up to 16 hours of playback and can be charged using a USB-C cable.

The Sony XB10 was our favorite portable wireless speaker. And now that there’s the XB100, we finally found something to succeed it as our new favorite. It looks good, is durable, sounds big for its size, has great connectivity features, has a long battery life, and doesn’t break the bank at PHP 2,999 (available via Shopee). It’s great for indoors as well as the outdoors.