The Unexpected Champion: A Bluetooth Speaker’s Tale of Survival
As a seasoned tech expert, I’ve become accustomed to the frustrating reality of gadget failures. It’s practically an occupational hazard. In fact, it’s something we all experience to some degree. We’ve grown almost too accustomed to the short lifespans and inherent unreliability that plague so much of the technology we rely on daily. Just last night, I was forced to pronounce an early death sentence on an Apple HomePod mini, a device perpetually stuck in a frustrating restart loop. My so-called "smart" speakers frequently engage in nonsensical ramblings even when no one is present. I have a collection of smart light bulbs that seem to actively defy my commands, plunging my home into darkness despite my best efforts. The list of tech-related grievances is seemingly endless.
Therefore, when a humble Bluetooth speaker, a device I had carelessly left exposed to the elements, endured a particularly violent Brooklyn thunderstorm last summer, my expectations were understandably low. Frankly, I had already mentally prepared myself for its demise. I had even begun contemplating its replacement. After all, it was a few years old, and in the world of technology, that’s practically ancient. Given its age and nature as a tech gadget, it seemed naturally destined for an upgrade or outright failure. No great loss, I figured.
However, this seemingly insignificant speaker, a Soundcore Motion+ that I had previously reviewed back in 2019, defied my pessimistic expectations. It surprised me immensely when it powered right back on after its soaking ordeal, producing sound that was as crisp and clear as it had been the night before the storm.
Perhaps I shouldn’t have been quite so shocked. The Motion+ is, after all, IPX7-rated, a designation that signifies its ability to withstand immersion in up to a meter of water for a period of 30 minutes. Still, my experience has taught me that even tech gear with seemingly robust IP ratings can succumb to the slightest hint of environmental stress. I’ve witnessed devices with higher ratings fail miserably after being subjected to far less than their advertised limits. So, I was genuinely impressed by the Motion+’s unexpected display of endurance.
It’s a classic case of "It takes a lickin’, but keeps on tickin’."
Without making a conscious decision, I simply left the Soundcore speaker outdoors for the remainder of the summer months. I may have brought it inside once or twice to recharge its battery, which, incidentally, is remarkably long-lasting, seemingly exceeding its promised 12-hour lifespan. But for the most part, it remained exposed to the harsh elements, enduring countless thunderstorms, oppressive heat, high humidity, and, perhaps worst of all, extended periods of direct sunlight that eventually faded its once-black rubberized exterior to a ghostly, almost ethereal white. And then there were the bugs, hordes of tiny red insects that seemed to revel in crawling all over its surface and inside its speaker grille.
Yet, remarkably, there were no problems! The Motion+ continued to perform flawlessly, cranking out tunes for our backyard barbecues without so much as a single skipped beat. Sure, it was beginning to show signs of wear and tear, looking decidedly battle-scarred, but its sound quality remained consistently excellent.
As summer transitioned into fall, we began the annual ritual of preparing our backyard for the approaching winter months. We carefully stacked our outdoor chairs, brought in the patio umbrella, and generally secured the space. And, almost as an afterthought, I once again simply left the Soundcore speaker where it sat, seemingly forgotten.
As fall gradually yielded to winter, we experienced increased rainfall, plummeting temperatures, and significant snowfall. For days at a time, the Motion+ would be completely buried beneath a thick blanket of snow.
By March, as the mercury began its slow but steady climb, I noticed the Soundcore speaker lying on the deck next to the shattered remnants of a ceramic pot, a casualty of an aggressive gang of neighborhood squirrels. I left the speaker sitting out there for at least a week before my wife finally intervened and brought it back inside.
At that point, I had completely resigned myself to the belief that the Motion+ was beyond repair. I had already purchased a discounted Beats Pill as a replacement, fully prepared to relegate the Soundcore to a recycling bin.
However, as we prepared for our first outdoor barbecue of the season, we eagerly fired up the brand-new Beats speaker. The sound it produced was… underwhelming. Not terrible, certainly not offensively bad, but definitely not great. It lacked the depth and richness I had hoped for.
"Where’s that other speaker?" my wife inquired. "The old Soundcore, you mean?" I replied dismissively. "Don’t bother with it. It’s dead."
Despite my protestations, my wife retrieved the battered speaker from the floor, brought it outside, and turned it on. To my astonishment, it worked! And, even more surprisingly, it sounded remarkably good. The battery still displayed a 70-percent charge, a detail that was particularly impressive considering that I hadn’t charged it since the previous fall.
Now, the Motion+ has reclaimed its position as our primary backyard speaker, while the Beats Pill sits unused in a closet somewhere.
What truly strikes me about the resilience and longevity of this particular Bluetooth speaker is the sheer unexpectedness of it all. Perhaps it’s because my professional focus is primarily on smart products, which seem to possess vanishingly short shelf lives. In the smart home market, it’s a common occurrence for devices to malfunction, develop inexplicable quirks, or even be rendered completely useless by their manufacturers after just a few years, or even less. I’ve simply grown accustomed to this frustrating cycle of planned obsolescence.
But we shouldn’t accept this as the norm. We should demand more from the technology we purchase. We should expect greater reliability, longer lifespans, and a greater commitment to quality from manufacturers. Just ask my little Bluetooth speaker, which is poised to embark on another sweltering and soaking summer season in the open air. Something tells me it will endure. Something tells me it will be fine.
And with that, please excuse me; I have a brain-dead HomePod mini that needs to be mercifully put out of its misery.
