For those living in the northern lands of their home country, you may know by now that fall has ended and the brutal cold and ice storms are on their way; we call this winter, something that forces us indoors and makes it feel like time has slowed down.
While the summer pool events have ended, that doesn’t mean the events will stop and while we are trapped behind the warmth of our home’s exterior walls, it certainly doesn’t mean the music has to stop either.
With Thanksgiving over, American radio stations will begin playing their Christmas tunes alongside their regular broadcasts and there are many who enjoy these Christmas tunes as much as I do. This festive season, I’ve decided to even add some low Christmas background music to my home that sets the mood just right.
I’ve reviewed a fair share of room speakers ranging from the highest tier models to this tiny little speaker in the spotlight today. When asked to review the iClever Bluetooth speaker, I took interest mainly due to its small form and positive Amazon reviews following it.
With my rock and roll playlist ready, alongside the Christmas tunes, of course, I set the speaker up in a decent sized room that contains a fair amount of furniture. Having a stylish design and a center located 5W speaker, can the little speaker hold up to my standards?
Welcome to my review of the iClever IC-BTS02 Bluetooth Wireless Speaker. Throughout this overview, I will take a look at the speaker’s design, functionality, and share my final thoughts. Thank you to iClever for providing this device.
Design
This 11.2-ounce speaker is such a tiny device that its base fits easily in the palm of my hand. With measurements of 2.25 inches wide x 3 inches high, the speaker can be concealed behind a picture or object in the room and go completely unnoticed.
The housing of the IC-BTS02 is composed of a metal frame that is then covered in a chrome finish. Located in the center of the body is a single blue strap which adds a taste of color to the reflective and fingerprint-attracting chrome surface.
Below the blue strap is a front facing microphone that is used for hands-free calling and a single Bluetooth operation/phone control button that glows blue. Flip the unit to its back to discover the micro USB port for charging and a single 3.5mm input jack.
As for I/O of this speaker, iClever chose to mount the button controls on the bottom of the unit. Here you will find the power switch, Play/Pause, Skip/Rewind, and volume control buttons. The I/O of the unit is unfortunately not lit, so it can become difficult to read in the dark. Also located on the bottom of the speaker is a rubberized pad which prevents slipping.
Finally, the top surface of the speaker contains an oddly placed Bluetooth logo centered within the black mesh that covers the speaker’s internals.
Functionality
Since this is a wireless speaker, a requirement that it must pass is a battery test to ensure that it can outlast the party or event.
Its internal lithium-ion battery does a decent job at keeping the tunes pumping, and as long as it’s not run for the entire day, you can squeeze the 8-hour mark that iClever says you’ll get. I’ve used the speaker here and there and with over a month of doing that have yet to plug it in for a recharge. This means the battery maintains its charge over long periods of time.
As for durability, the speaker has been well taken care of, but accidental drops and bumps come with everyday use. To this day, the speaker remains in the same condition as the day it arrived even after a drop or two as well as an accidental bang against a metal chair. Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, the only complaint I have of the body is that the chrome finish loves to collect fingerprint smudges and unless a cleaning agent like Windex is used, it is hard to clean.
When listening to my music playlists I was certainly enjoying the music, but my jaw didn’t hit the floor in excitement of how well it sounded. The single 5W speaker does an okay job for some background music or perhaps a small gathering, but room filling sound is not this speaker’s strong point.
Having only one speaker inside creates a monotone sound and even though the product page for this unit includes the “BASS+” wording, the speaker has barely any , if at all. Rock and roll songs are not as bass heavy as some other genres, but they do use some and it was apparent that it was lacking.
The louder the volume the more you began to notice its tinny speaker effect, and while it’s not as bad as some speakers, this one aspect was noticeable, but it was at least able to hold its own when it came to the lows and mids.
It doesn’t end there as there’s the hands-free calling aspect of the device. I have one question for iClever and it is “Why?” Why put a hands-free calling feature in a tiny little Bluetooth speaker; was it for the add-in feature to get people to buy it? Was it to charge just a little bit more? Either way, it was something that I never used nor wanted to use. The microphone is located on the bottom of the speaker which means you may have to yell, depending on the speaker’s location, to your speaker just for the person to hear you. Sure, it’s useful to have if you’re into hands-free, but my recommendation is to use the speaker option on your phone.
While this may sound negative, the speaker is enjoyable for the background tunes, and for what the speaker costs, it’s hard to find something better and smaller. I’m still enjoying the Christmas tunes and this unit’s size allows it to fit in well in an office cubicle or classroom.
My Final Thoughts
Priced at $24.99, the iClever speaker is a well-priced unit and when asking others what they would pay for it, they priced it higher and expected the price to be in the upper $40s. I see this speaker to be perfect for those in a college dorm room or perhaps a small office room in which it can play general background music. As long as the slight tinny effect doesn’t get to you, then it’s a well-designed and solid little speaker.
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