A portable speaker with a handle? The way I use my portable speakers it makes sense to add one! The Dodocool DA150 Bluetooth speaker comes with one and an expanded interface. Covered with a soft material the speaker stands out from the crowd of the speakers I reviewed so far. But is it worth your money?
Dodocool DA150 Bluetooth Speaker
I write this as the Dodocool DA150 plays my favourite playlist. It’s a broad mix starting with a racing game score and ending up with Johnny Cash. I will probably go through a fair bit of the list before this review is written.
Dodocool DA150 is a particular mix of black fabric covering both sides, and nice to the touch plastic frame which surrounds the edge. It’s a quality product through and through. The speaker comes with the usual accessories, charging cable, 3.5mm jack and … a handle. I have to say that after handling 2 other speakers with greasy hands, a handle is a really good add-on.
At first, I was pretty excited to see a USB at the back, I honestly thought that inclusion of charging would be a good idea, sadly the built-in battery is only 1200mAh and the port isn’t made for charging. The Dodocool DA150 comes with a micro SD card reader and USB interface so you could stick your music on a card or a USB stick instead. I would probably welcome this inclusion more, but unless you have a playlist already made, browsing through the music without a screen or option to skip albums is rather annoying.
And the music sounds…
The short answer is decent enough. The longer answer depends on how much are you willing to fiddle with the EQ. The sound profile is shifted slightly towards the higher tones. I found, that adding extra bass in EQ mitigates some of the issues. I know the Bluetooth speakers are not known for the high definition quality, but if I’m honest Google Home Mini set a new standard to how good the music can sound even coming from a small factor speaker. The Dodocool DA150 sits just below of what Google Home Mini can offer. At the same time, I have to remember this speaker can be yours for just under £25, so it’s not a bad value at all.
Most of the Bluetooth speakers nowadays offer call handling protocol. The quality of the voice coming through is good, but the microphone feels subpar. It’s an extra at this point, and I never found myself in a situation when I really had to use the conference call feature.
What’s lacking is the Google Assistant integration, so if you want to play a different playlist or album, you have to play about with your phone. Something that would be good addition otherwise.
Conclusion
By all means, this is not a bad speaker. Comes with a sound that will fill the room without being distorted, you can play a playlist of a micro SD card or USB stick, and does whatever most of the Bluetooth devices can do. Its soft looks will fit any room, and the handle will keep your greasy fingers off the black and soft fabric. The choice is yours.
