It can sometimes seem like portable Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen, which makes it difficult to figure out which ones are worth your investment or not. Tribit recently released the StormBox Micro , a small, portable Bluetooth speaker that not only pumps out impressive sound but boasts weather resistance too.
Tribit sent the StormBox Micro to us to do a portable bluetooth speaker review, so we put it through the paces to find out how well it performs in a variety of real-world applications.
Appearance: Compact but Convenient
The speaker lives up to its name. At 3.9 inches wide, 3.9 inches tall, and just under 1.4 inches thick, the speaker does not take up much space, nor does its weight get in the way of transporting it. The black exterior is nondescript, although it did make it difficult to pick out the top buttons at a glance.
The Tribit StormBox Micro has three buttons on top: a volume down and a volume up button, as well as the MultiFunctional Button. On the front of the portable bluetooth speaker is the power on and off button, the Bluetooth button, and a series of LED indicator lights that denote volume level and connectivity.
One feature that is worth noting about the exterior of the StormBox Micro is the integrated strap. It snaps into place on the bottom of the speaker but has a secure hold, making it perfect for looping around your belt while you’re mobile.
If you’re looking for flashing, pulsating LEDs that dance in time with your music, you’re out of luck. The StormBox Micro forgoes the bells and whistles for a plain, straightforward look, but what it lacks in style it makes up for in performance.
Sound Quality
The first thing you notice about the StormBox Micro is the sound quality. Despite its small size, this little speaker pumps up the volume. It is appreciably loud even at lower volume levels and can fill a room when maxed out.
In addition to the volume, the StormBox Micro produces a surprising amount of bass. Speakers of this size usually fall short due to the lack of space for subwoofers, but the StormBox Micro excels even in bass-heavy electronic music. Sure, it won’t compare to a dedicated speaker with a larger woofer, but at this size the StormBox Micro is hard to beat.
Even demanding songs like Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low” sound great on the speaker. It’s easy to detect instrumental position in the playback, and the StormBox Micro maintains a good sound balance with minimal distortion.
The primary issues that arose during playback were lower, bass-heavy moments sounding a bit washed out when higher sounds were dominant in a song. Of course, problems like this are expected when dealing with compact speakers.
Features and Functionality
The StormBox Micro has several notable features. It is designed to be used with a phone, as the Multifunctional Button , or MFB , has functionality catered toward phones. The StormBox Micro has two main playback modes: Music Mode and Conversation Mode .
In Music Mode, the MFB serves as the play and pause button when given a short press. A double press skips to the next track, while pressing it three times in a row goes back one track. If you press and hold for one second, the MFB will activate Siri on your phone.
Conversation Mode is a bit different. A short press of the MFB will answer or end a phone call, while pressing and holding for one second will reject the call. A short press during a phone call will put the call on hold to answer an incoming call, while subsequent presses will allow you to switch between two calls simultaneously.
Pair one StormBox Micro with another and you have access to even more features, including Party Mode and Stereo Mode . When you put the two speakers in Party Mode, you can play the same song in sync from both, spreading the sound out across a wider area.
Stereo Mode is where the power of the speaker really shines, however. The audio quality is already impressive for a device of this size, and on its own it has good spatial representation. When put in Stereo Mode, however, the speaker tells you which one is left and which is right.
Stereo Mode provides an audio experience that is on par with much higher-priced speakers. It’s impressive for such a small device, although if you have access to a set of high-end headphones, they will likely outperform the StormBox Micro.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for a way to get impressive audio quality even in your shower, the StormBox Micro might be your best option. With an IP67 weather resistance rating, the StormBox Micro can handle a lot of abuse–it’s water resistant up to a meter deep for half an hour.
Bluetooth and Battery Life
The Bluetooth functionality of the StormBox Micro is worth mentioning. It can pair with up to eight different devices total, and with up to two at the same time. That means there is no need to pass the aux cord, so to speak. If you and a friend are sharing music, all you have to do is pause your playback and your friend can start playing their music.
