Huawei was ‘cut off’ from the production of smartphones (although it still does not give up and paves its way), but the Taiwanese, however, also produce a lot of other equipment – laptops, monitors, PCs, tablets, smart watches, network equipment, headphones etc. There are also Bluetooth speakers in the range of the company. And the most advanced of them saw its release at the end of last year, a portable, very bassy, water-resistant smart speaker Huawei Sound Joy, created in collaboration with the French audiophile brand Devialet. Our editors managed to get acquainted with it in detail, so let us share our impressions!
The standout feature of the gadget is the system system of four speakers, one of which is specifically responsible for mid and low frequencies, and one for high frequencies. The loudspeakers are made in Devialet’s Push-Push configuration, in which two passive radiators reinforce each other, preventing reverse vibrations. This reduces distortion due to membrane reverberation and guarantees stability even at high volume levels (up to 90 dB), always providing high quality sound without distortion, the bass amplitude in the speaker remains stable.
The speaker is also equipped with a 8800 mAh battery, which is enough for 26 hours of continuous playback. The degree of protection against water is IP67, the column can easily withstand immersion in water by one meter for up to half an hour. There are two colors, black (Obsidian Black) and green (Spruce Green).
The speaker works on the basis of a special version of HarmonyOS (OS developed by Huawei) and can work within the ecosystem, instantly connecting with smartphones, tablets, laptops of the brand.
Specification:
The device is already available in Europe and costs about $130, not cheap, but also inexpensive when compared with competitors from JBL and Sony. Let’s see what Huawei has to offer against popular speaker manufacturers.
You will only find a USB-A to USB-C cable and manual in the box. The power supply would also fit, but they decided to save on it. However, you probably have another one. I note that the battery supports fast 40W charging, so a powerful charger would be ok.
The speaker is made in the traditional ‘barrel’ format, it resembles a 0.7-liter bottle in size, and almost the same in weight.
The device is certainly not a pocket format, it is massive and heavy (680 g). The case is plastic, but for the most part it has a fabric sheath, not easily soiled and pleasant to the touch. The rest of the elements are made of matte soft-touch plastic.
There are powerful passive membranes from Devialet on the sides of the speaker, for better bass. They literally ‘pump’, that is, they move in the range of 16 mm.
This is visible, especially if the volume is high. It is thanks to them that the bass of the speaker is so outstanding.
One of the sides of the speaker has a perforated leg for sound propagation (so it’s ok to put it on the table vertically, the sound will not worsen).
The other side received a decorative ring with LEDs. It can blink to the beat of the music (if you activate the option in the application), and its brightness also depends on the volume level.
Video:
There are two very large volume keys on the cylinder of the speaker . They are quite flat, but the shift is clear. Increasing the volume gradually increases the brightness of the LED ring.
The control keys are on the vertical plastic panel, if you touch one of them, the white backlight will turn on for a while. Due to the protection against moisture, the buttons are recessed into the case and have a very tight shift. They are not very convenient to use.
The top button is on/off. Moreover, turning on and off the column produces impressive surround sounds with a lot of bass.
The next key (with a microphone) is responsible for calling the voice assistant. Only. I assumed that during telephone conversations it could be used to temporarily mute the microphone, but it does not work that way.
Below is play/pause. Even lower is the Bluetooth button (a long hold starts the ‘pairing’ mode). The last key is for the mode of connecting two speakers into a stereo pair (double pressing is required).
Further below is the USB-C port for charging the speaker. There is a loop for the cord on the panel with buttons, and the cord itself, in order to safely carry the speaker in your hand or hang it somewhere. There is a metal drawstring on the lace.
Also on the case there is a Huawei logo, rubber to the touch, a round NFC icon and two small ‘legs’, whose purpose is to prevent the speaker from rolling on an inclined surface.
The assembly of the Huawei Sound Joy is perfect. Once again, I note the support of the IP67 standard, the device is not afraid of accidental immersion in water. And if you pour water on bass membranes, you can get beautiful effects!
Read also: Tronsmart Studio Bluetooth speaker review
There is an oval 50×75 mm transducer with a power of 20 W in the central part of the column. And at the edges, as already mentioned, there are passive membranes that vibrate cool, especially to the beat of the bass.
The sound is excellent, clear, very voluminous, distinctly bass. And loud, loud! In general, everything you need from a portable speaker. It is even surprising that such a sound is produced by a relatively small device. I managed to measure a maximum of 101 decibels of volume at a distance of a meter from the speaker. I think if you turn up the speaker at full volume late at night, the neighbors will definitely complain about your party.
