Artis launched range of Bluetooth speakers in India, a couple of months back. Here we have the review of BT-R10 a portable Bluetooth speaker. Let’s check out if the speaker offers best audio experience in the range.
The speaker comes in a large box. In addition to the speaker, it comes with a micro USB charging cable, Aux cable and a user manual. It doesn’t come with a charger in the box, but you can use any 5V/1A charger to charge the speaker.
Design and Hardware
The speaker has a square, portable design measuring 200x74x170mm and weighs 825 grams, but it doesn’t feel that heavy since it comes with a handle to hold, which makes it feel extremely handy. There is a light strip on the front that glows in blue color, but it doesn’t blink based on music. It can also be turned off. There is also Artis branding on the front and there are two 52mm cones that is clearly visible. The handle lets you carry it easily. You can also hang it somewhere.
The sides have a nice curved design, but it has plastic finish, unlike metal on the front, so the build quality doesn’t make it feel and look good, but this is decent for the price.
It has nice patterns on the back that offers a smooth matte finish.
On the top there is an LED display that shows the connection type as well as name of the songs you play (Only when played through USB or microSD). Next to it there are buttons to skip to previous song / volume low and next song / volume high. There is also a multi-function button that lets you short press to play / pause, attend calls by pressing it, and in FM mode you can long press to auto search radio channels or short press to stop searching. The mode button lets you also lets you turn the light on the front on or off by pressing it for two seconds. All these buttons are present on a rubberized surface.
On the back under a rubber flap there are several ports such as AUX in port, micro USB port for charging, USB port for connecting pen drives and also a microSD card slot. It also has Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity. There is also a power button next to it.
Sound Quality and Performance
The speaker offers output of 12W (6W x 2) RMS, 50Hz- 20khz frequency response and SNR >95db. During our usage, the audio clarity was loud and clear with thumping bass that can be heard easily in party hall, thanks to powerful drivers. Audio doesn’t get distorted when in full volume . The wireless range/Bluetooth range is 10 meters, similar to most other speakers.
The speaker also offers hands-free calling when connected to a smartphone over Bluetooth, thanks to built-in microphone. Voice quality is clear for calls, but you need to be near the speaker since it doesn’t pick up your voice clearly when you are a bit far.
Coming to the battery life, the speaker packs a 2200mAh battery. The company promises 3 to 4 hours of battery life on a single charge, depending on your usage. We got over 3 hours of battery life, which is decent for the battery, but still the company could have packed more battery. The speaker turns off automatically when not in use to save power. It doesn’t show the battery level on the LED screen, but it warns you when the battery is low. You can also view the accurate battery life on iOS devices and Android devices running Oreo 8.1. It takes about 2 hours to charge the speaker using a 5V/1A charger, when it is completely drained.
Conclusion
Overall, the Artis BT-R10 is a good portable Bluetooth speaker with a good audio, several connectivity options, LED display, and also comes with a handle to carry it. Wish the company could have packed more battery for few more hours of music playback. It is priced at an MRP of Rs. 3,499, but you can get it from Amazon.in as well as Flipkart for as low as Rs. 1,829, which is competitive for the features it offers.