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Review: Gear4 Espresso Bluetooth Speaker — Small but Powerful

The Gear4 Espresso Bluetooth speaker is a cute looking speaker designed to resemble a cup. But don’t be fooled by its unassuming looks because it packs quite the punch.

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KEY SPECS:

  • Bluetooth 3.0
  • Boosted bass via an additional passive radiator
  • 4 hours of playback
  • Handle clip
  • Range of up to 10m
  • Available in multiple colors

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In the box, you will find the Espresso unit, a micro USB cable and a Quick Start Guide.  The unit has a 4 hour battery life, and a range of up to 10 meters or around 30 feet.

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DESIGN:

The Gear4 Espresso is aptly named because, well, it looks like a small espresso cup. The speaker is made of a nice, good quality plastic. It’s easy to carry, and feels light and solid.

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Up top is the speaker grill.  The bottom is made of a soft rubbery material, likely designed to keep it from sliding, and at the same time absorb some of the vibration the speaker emits. You will also find the power button there (which, admittedly, took me awhile to find). The unit does not have any play/pause and volume buttons.

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At the back you will find the micro USB charging port and the LED indicator. You can charge this on your PC or micro USB charger. You can also use a power bank, making this a convenient travel buddy.

The “cup” handle serves as a clip. You can secure it on your jacket, bag, bike or whatever if that’s how you roll.

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PERFORMANCE:

The Espresso works with almost any Bluetooth 3.0 and up device. And just like most Bluetooth devices, pairing it with your smartphone is very straight forward. Just turn it on, find it using your Bluetooth enabled device and pair. I like that it emits a beep to let you know it’s connected/disconnected, and if its battery is low.

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To be honest, I wasn’t expecting too much because of its size and the way it looked. But I was quite surprised at the quality of sound that came out of such a small cup. It’s actually pretty good. The sound is rich. Dynamic range is great for its size. The bass is also there (although it’s not too deep; which is acceptable if you ask me, considering its size). And it’s loud and powerful enough for some private listening with friends. And best of all, it’s not tinny or “tunog-lata.”

One negative though, is that sound quality suffers a bit from distortion when played at full volumes (which is, again, acceptable considering the size).

WRAP UP:

If you are looking for a small, affordable Bluetooth speaker, then this could be for you. It sounds great, easy to carry, and has a 4 hour battery life. The Gear4 Espresso Bluetooth speaker retails for P1,350, and it is available at Digital Walker boutiques nationwide.

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Gear 4 Espresso is distributed by Digits Trading. Find more  information about them and their products by liking them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/digitstrading).

Bryan is a geek at heart and a tech enthusiast by choice. He has a strong background in corporate communications, marketing services, and customer relations having worked in the telecommunications and banking sectors for over two decades. In his spare time, he enjoys watching clips on YouTube and binge watching shows on Netflix.

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