It is worth noting that the device is intended rather for listening to music for entertainment purposes – pop music, hip-hop, electronic. It’s still not the best option for classical pieces, but I don’t think anyone buys a portable speaker to listen to Bach and Mozart.
The speaker is equipped with a microphone (more precisely, a system of three microphones for directional sound reception), so that if desired, it can be used for telephone conversations, I tried, and that the sound is transmitted clearly, everyone hears me well. Just keep in mind that when working in vertical mode, three microphones work, but only two work if the speaker is horizontal. However, I did not notice much difference in speech transmission, everything is fine in both cases.
If you’re listening to music with the speaker placed horizontally, then the sound will be better when the Huawei logo on the device faces upwards, there is no 360-degree sound, but this is not critical.
Read also: Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore review: $250 wireless speaker!
The Huawei Sound Joy speaker, like other smart gadgets of the manufacturer, connects to a smartphone through the Huawei AI Life application. If you have an Android phone, then for a quick connection, you just need to place your smartphone next to the NFC indicator on the speaker case and the devices will ‘shake hands’ on their own. In the same way, other Huawei ecosystem devices ‘negotiate’ with the speaker, such as laptops and tablets.
True, in the case of the Motorola EDGE 30, which I am currently testing, the connection by touch failed, the phone constantly showed a connection error. I added the speaker manually through the Bluetooth settings. In the same way, it connects to other devices, laptops, TVs, and so on.
Bluetooth 5.2 connection is clear, reliable. You can move a few meters away from the speaker, be out of direct visibility, and there will be no interruptions in signal transmission.
As it was already noted, two speakers can be combined into a powerful stereo pair, but we only had one on the test. There is no multipoint mode (simultaneous connection to two devices) for Huawei Sound Joy.
In general, the application is not necessary, but it has additional features. For example, it can set the backlight of the LED ring to follow the beat of the music.
Here you can also update the software, set the speaker to turn off automatically, and also choose from three options for sound effects (Hi-Fi, Vocal, Devialet mode) and adjust the intensity of the bass. If you’re listening to shows/podcasts, it’s really better to switch to Vocal mode, otherwise the sound will be too boomy. Hi-Fi is more of a balanced studio version. Devialet is powerful bass, deep, dynamic.
An important note for iPhone owners – there is AI Life in the AppStore, but some very old version, without support for Huawei Sound Joy. Apparently, this is explained by the sanctions against Huawei. Perhaps something will change in the future. For Android smartphones, the program should also not be downloaded from the Play Market, where it is hardly ever updated. Better just follow the official link.
The speaker is heavy for a reason, as it was equipped with an 8800 mAh battery, which is enough for 26 hours of sound, according to the manufacturer. On average, analogues offer 15-20 hours of sound, so this is really a lot. And 26 hours is no exaggeration, Huawei Sound Joy will indeed play 26 hours at 50% volume. If the volume is lower, then 30 hours can be extended. At maximum level – up to 13-15 hours (any party will end earlier!).
It is also one of the first Bluetooth speakers to support 40W fast charging (10V, 4A, SCP 2.0, PD 3.0). Of course, you need to use a compatible power supply. Approximately 3.5 hours of a full charge is a lot, but it should not be compared with smartphones, where the batteries have a capacity of 4000-5000 mAh, and not 8800. Well, even 20 minutes of charging is enough for the speaker to please you with music for the whole evening.
There is no multi-stage charge level indicator on the case, so you can’t do without an application in this regard. There is only one diode, it is also a charge status indicator, it glows during charging and blinks if the battery charge is too low.
To be honest, I never thought of buying a wireless speaker. But after meeting with Huawei Sound Joy – I wanted to! During the test, at home I turned on music (for example, during household chores), podcasts, radio programs. The sound is definitely louder and more voluminous than when using the built-in speakers of a laptop or smartphone. And for those who love noisy gatherings with friends or outdoor trips, the thing is completely irreplaceable.
Excellent design (including the ability to function in vertical or horizontal position with equally great sound), excellent assembly quality, sound is as good as the competitors, battery is much better than the competitors, can be paired with another Huawei speaker. The only drawback is that the keys are too tight in the vertical row, but this is the price for full protection against water.
For around $130, the Huawei Sound Joy is a great speaker. No worse than the more popular device, the JBL Charge 4. Recommended for purchase!
Read also:
You can also help Ukraine fight with Russian occupants via Savelife or via an official page of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Leave a Reply