If you’ve been searching endlessly for a compact portable bluetooth speaker that looks like a doorknob then rejoice, Huzzah! Presenting the Q-BOPZ Bluetooth Speaker Stand, an interesting little device from QDOS, a team of mobile accessory moguls who aim to create “phone cases with personality, speakers that make your ears prick up and screen protectors that are good for your health”, certainly a much more appetising personal guarantee than any other store won’t you agree?
The Q-BOPZ is a groovy little speaker that connects wirelessly to any iProduct, smartphone, tablet, PC and pretty much any other device that can stream Bluetooth audio, and it does so with so much ease, in seconds in fact. Equipped with a suction cup stand, the Q-BOPZ can be placed anywhere to make listening to your music even easier, why with a waterproof silicone skin you’ll be taking it into the shower in no time. The final feature the Q-BOPZ boasts is a tiny microphone, which when paired with your phone lets you conduct wireless hands-free conversations from anywhere around you. Weighing at just 90g and carrying a nice 3W of power, it does sound like a pretty handy portable device to have in your arsenal, so lets tear the box open.
I am indeed presented with a blue silicone doorknob, which is by no means a negative, I mean what else do you expect a speaker to look like. With a near flat silver speaker on top and covered entirely in a protective splash-proof skin, there is a definite sense of durability when holding the Q-BOZ, I was even confident enough to nudge it off the kitchen counter onto the tiled floor, you’ll be glad to hear it bounced vigorously. Hidden behind a silicone dust cover you’ll find the power switch and micro USB port to charge with the cable provided in the box. On the opposing side you’ll find the 3 button interface, though it looks very basic it’s honestly all you need from a speaker, the middle button is your ‘Answer/Hang Up’ option for those hands-free calls, and on either side you’ll find the ‘Volume Up’ and ‘Volume Down’ buttons. Finally, turn the speaker upside down and you’re presented with the suction cup, which is a big enough size to attach on any surface. The cup itself provides a tough grip but as you can expect its all relative to what you place it on; the cup also is where you’ll find an LED light which tells you when its on, when it needs charging and when its fully charged.
Now lets play some music. For it’s size it does deliver an impressive sound quality permitted you don’t crank the volume up too high, as a too harsher track will sound distorted above 75% volume, which unfortunately was the case a little too often for my music choice (heavy metal), but for more less angry tracks it was a much smoother listen. The volume control is decent enough, but for the more frivolous music fan who prefers their tunes bangin’ as loudly as possible, then this won’t be the speaker for you. The sound quality does obviously differ between mediums, whether it be via Youtube, Spotify or Netflix, but generally the overall quality was pretty good. QDOS claim the Bluetooth connectivity can stretch to 10 metres yet I struggled to maintain a steady link from just half of that. The biggest disappointment I found was the quality of the microphone, which during my test I found to be inconsistent and fairly poor. I really had to stick my face into the microphone to be heard clearly and loud enough on the other end, which is not comfortable nor ideal for an alternative to sticking your phone on loudspeaker. The caller on the other hand sounded clean and crisp, so the speaker part once again works great, but its a shame about the mic. Finally the battery life which surprisingly for a Bluetooth device boasts a pretty impressive life span of at least 7 hours of continuous play … but at a slight cost. If the speaker is kept at a 70-75% volume level you can expect to be entertained for over 10 hours, which was the case for me, yet more adventurous users going higher than that will find their speaker dipping around the average 5-7 hour mark.
At the time of writing you can pick up one of these gadgets for £25, which is a great price for what is essentially a fantastic budget Bluetooth speaker. Available in a range of different colours and themes, you’ll find everything you’re after in this robust, easy to use and reliable device. For those that like their music more bass driven and loud, then look elsewhere, the simplicity of the Q-BOPZ makes it a more than handy speaker to carry around, but its by no means the best on the market; an X-Mini, though not wireless, may be more up your street. Considering its good battery life, small size and low price, its definitely a worthwhile purchase for those looking for a simple portable wireless accessory that does pack a small scale punch. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for what else QDOS has up their brightly coloured quirky sleeves in the future.
Disclaimer:All scores given within our reviews are based on the artist’s personal opinion; this should in no way impede your decision to purchase the game.
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