LG xboom Mini by will.i.am

Rugged Mini Bluetooth Speaker – Powerful and Waterproof

In a nutshell

The LG xboom Mini by will.i.am delivers good near-field sound, including USB audio streaming, a carrying strap for hanging it up, and IP67 protection on top. That makes the compact speaker, with its distinctive analog control wheel, a reliable companion whether outdoors in nature, by the pool, or in the bathroom. Only the ten-hour battery life comes in on the modest side.

Pros:

Lossless audio over USB-C
Real rotary dial
IP67 rating
Multipoint
Auracast with TWS and party mode
Price

Cons:

Battery life
Carrying strap isn't elastic
Distortion at high volume

With the LG xboom Mini, the South Koreans bring an extremely compact and rugged mini speaker for on the go that suits any occasion. Visually, it doesn’t come across as overly outdoor-focused either, cutting a good figure in the living room too.

Mini Hardware
Features and Controls
Sound
Conclusion
FAQ
Technical Specifications

Mini Hardware

The bottom line: At just 220 grams and palm-sized, the LG xboom Mini fits in any bag, yet thanks to IP67 and military-grade certification it also shrugs off dust, dirt, and a dip in the pool.

The square body with its round mounted sound grille and the distinctive xboom lettering fits easily in one hand at 8.9 x 8.6 x 4.7 centimeters. At just 220 grams, carrying it is no burden either. Buttons sit on two sides, while the rotary-click dial additionally protrudes from the housing on the right. The speaker is available in black or sand.

We’ll unbox it for you! In this video, we’ll show you what’s in the box, the design and the key features of the mini speaker.

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On the underside sits a quarter-inch threaded mount, which lets you screw the speaker onto a small tripod or matching bracket.

The carrying strap lets you hang the speaker up. Unfortunately, it isn’t elastic, which makes attaching it to a bike handlebar or tent pole unnecessarily tricky.

IP67 protection along with additional certification to military standard MIL-STD-810H makes the speaker resistant to dust, dirt, and water, including submersion up to one meter deep for 30 minutes.

Inside works a 1.75-inch woofer, which gets extra tonal support from a bass reflex port on the back. Maximum output power sits at 5 watts. At medium volume, the battery lasts around ten hours. For the full outdoor experience far from any power outlet, that’s on the modest side.

Charging happens via USB-C; the same port also enables wired, lossless audio streaming. A quick tip: after connecting the USB-C cable, you need to press the Bluetooth button three times quickly in a row to activate the connection. In the app, this can then be switched to automatic.

: @ LG Electronics

Features and Controls

The bottom line: Between AI-assisted sound, multipoint, stereo pairing, and party mode for ten speakers, the app offers plenty of sound fine-tuning – if you prefer to keep it simple, just turn the analog dial.

Bluetooth 5.4 ensures fast, hassle-free pairing with the LG xboom Mini. Thanks to multipoint, two sources can play simultaneously, and the wireless connection stays stable and stutter-free at distances beyond 40 meters.

Via TWS, two xboom Mini speakers can be linked into a genuine stereo pair. Party link mode connects up to ten compatible speakers together. This works directly on the speaker, though it’s more convenient through the “LG ThinQ” app.

There, under “Sound Effect,” you’ll find three EQ presets as well as AI-assisted sound tuning, which can be further fine-tuned across bass, mids, and highs. Rounding this out is a six-band EQ for customized sound control beyond the preset options.

Two enhancement modes offer further adjustment options:

Play Time Enhance extends playback time by disabling all EQ modes.
Sound Field Enhance noticeably widens the soundstage and delivers a punchier, more powerful sound impression, at the cost of slightly emphasized highs and mids.

The heart-shaped button on the speaker serves as a shortcut, either to additional audio content within the app or, if configured individually, for quick EQ switching.

Add to that the usual convenience features like a sleep timer, custom naming, and auto shut-off.

One interesting option is “Power On via Bluetooth”: it puts the speaker into a standby mode from which it can be activated via Bluetooth. This is a feature more commonly found on Wi-Fi speakers. It saves you a trip to the speaker but comes at the cost of battery life.

Under “Content,” the app also provides access to various radio stations, therapy sounds, or your own music library. Anyone who additionally installs the FYI.AI app can use generative AI to, according to the marketing copy, analyze personal preferences and create personalized stations with a continuous mix of music and current news, without any manual searching.

For anyone who finds that too much tech, simply reaching for the speaker’s grippy rotary dial lets you control music, tracks, and volume directly and manually.

Sound

The bottom line: Restrained in the bass but clear in the mids and highs – switch on Sound Field Enhance and the LG xboom Mini surprisingly punches above its size, as long as you don’t push the volume too far.

Sound-wise, it’s remarkable time and again what comes out of such tiny speakers. Whether placed directly on a table in front of you or dangling from a backpack, the LG xboom Mini delivers a powerful, balanced sound that leans toward emphasizing mids and highs while staying tastefully restrained in the bass.

That doesn’t diminish the overall impression, though – the EQ presets or the manual EQ make it easy to dial in the right sound. In the power-saving mode (Play Time Enhance), however, the sound comes across as rather flat and lacking in punch.

The LG xboom Mini leaves its best impression with Sound Field Enhance switched on: it delivers a pleasantly wide, clear sound that fills rooms larger than just a tent. Up to about two-thirds of maximum volume, it sounds consistently good; beyond that, distortion increasingly creeps in.

Anyone wanting to get even more out of the speaker should reach for the cable: lossless signals pay off with a punchier bass and clearer mids and highs.

Conclusion

The LG xboom Mini by will.i.am impresses sonically at close range. With Sound Field Enhance switched on, the sound even reaches a bit further into the room. The app’s sound-shaping options and feature set are good to above average.

A genuine plus is the ability to run the speaker wired and lossless, which noticeably pays off in sound quality.

The design convinces too: the analog rotary dial on the rugged housing allows for quick, hassle-free control.

The LG xboom Mini is available for 39 euros, and anyone wanting to try out stereo operation will find an affordable way to do so here. What remains is the somewhat thin ten-hour battery life – some competitors don’t do any better, though others do.

FAQ

Is the LG xboom Mini waterproof?
Yes, thanks to an IP67 rating and additional certification to military standard MIL-STD-810H, it withstands dust, dirt, and even brief submersion up to one meter deep.

How long does the LG xboom Mini’s battery last?
At medium volume, the battery lasts around ten hours. The power-saving Play Time Enhance mode can extend playback further, at the cost of sound quality.

Can two LG xboom Mini speakers be paired into a stereo set?
Yes, via TWS two speakers can be linked into a genuine stereo pair. Party link mode also allows pairing of up to ten compatible speakers.

What does USB-C audio streaming offer on the LG xboom Mini?
USB-C lets you drive the speaker wired and lossless, resulting in a punchier bass and clearer mids and highs.

Can the LG xboom Mini be operated without the app?
Yes, the analog rotary-click dial on the speaker controls music, tracks, and volume directly and manually, with no need for the LG ThinQ app.

How much does the LG xboom Mini cost?
The LG xboom Mini is available for 39 euros, making it an affordable way to try out stereo operation with two speakers.