Portable speaker Samsung LEVEL Box Slim black. A small portable speaker with a surprise. Samsung Level Box Mini

The Samsung LEVEL Box Slim wireless portable speaker was first presented in Las Vegas at the CES 2017 consumer technology exhibition. Its main difference from its predecessor models is its compact size and slim slim body.

Key Features

Among the nuances that distinguish this version from a number of similar products:

Practicality and reliability

The speaker is convenient to carry not only in the hand, but also in the pocket of trousers, shirts, jackets, jackets, backpacks. It is made in a durable black polycarbonate case and is not afraid of water, dust, dirt. Getting caught in the rain and even falling into the water, the device will not suffer. Thanks to this, it can be used at country picnics, during trips to the country, outdoor parties, and recreation near ponds.

Options

Mobile speaker Samsung LEVEL Box Slim has a power of 8 watts. The capacity of the built-in battery (2600 mAh) is enough for 30 hours of continuous operation with standard volume. If necessary, you can power and recharge your smartphone via a microUSB cable from the speaker.

Switching and control

Samsung LEVEL Box Slim easily connects via Bluetooth 4.1 to a tablet, smartphone or other audio source. For convenience and expansion of functionality, you can use the Samsung Level branded mobile application with Sound Alive mode (“sound field”), volume control functions and voice notifications.

With the above features, the dimensions of the speaker are only slightly larger than the dimensions of a Samsung smartphone, and the weight is only 236 grams.

A modern person appreciates mobility and freedom of movement, digital technology manufacturers support this desire and constantly release various compact-sized devices that have the most relevant characteristics and meet the desires of consumers. True music lovers will definitely like the novelty from the Japanese giant Samsung, which has been a leader in the global high-tech market for many years.

The Samsung Level Box Slim portable speaker system allows you to listen to your favorite songs from your smartphone or any other electronic gadget anywhere, for example, on vacation, on a trip or a trip to nature. The wireless design with a powerful battery and a loud speaker will diversify your leisure time and give positive emotions from the high-quality sound of your favorite tracks.

Sound

The speaker provides a clear and loud sound, which is achieved through a built-in 8W full-range speaker. The device belongs to acoustic type 2.0; its output power (RMS) is 20W. On the side panel there is a volume control with a wide range of settings.

Technical features

The body of the device is reliably protected from water or splashes in accordance with the international standard IPX7, which makes it an indispensable assistant in any environment, such as in the bathroom or outdoors. You can safely take the speaker with you anywhere, because the built-in 2600 mAh battery will provide a long battery life - about thirty hours of continuous listening. If the battery still runs out at the wrong time, and there is no outlet nearby, you can replenish the charge using a special device from the Level Box, which works from the car's cigarette lighter.

Connection to a smartphone is made via the Bluetooth wireless interface. The device can function as a handsfree headset. To do this, the configuration includes a microphone with active noise reduction, providing a clear conversation. A useful feature is the ability to charge from a smartphone device.

Ergonomics and design

The stylish and ergonomic speaker has compact dimensions of 148.4 x 79 x 25.1 mm and weighs only 236 g, which makes it easy to carry in any bag or pocket. The waterproof housing is made of durable plastic, the speaker is covered with a grill that protects it from damage. On the surface are mechanical buttons to control musical compositions. For convenience, a retractable stand is provided on the back. On sale, the device is presented in black, blue and red colors, allowing you to choose the best option that matches your style and taste.

SAMSUNG LEVEL Box Slim EO-SG930 portable speakers are presented in Citylink electronic discounter:

Portable speaker system Samsung Level Box Slim will be your faithful companion on any journey, wherever you go. Compact dimensions and long battery life provide optimal mobility of the device the speaker does not take up much space in your bag or backpack. The manufacturer presented the model in several colors, allowing you to choose the most suitable one. The advanced acoustic “stuffing” of the device, which has a stylish design and an attractive price, makes it a powerful competitor among similar devices.

Happy shopping at Citylink!

Pro column according to Samsung - similar to Bose SoundLink mini, works half as much as JBL Charge 3, no water protection, no ability to charge gadgets, costs 11,990 rubles ...

Contents of delivery:

Column
USB cable
Documentation

Design, construction

If you recognize Bose SoundLink Mini in this device, then you are not mistaken. Apparently, in the accessory division of Samsung, the task was set to take an example from the best product on the market - they took it, copied it, added their own chips, and it turned out to be such a gadget. By the way, it costs less than Bose, but let's talk about the rest. So that you have no doubts about the similarity, look carefully at the photo. The design of the front “grill” is similar, even the location of the connectors is similar, the rectangular area on top with the buttons looks very similar.

