Design
The Wonderboom Freestyle’s design is simple and neat, made to survive bumps and falls. It has a 93.5mm circular base, is 102mm tall and weighs 425 grams. It’s a squat cylindrical device, made of mix of plastic and rubber. The speaker is perfect for any type of outdoor activity as you can easily carry it in one hand or keep in your backpack without any hassle. It also has a loop to hang it on your bag or bike. You will find three buttons on the top of it: one for turning it on/off, one for controlling Bluetooth connectivity and one for playing/pausing and skipping the tracks.
There is also a small LED, which tells you if the speaker is powered on and the battery needs recharging. Also, there are large “+” and “-” buttons placed on the front of the speaker, controlling volume up and down, respectively. The USB port is protected by a small tab on the bottom of the speaker. The cylindrical design makes it look pleasing to eyes.
The Wonderboom Freestyle is entirely waterproof and dustproof with an IP67 rating. You can dip the speaker in water up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes and it will still continue playing. Thus, the speaker can be used in swimming pools, beaches and even muddy fields.
Performance
The speaker comes with two 40mm drivers fitted inside along with two 46.1mm x 65.2mm passive radiators. There is no subwoofer present and the bass is produced by the reverberation of the sound inside the speaker's body. Just like its predecessors in the series, the Wonderboom Freestyle gets surprisingly loud for its size. It generates 360-degree sound; and from any angle, it will make you feel as if you’re facing the speaker. The best part about the sound of the Wonderboom Freestyle is that even at higher volume, the voice doesn't get distorted.
While it can be audible in situations with lots of background noise, you'll appreciate the Wonderboom’s sound more in quieter and ideal listening environment. The speaker is more than enough for a medium-sized room. Also, you can sync two Wonderbooms together to get an even louder sound output.
Connectivity
Setting it up was also a no-brainer. Just turn on your mobile's Bluetooth, press the power button followed by the BT button on the speaker to pair the devices. You only have one wireless connectivity option, Bluetooth; and no other port or cable is fitted other than the USB port for charging the device. The speaker has a range of just over 30 metres and that's sufficient.
Battery
Battery life of Wonderboom freestyle is listed as extending to around 10 hours. And in this department, the Wonderboom didn’t disappoint us as it lived up to at least 9 hours of our usage, which is pretty good. Charging the speaker from zero to 100 per cent takes a little over two hours.
Should you buy?
The UE Wonderboom Freestyle is a compact bluetooth audio speaker that delivers big sound. At Rs. 6,995, you’re getting a portable and rugged speaker, which is water and dust resistant and also offers 360-degree sound. Though it misses out on 3.5mm audio port and voice-calling support, but other features it has make the Wonderboom Freestyle a great deal at this price point.