Bang & Olufsen brand B&O Play recently announced the Beoplay A1, the company’s smallest Bluetooth speaker to date. The dome-shaped new Beoplay A1 is not only the smallest wireless speaker from the Danish company, but also the most affordable at $249, £199 in the UK and AU$379 in Australia.
The company certainly did not option to play it conservative when it comes to the Beoplay A1’s build. The speaker is round, short, and aluminum, measuring just 5.2 inches wide by 1.9 inches tall, weighing in at slightly over a pound. The new shape allows for 360-degree sound, which we have seen in other speakers, but taking the pancake approach alternatively of the water bottle style we have seen before should keep it from being knocked over so easily.
The speaker has two drivers — a 3.5-inch mid cone woofer and a 3/4-inch tweeter. It manages to play very loud for its size, it delivers a surprising amount of bass and is very strong in the midrange where vocals live.
As its shape implies, it also doubles as a speakerphone and it’s a good one. The other plus is the strong battery life — it is rated at 24 hours thanks to a 2,200mAh internal rechargeable battery and an efficient adaptive power management system. It is worth noting that it charges with a USB-C cable, not a standard Micro-USB cable.
Designed by well-known Danish furniture designer Cecile Manz, the aluminum-clad A1 is clearly meant to take on Bose popular SoundLink Mini II wireless speaker, and it’s one of the best-sounding mini Bluetooth speakers have heard, while it better be considering its elevated price point.