Interestingly, the massive body here is made of metal, and this is captivating. The column turned out to be heavy, you can’t easily carry it in your pocket, it weighs as much as 842 grams. Dimensions - 200 x 55.1 x 62 mm, there are no questions about assembly, everything is very good.

The front and back panels are also made of metal, in general, the case here makes an impression, in the hand it looks like a metal bar. Two colors, gold and black.

It is very good that the 3.5 mm and microUSB connectors are without plugs, you can quickly connect cables. There is no water protection here. On the bottom there are massive rubber feet, the indicator lights are well made. The controls are quite clear, the Play / Pause button, volume control, on / off. Please note that the column does not have a speakerphone.

Peculiarities

The Dual Sound function is supported, two Samsung speakers can be combined into a stereo pair. Naturally, it is possible to connect two devices at once to one Samsung Level Box Pro - this is convenient, you can alternately turn on music from your smartphone, tablet or laptop. The UHQ codec improves the sound of tracks, it would be interesting to disable this add-on in order to understand the difference, while this is not possible.

The speaker can be paired with the Samsung Level application, the screen displays the device time, whether UHQ Audio is active, you can set the equalizer, adjust the volume, and use other functions. My advice would be, if you're listening to FLAC from an Android device, UHQ can be turned off, with SoundAlive you can play around as much as you want, but the best result is when you set the controls to the middle.

Working hours

The operating time in playback mode is about 9 hours, which is very short for a column of this price category, let me remind you that the device costs 11,990 rubles in retail. JBL Charge 3 costs about 11,000 rubles and gives the user completely different features - for example, an operating time of about 20 hours.

Sound

I compared the sound with Bose SoundLink Mini II and JBL Charge 3, compared to the first Samsung Level Box Pro it just doesn’t seem to play, least of all - brightness, meaning, high and low, in general, I just wanted to leave Bose and finish the experiments on this. The device was one, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. Well, JBL Charge 3 seems to be ten times more powerful, apparently due to well-installed passive radiators. Although the Samsung Level Box Pro is quite powerful, it claims 20W!

In general, if we consider the column in isolation from competitors, without comparison, then everything is not bad - and even more than that, everything is very good. The nuances come out only when you put the mentioned devices next to each other. I note that these are not some obscure crafts, both columns are bestsellers in their categories. And in Samsung, creating their own solution, they could focus on functionality and sound - catch up and overtake, as with smartphones. Alas, it hasn't worked out yet.

conclusions

In retail, the device costs 11,990 rubles, what can I say, I would not buy it. No water protection, no USB port for charging gadgets, the heavy metal speaker looks like a Bose product - so similar that a friend of mine called it a fake. At the same time, it is quite a convenient application, there are sound settings, the ability to experiment, even support for aptX. But, but, but ... It is better to choose JBL Charge 3, for the same money you will get more positive emotions.

As for small Bluetooth speakers, they have gained immense popularity over the past two years. It's no surprise that users are demanding that their little boxes play louder and louder. Let's check how the Samsung Level Box Mini will cope with this task?

Samsung Level Box Mini Portable Speaker Reviews

Although the Level Box Mini was a long time ago, we didn't get a chance to see what the Koreans managed to squeeze into this equipment. So when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it without a second thought, and — to be honest — I was blown away.

The first thing that jumps out at the Samsung Level Box Mini out of the box (where we will find only an additional USB cable - MicroUSB) is its size, design and workmanship.

Samsung Level Box Mini is so small it fits in the palm of my hand

From the looks of it, it's one of the prettiest devices in its class, and I personally appreciated the small, angular styling with which there's virtually no environment where the Level Box Mini would look out of place. The speaker is available in four colors.

Perforated panels on the front, side, and back blend neatly into the sleek top of the device, where you'll find the function buttons. Next to the on / off button there are volume controls and a multifunctional "Play" button.

What pleases is the quality of workmanship, and what surprises even more than the appearance - everything is great here, the buttons do not jump, rubberized legs keep the equipment in constant contact with the surface, and the unexpectedly large mass only enhances the feeling of solidity.

Specifications Samsung Level Box Mini

Specifications:

Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth 3.0 (aptX, SBC, A2DP, AVRCP, HFP);
Dimensions: 156 x 66 x 50 mm;
Weight: 392g;
Power: 4W;
Battery: 1600 mAh;
Colors: blue, steel, silver, red.

