Pocket Insider Latest Technology Review
In the world of mobile technology, portable speakers are very commonly used to accommodate smartphones and even tablets. Arctic, who has a solid track record on various cooling products and earphones now has a pair of solid performing speakers to offer. This is definitely a very competitive segment that Arctic is trying to enter, but will it stand up to the competition?
Features:-
Arctic S111M
- Dimensions: 70mm x 70mm x 70mm
- Weight: 451 g
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Output Power: 4W(2W x 2) RMS
- Battery Life: 12 hours
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer 2000mAh
- Connection: Wired 3.5mm stereo jack
Arctic S111BT
- Dimensions: 70mm x 70mm x 70mm
- Weight: 432 g
- Impedance: 4 Ω
- Output Power: 4W(2W x 2) RMS
- Battery Life: 12 hours
- Battery Type: Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer 2000mAh
- Connection: Bluetooth 4.0/wired 3.5mm stereo jack
Review
Design & Build Quality
The speakers themselves come in a tiny compact cube measuring at 70mm³ and comes in a very well designed case to protect the speakers while users are transporting them. Available in black, blue, lime, pink and white – the Arctic S111 is made of glossy plastic minus any speaker grills thus revealing a beautifully crafted speaker cone.
Despite the compact body, the speakers carry sufficient weight to it that they feel solid and are capable of throwing a few punches when connected.
On the backside of the S111M, users will find the volume knob, which is also the power button, an LED indicator light that changes color as the battery life decreases and a 3.5mm stereo jack input.
The S111BT which sports a wireless Bluetooth 4.0 connection has a slightly different configuration on the rear. The rotational volume knob is now replace with 2 push buttons for volume control and a power/connectivity button right at the bottom of it. The S111BT also comes with an additional input for a 3.5mm stereo jack.
Charging ports are the same on both models, utilizing a microUSB type connection.
Overall, we like the minimalistic appearance of the S111’s design – it looks modern and is not overly complicated to operate.
Battery Life
On paper, Arctic promises users battery life of up to 12 hours, a very admirable number considering the size of the speakers themselves. During our tests, playing the speakers from fully charged at approximately 50% volume, we are able to get 10.5 hours of playtime on both the wired and bluetooth versions. As the batteries start to deplete, users will begin to notice the LEDs changing from blue to red and eventually completely red before the speakers power off.
Audio Quality
Both the S111M and S111BT uses the same hardware configuration which has a speaker with peak output at 4W RMS. With that being said, users should expect crisp mid to high ranges but should not rely on a heavy bass from the pair.
For our test, we played the track“The Prayer by Celine Dion & Andrea Bocelli”. As expected the highs and mids were very crisp but still tamed without sounding too aggressive. This is is especially difficult to achieve with such a small form factor and price point.
We then proceeded with a track with a slightly heavier bass “Too Close by Alex Clare”. The S111’s struggled a little here but overall held itself together pretty well. The bass wasn’t as deep or punchy as expected but definitely does not sound hollow when we had the volume turned up.
Both devices fared really well in providing actual stereo sound with obvious sound separation between the left and right speaker. Volumes were loud enough to fill the living room at 70% loudness on both the models we tested.
Final Thoughts
With a price tag of $27.99 for the S111M and $34.99 for the S111BT, both these Arctic speakers are a great option for users that are on a budget but want a speaker that is slick, portable and provides a decent sound quality. The 12 hour battery life is definitely a welcome for users whom will need to use them throughout the day.
