SonicGear SonicPod Review: Fun Poké Ball sized RGB speaker

A while back, SonicGear reached out to us and asked if we’d like to review the SonicGear SonicPod wireless speaker. The thing has RGB lights and is the size of a Poké Ball. Is it actually good though? Read on to find out.

SonicGear SonicPod Review

Look and Feel

One thing’s for sure, the SonicGear SonicPod is a very unique-looking portable speaker and the most apt description I can give this speaker is that it looks like a Poké Ball. Its spherical design makes it very nice and comfortable to hold and bring around and it certainly looks good placed in the middle of a table.

The Sonicgear SonicPod has a fan-like design speaker grille that has 24 spokes with the SonicGear logo in the middle. Under the spokes is a translucent LCD band that emits the speaker’s customisable RGB lights. You’ll also find a thin LCD band that wraps around the speaker that basically acts like a seam connecting the two halves of the Sonicgear SonicPod.

On the top of the front half of the speaker sits the capacitive buttons that users can use to:

• Turn the speaker on or off
• Play or pause music
• Lower or increase the volume
• Control the light effects
• Enter TWS mode to connect with another SonicGear SonicPod speaker

At the back sits a physical power button as well as a 3.5mm line-in port. In terms of build quality, it feels quite sturdy though it does tend to creak when you grip the speaker a bit on the harder side although, for the most part, the SonicGear SonicPod feels very sturdy.

Specifications

Below are the specifications of the SonicGear SonicPod:

• 15W power output
• 120Hz-20KHz frequency response
• Single 50mm driver
• 3,000mAh battery
• Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity

Experience

The SonicGear SonicPod is a very capable speaker that looks pretty cool especially with its RGB lights though it is not without its shortcomings. I found that the SonicGear SonicPod lacks a lot in the bass department however it makes up for that with its clear and loud midrange.

I also feel that the capacitive buttons’ responsiveness is a bit of a hit and miss. The buttons are either way too sensitive or not sensitive at all. In some cases, all I had to do was brush my fingers on any of the buttons and it reacts. Other times I have to tap multiple times just to get the thing to do what I want it to.

Sound does get slightly distorted when the volume’s on the higher side so best to keep it around 80% at most. This is definitely the type of speaker that’s not for hardcore audiophiles but it is pretty decent for personal or intimate music listening sessions.

Users can get more out of the SonicGear SonicPod by connecting the speaker to SonicGear’s official companion app. Users can download the SonicGO! 2 app either on the Google Play Store or the App Store. Once downloaded, users will have access to the speaker’s equaliser settings, different RGB light effects as well as access to FM radio.

Battery life is also pretty good. The battery life is officially rated for 12 hours however I did manage to go through a full week of play on a single charge with average listening sessions of 1 to 3 hours a day.

One thing that bugs me is that the battery indicator LEDs at the back of the speaker are absurdly dim. I can only tell which battery level I’m currently at if I view the thing in a very dark environment. As in “lights off” sort of dark.

The SonicGear SonicPod also comes with a TWS function that lets you connect to another SonicPod and enjoy dual-channel but I did not manage to test that out as I only have one unit.

Conclusion

All in all, I rather enjoyed my time with the SonicGear SonicPod. It is a very capable portable speaker that looks quite unique and attractive (to my eyes) and is perfect as something you’d have at a study table. The sound quality leaves a bit to be desired with its lack of bass though it is perfectly serviceable in the long run.

The RGB lights although simplistic with modes ranging from random colours to solid colours are pretty nice and bright. The SonicGO! 2 app’s functionality is also pretty satisfactory.

The SonicGear SonicPod can be found on the official SonicGear store on either Shopee for RM119 or Lazada for RM149. if you’re looking for something with a little more oomph, you can check out our review of the SonicGear Shuttle portable speaker right here.