Connection is very simple

The Samsung Level Box can be connected to an audio source in three different ways. On the back side you will find an analog 3.5 mm (if someone does not want to use a wireless connection, but, for example, a cable from an old mp3 player). Most people will probably connect via either Bluetooth or NFC.

How does the speaker play?

When connected wirelessly, the speaker will give a call receiving sound and is ready to use. All you have to do is select an album and play the melody.

Before I get to the description of the Level Box Mini's sound, I'll remind you what we're talking about. We're talking about tiny, thin hardware that costs about $90. If anyone is expecting a big bass, well... you should definitely look elsewhere.

But if someone is looking for clear mids and highs, the Samsung Level Box Mini reproduces them very well. Of course, we can't fool physics here either, the sound coming out of the small box will give way to the sound coming out of the big one.

However, it is really beyond my expectations.

Such wording would not be shameful given the size of the Bluetooth speaker. Even at the highest volume levels, the Level Box Mini does not wheeze, although the sound is generated by a 55 mm stereo speaker with a power of 4W.

Classical music sounds extracted from the speaker are surprisingly pleasant and wonderfully detailed. Rock music sometimes plays differently and a lot depends on the recording style of the mix. In the pop repertoire, in turn - despite the lack of bass - the Samsung Level Box Mini again turns out to be surprisingly detailed.

Again, I emphasize, we are saying that everything is relative here. Of course, this is not the level of large audiophile sets. But for a tiny, inexpensive Bluetooth speaker, the sound quality is surprisingly good.

Fans of listening to audiobooks while cooking will be pleasantly surprised how skillfully the Samsung Level Box Mini copes with this task, the voices of teachers do not merge even in multi-user versions. Everything can be heard loud and clear.

To take full advantage of this tiny box, you must install the available Samsung Level Box app for Android devices.

First of all, we will be able to adjust the volume of both the smartphone and the sound equipment, adjust the SoundAlive equalizer (which can actually pull even more out of the Samsung Level Box Mini) and find there a basic graphical guide to using the device.

In addition, you can define which applications can help the Level Box Mini play notifications, as well as set up TTS (Text-To-Speech) technology, which can read the notification aloud to us from some applications or use the S-Voice voice assistant (available only in Samsung smartphones). We can also designate your favorite multimedia applications to be shown later in the notification bar along with the hardware connection status.

Samsung Level Box Mini is not perfect

There is no perfect equipment. Personally, I think that the disadvantages of the Level Box Mini are actually small things.

First of all, the quality of phone calls through the speaker was a bit disappointing. I heard everything loud and clear, but the caller on the other end complained that my voice was very muffled, and sometimes there was an unwanted echo. Which, by the way, should not be there at all, because the speaker is equipped with an active noise reduction and reverb system.

As a drawback, I also noted the stability of the connection, although it should be noted that this may be due to factors completely independent, such as building materials in my apartment or network divisions. But the fact remains that the speaker was switched off at less than half the allowable distance specified by the Bluetooth range.

However, if the phone and speaker were not too far apart, the sound did not lose clarity for a minute.

The biggest advantage is the run time.

Of course, before testing, I did not check the claimed time on the manufacturer's website. The device was fully charged and I started listening to it without monitoring the battery consumption. After the first 3-4 hours of listening, I started to wonder if the app displays the battery indication correctly. Thus, a whole week passed, and I only recharged the Samsung Level Box Mini once, although I used it for 3-5 hours a day.

During my tests, I managed not only to achieve the manufacturer's claimed 25 hours - I was able to reach almost 28, but 1000 hours of standby time - this is not an empty promise. The Level Box Mini simply doesn't need to be turned off because when not in use, the speaker almost never loses battery power.

When you've exhausted this little device, just plug it into your regular smartphone charger and in less than two hours, it's ready to go again.

Outcome

Portable speaker Samsung Level Box Mini, despite its small size, was a big surprise for me. This is the perfect companion for my nightstand in the bedroom, kitchen or closet wherever I am. This is equipment that you can turn on at night without fear, and listen to sounds of very good quality with a quiet speaker play.

I didn't expect much, but I got a lot. Being completely honest, I will say that this speaker is not the best Bluetooth speaker. In my opinion, this status still belongs to the JBL Flip 2, which is characterized by better membrane placement and a more dynamic sound. However, the difference in sound is so small that when making a purchase decision, my choice would fall on the Level Box Mini - because of the sensationally long battery life.