They say big things can come in small packages. The Atom Micro Bluetooth speaker I bought from DB Audio Philippines is proof of that and here’s why:
Physical Build
The Atom Micro is a tiny cylinder with a height of 1.6 inches and a diameter of 1.1 inches. It’s really light, but has a premium feel to it that wouldn’t make you think that it’s cheap and would break easily. The one I bought is in rose gold (because I’m a girly girl like that), but it also comes in black, silver, and gold. It has one physical button on the bottom side, as well as an LED indicator for power and a hole for the mic.
It also has a micro USB port to the side for charging. It comes in a clear container with a micro USB cable, a 3.5-mm jack plug (not really sure what this one is for), and a user manual.
Usability
I simply adore anything that’s user-friendly. Sure, I’d love a challenge, but I prefer my daily gadgets as easy-to-use as possible. With the Atom Micro, just hold the physical button for a few seconds, and when you hear the tone, connect your device via Bluetooth (you’ll hear another tone that means you’ve successfully paired with the speaker), and you’re good to go! It doesn’t have a volume rocker, so you can only set it via the paired device, along with sound equalizer changes if you have them. And when it’s time to wrap up the party, just hold the button at the bottom again ‘til it powers down.
And for a little something extra: the physical button doubles as a remote camera shutter. Just connect to the speaker using your phone, open the camera app, and click away!
Sound Volume and Quality
Now this is where the big-thing-small-package comes in. I’m no sound guru who needs to hear every single subtle note, but I can tell if the sound quality is terrible on something and it irks me when it is. This was one of my apprehensions when I was looking for Bluetooth speakers online. But when I checked DB Audio Philippines page and saw all the good reviews, I decided it was worth the shot. (And it’s kinda hard to beat its chic design and price -- did I mention it’s only PhP 850??)
The sound quality is quite impressive that it’s hard to believe it was coming from this tiny speaker. I was semi-expecting a better bass performance, but given that it’s such a small device, it was actually pretty good. The sound volume is great, especially in closed quarters (I tried it out in our garden and I still give it a thumbs up there). I could barely hear my sister talking from across the room even at half volume. Some speakers also tend to have a more hollow sound once you raise the volume, but the Atom Micro still sounds on point. And get this: a friend entered the room when I was testing the Atom Micro out and she thought that the sound was coming from the Edifier speaker system that was connected to my brother’s PC.
Battery Life
On the label, it says that you get up to 3-4 hours of goodness. Sometimes, what the label says isn’t always accurate. I’m happy to say that the Atom Micro lives up to the 4-hour mark, no problem! It also gets plus points for telling you that it’s time to charge up, too. In fact, when I pair it with my iPhone, there’s actually a battery level right beside the Bluetooth icon on the upper right corner. Not sure whether that’s a function of the iOS itself or not, but it’s definitely convenient! Well, regardless of device pairing, the speaker itself will start beeping every few seconds when it’s down to around 10% battery.
The Atom Micro definitely makes chilling in the bedroom, cooking/baking sessions, and game nights a lot more fun. Aside from checking a lot of the niceties in a gadget (small, chic/sleek design, durable, user-friendly), it boasts of affordability (again, PhP 850!) and wonderful performance. Admittedly, I wish that it had longer battery life and that the bass was just a teeny bit better, but over-all, I am very pleased with this product. So if you’re in the market for Bluetooth speakers, make sure to check out DB Audio Philippines’s Facebook page.