On a full charge, the StormBox Micro portable bluetooth speaker claims up to eight hours of battery life. While testing did not reveal an exact amount, the speaker played music for hours without a break and still had plenty of charge left over. Charging the speaker is easy, too–and included USB-C cable and a 5V plug is all you need.
StormBox Micro: Worth the Cost?
The Tribit StormBox Micro packs a lot of features into a small package, but it carries an equally small price tag. At just $50, it’s honestly hard to imagine a better Bluetooth speaker in this price range. There are options out there that may be louder and have more functionality, but they are more expensive too.
The StormBox Micro is loud, surprisingly effective where bass is concerned, and has enough features to make it a competitor against bigger brands., If you’re looking for a way to jam in the shower, this is your best bet.
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If you don’t have a full-sized printing machine at home and often need to print a document on the go, check out the Newyes portable printer . This wireless printer is lightweight and small enough to fit in your bag. Not to mention it’s environmentally friendly, since it uses thermal paper instead of ink.
Follow our review of the Newyes portable wireless thermal printer to see if it suits your printing needs.
Newyes Portable Wireless Thermal A4 Printer: First Impressions & Specs
When I was a student, I remember my university always required hard copies of documents. Luckily, there was a print shop on campus where I could always pop in to print something.
Then I became a professional, and to my surprise many life spheres still required me to have printed versions of documents with me. Of course you can get your own full-sized machine to print things at home, but if like me you live in a small apartment, you value every extra bit of space and don’t want a massive printer to take it up.
One day, when I was looking for a neighbor with a printer to help me with my event tickets, they introduced me to the concept of a portable printer. Seeing how easy it is to use, I immediately wanted to get my hands on one of those. So here I am, reviewing one of the most useful gadgets I received recently – the Newyes portable thermal printer.
Before we continue with this review, here is the full list of specs of this printer.
- Model: Newyes LD0801
- Dimensions: 10.4 x 1.2 x 2.28 in (265 x 58 x 30.5 mm)
- Weight: 16.8oz (475g)
- Paper format: A4
- Paper width: 210mm or 218mm
- Printing Type: thermal paper
- Resolution: 203DPI
- Connectivity: Bluetooth
- Charging port: USB type-C port
- Input Voltage: DC 5V / 2A
- Battery: 1200mAh lithium battery
- Charging time: 75 min
- Automatic shut down: after 30 minutes
- Stand-by: about 30 days
- Extra features: LED light, reset, on / off switch button
- Color: white, black
- Warranty: limited one year warranty
- Price: $199 on the Newyes website
If you find yourself in need of hard copies of important documents while on the move, the Newyes portable wireless thermal printer will become your go-to gadget. Newyes calls it “the world’s smallest printer”, and with the weight of under 500g this seems plausible. This mini printer offers a handy solution for those moments when you need to quickly print an important document but don’t have access to an office setup.
Operating this printer is a breeze – a simple Bluetooth connection is all that’s required. Once connected, just fire up the app, choose the file you want to print, and send it over. Efficiency is at the forefront, and you can easily print multiple sheets by inserting new pages back to back.
The only limitation this printer has is that it can only print in black. So even if your original file is in color, the printed document will still come out in black and white. Other than that – you can print a variety of file types including Excel, Word, PDF, JPG, PNG, and web pages – and it only takes seconds.
The Newyes portable wireless printer combines convenience, portability, and efficiency – all the things I appreciate in a modern gadget.
Design and Unpacking
Let’s have a closer look at the design and build of this smart printer, as well as what you get included in the package when you purchase it.
