Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Portable Bluetooth Speaker – Reviewed & Tested

Is phone in a cup over? Explorer Claire took the hand-sized Ultimate Ears MINIROLL speaker camping to see if its portability could provide high-quality tunes.

First things first, let’s address the elephant in the room: playing music on adventures.

What you do in your outdoor time is up to you, but my personal stance lies here: playing music on a hike is a no. Playing music at a gentle decibel on a fun camping trip is a yes. And for good measure, playing music (or anything out loud) on public transport is an unequivocal no. Don’t do that.

I tested the Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Portable Bluetooth Speaker on two coastal camping trips in NSW and also played it in non-adventure settings over a few months.

Safe to say, this is a piece of gear that can be used in many parts of life, both indoors and out.

Fits perfectly over the drink holder if you need to pace yourself

Quick Specifications

Price: $99.95
Height: 4.8cm
Length: 12.2cm
Weight: 279g
Battery Life: 12 hours
Drop Proof Height: 1.2m
Waterproof Depth: 1m up to 30 minutes
Bluetooth Range: 40m
Warranty: 2 years
Colourways: Gentle Black, Majestic Blue, Revive Grey, Calming Pink
Charge type: USB-C (charging cable not included)

Performance

Sound Quality

At first, I did find the sound a little flat, it wasn’t picking up bassy tones as well as a larger portable speaker probably would. Then I went into my Spotify EQ settings and changed it to Bass Booster mode and had all my first impressions squashed.

This thing can bass, hard. To the point where the sound was blown out at higher volumes and it bassed itself off my desk once.

Never played it loud enough to bass off the camp table of course

Once adjusted to a more balanced EQ setting, you can enjoy a nuanced sound experience that definitely beats the phone in a cup. And, if you have multiple MINIROLLs, you can daisy chain them up and play them throughout the house, or through a big field, if you really need to.

Battery Life

On average, I played music on the MINIROLL for about two hours a day, five days a week during work (we’re remote here at We Are Explorers, just to reassure anyone who thinks I’m hijacking my colleagues’ airspace).

I found the battery life to be truly excellent.

Obviously, I’m impressed

Ultimate Ears says the MINIROLL can play for up to 12 hours, and I thought that was accurate, albeit, a smidge conservative. With intermittent use, it would be a a couple weeks before needing to charge it again.

However, there are no verbal cues to indicate battery life so just make sure it’s charged up before going bush for a while.

Connectivity and Distance

I quickly have to mention its connectivity – I love it. The Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Portable Bluetooth Speaker connects to my phone or laptop faster than anything I’ve ever experienced. It has cute little sounds (I can only describe as ‘blobby’?) to indicate that it’s on, connected, and disconnected.

I wanted to test the 40m play range, so on a deserted beach I got my partner to take his largest steps to mark out approximate metres along the shore and I’d tell him to stop once the music cut out.

Unfortunately for him, this thing kept playing and he counted 110 approximate metres.

FAR more than the advertised 40m, even if we need to give or take a few metres for our lo-fi measuring tactics. Just to note, the beach didn’t have any obstructions in the Bluetooth range, and it may perform differently with walls or trees in the way.

The times I’ve played the MINIROLL at home it’s had no issue from devices moving from room to room.

Design

The small, sleek, and light design of the MINIROLL is what makes it truly portable. It doesn’t take up much pack space or weight and sits comfortably in the palm of your hand or in your back pocket. I really loved the Revive Grey, but it also comes in Gentle Black, Majestic Blue, and Calming Pink.

The back of the speaker has a nice silicone texture, and the front netting did well at repelling sand and dirt. It stayed quite clean through both camping trips and its days at home.

Looking as fresh as it did out of the box

There’s a back silicone strap that’s great for hanging the Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Portable Bluetooth Speaker from branches, hooks, backpacks (if you’re that way inclined…), or even on a belt loop – for fun of course. I mainly used it on a high wall hook at home to give the illusion of surround sound.

Sustainability

I can’t see any information on the Ultimate Ears website regarding their environmental stance or how they manufacture their products. The information in their About Us section speaks mainly to the sound quality, but they have mentioned that their products are made with military-grade fabrics. At least that’s something, you probably don’t have to repurchase their products often. However, as they are a brand of Logitech, it looks like you can recycle your speaker through Logitech’s recycling program.

Price

This is one where you don’t have to do some cost-per-play maths to justify dropping a lot of money. It’s cheap, especially compared to the other brands out there.

It performs far better than a crackly plastic speaker from some discount store and competes with the more known brands for sound quality. I think it’s money well spent.

Good luck prying this out of my hand

Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Speaker Final Thoughts

I think this is an absolute winner when it comes to portability, price, quality, and longevity. If you’re looking for a speaker that’s easy to use and isn’t some obnoxiously large boombox – the Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a no-brainer.

FAQs for Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Bluetooth Speaker

Is the Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Bluetooth Speaker waterproof?

Yes, but it’s not really something to go swimming with! It’s waterproof up to 1m, for 30 minutes. Which means it’s protected against accidental submersions or getting caught in the rain.

Does the Ultimate Ears MINIROLL Bluetooth Speaker have a warranty period?

It has a two-year limited hardware warranty, which means that if you find any defects in the material or workmanship you are generally eligible for a repair, replacement, or refund – read more on the T&Cs.

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