Not that Mini

With summer just around the corner (I’ll bet most of you are not looking forward to those not-so-chilly days ahead), carrying your tunes with you to the sweltering outdoors means tagging along all of summer’s grit and grime. The Jabra Solemate Mini portable wireless speaker might just be the solution. It’s a tough little music box that allows you to enjoy your time outdoors.

This rugged baby is designed to withstand sweat, dust and splashes, thanks to an all-round protective casing composed of rubber and other tough materials. It certainly explains why it’s a bit on the heavy side, despite its rather diminutive and fairly pocketable size (cargo pant pockets, perhaps). Also, don’t forget to check out the base of the speaker and its rather amusing contours that prevent the device from dancing around on slippery surfaces.

As with all Bluetooth speakers, pairing the Solemate Mini with your device is a cinch. The NFC functionality is a great plus, too. There’s also a 3.5mm audio jack for headphones.

To the left of the speakers are the audio jack, micro-USB slot and the power off/on and pairing mode toggles. At the top are the volume rockers as well as another button that serves as your battery-level announcer and answer/end function when you’re using the device as a speaker phone. No, you cannot control your music from here.

Performance-wise, the Solemate Mini is really powerful, considering it’s such a small box, although, being a bass person, I’m not that wowed with its bass output. I also noticed that the sound has a tendency to scatter once it’s maxed out, although you will not notice this unless you put your ear close to it.

AND SO...

The great thing about the Jabra Solemate Mini is its price. Compared to its competition, you can get this good-natured, sound-worthy gizmo for half the price of those in its class. If you want a very decent portable speaker, while wanting to save some cash for those beach and waterpark trips in the summer, this is probably your best bet.

The Launchpad