What’s in the Box
Here’s everything you’ll find when unpacking your Newyes portable thermal printer:
- The Newyes portable wireless thermal printer
- Bracket
- USB type-C cable
- Storage/carrying pouch
- 100pcs thermal printing paper
- User manual
You can use the Newyes portable printer right out of the box, as you’re all set with essential accessories. Aside from the printer itself, the package includes a bracket which will make printing more than one page smoother, a convenient storage bag for carrying your printer with you, a USB-C cable for charging, and a supply of 100 pieces of thermal paper to get you started.
One important thing to remember is that this printer only works with thermal paper. While thermal paper is significantly more expensive than normal paper, this printer also uses inkless printing and works without a ribbon and toner. Since you don’t have to spend money on ink, carbon ribbons or toner cartridges, you ultimately end up saving money with thermal paper.
The Newyes LD0801 is a pocket-sized printer that features straightforward design. For the purpose of this review, I had a printer in white color. The printer looks like a small white brick with just two pressable buttons on top – one for switching it on and off, and another for opening the printer’s cover. You’ll also see the paper entry slot on top of the printer.
On the side of the printer, you’ll find a single charging port.
The printer is made of plastic, but the build feels sturdy. I never have to worry about throwing it into my bag or damaging it when traveling. Besides, you can use a nice carrying pouch included in the package for protection.
Performance & Features
According to Newyes, the portable printer has a “handheld size and two times the weight of an iPhone”. This can give you an idea of how portable and convenient this little gadget is. In a month of testing, I used it at home, in a store, and even in a car while on the road.
Using the printer is unbelievably easy. Connect it to your mobile phone via Bluetooth, press the button to turn the printer on and put a sheet of thermal paper into the paper entry slot. Make sure to use thermal paper and not standard paper, and put it with the black marks facing down. Bear in mind that the thermal printer can only print in black and white and only on one (marked) side of the thermal paper sheet.
Then open the iPrint app on your smartphone. If you’re printing an A4 document, you can select one of two options – Photo Printing and Document Printing . Then choose the document from your phone’s files and print it.
The printer is reliable and in the time that I used it the Newyes LD0801 never let me down. The printing quality will surprise you, as it’s sometimes better than what you get from a full-sized printer. The printer supports printing in various formats, and you can use it to print documents from your smartphone (Android and iPhone), iPad, and Android tablet.
When fully charged, the printer can support up to 90 pieces of paper continuously, which is very impressive for a gadget of such a small size.
Software
The Newyes portable printer requires an iPrint app to operate. The app is available for free on iOS and Android. You’ll need to download the app on your device from the App Store or Google Play before you begin printing your documents.
The app has a simple and user-friendly design. You’ll need to pair your device with the printer on the first use via Bluetooth.
Depending on the type of document you want to print, you can choose different options from the app. There’s photo printing, document printing, web printing, and banner printing.
The app also has Materials and Template sections, where you can find various pictures and templates for printing to-do lists, post-its and holiday cards. You can also use the Newyes LD0801 as a label printer using these templates.
Battery Life
The Newyes portable wireless thermal printer is equipped with a decent 1200mAh lithium battery. This high-capacity battery allows you to print on the go without constantly worrying about running out of charge. When I received the printer, I charged it fully once, and it still hasn’t run out of battery after one month of use (I use it to print something almost every other day).
Charging this printer is quick and takes just over an hour to charge the printer from zero to full. The type-C charging cable facilitates a rapid charging experience. And if you run out of battery while on the go, you can quickly charge the printer from a portable power station or a power bank to continue printing.
The printer doesn’t support wireless charging, so I’d recommend always bringing the usb-c cable with you just in case.
Should You Buy the Newyes Portable Wireless Thermal Printer?
The Newyes portable thermal printer ensures high-quality wireless printing while on the go and easy operation. It’s not the most budget-friendly option, but this purchase will save you money and nerves in the long run thanks to its versatility and portable nature.
Personally, I can say that this printer made my life easier. So much that it’s probably my favorite smart gadget of the year. If you’re looking for a portable printer that won’t take any space in your house, I’d certainly recommend considering the Newyes LD0801 model.
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