About 9 months ago I began looking for some kind of speaker dock for my bedside table. The impetus for getting one was listening to podcasts while doing chores in my bedroom like folding or putting up clothes. I used my headphones in this situation, but the cord often got in the way.

One evening while catching up on my Apple news, I ran across this 9to5 Mac article about a bluetooth speaker from Logitech with surprising sound for its small package. After reading the 9to5 Mac article and a good number of Amazon reviews I decided to purchase the speaker in place of a dock of some kind.

When the speaker arrived, I was a little surprised by its small size. You can see the speaker between my iPad 2 and iPhone 5 in the below picture. The speaker is a little wider than the iPhone 5 but not as long.

Once I connected the speaker to my iPhone, I was again surprised. I wasn’t expecting a lot considering the small size of the speaker, but I was pleasantly amazed by the sound. I primarily use the speaker at home to listen to podcasts and baseball games via the MLB At Bat app. For those uses it performs quite well. When traveling, I use it to listen to music too. The speaker does distort when you turn it up and play music with moderate/high base. At lower volume levels, the distortion isn’t as noticeable however. When playing music with minimaI bass, the speaker sounds just fine. I wish the speaker came with some type of case or bag to use for traveling though. Currently I just toss it between some clothes in my suitcase.

Getting the speaker paired with my iPhone was as easy as turning the speaker on and holding the Bluetooth button on the touch display until the Bluetooth status light on the front of the speaker alternates blinking red and blue. I then opened the Bluetooth settings on my iPhone and scanned for available Bluetooth devices. Once paired, all iPhone sounds come out of the Bluetooth speaker, including keyboard clicks (if you haven’t turned them off) and notifications. The Logitech Mini Boombox also includes an auxiliary port on the back to use with any playback device that doesn’t have Bluetooth.

The speaker has a non-replaceable internal battery and you charge it with the included USB charger. The battery on this thing is amazing. I promptly turn it off after each use and each charge has lasted a minimum of several weeks.

I’ve had the speaker for about 6 months now and continue to use it weekly. When traveling I toss it in my bag as it provides much better sound than my MacBook Pro or my iPhone 5. The small physical size of the speaker makes it easy to bring along on trips. My family and friends that have heard music from the speaker have been quite impressed by the sound. The integrated music controls on the top of the speaker are a nice touch, though they can be difficult to see in direct sunlight.

This speaker has satisfied my wanting an iPhone speaker dock for my bedside table. It’s really the perfect size for my small bedside table and the sound and battery have been pleasant surprises. Long story short, this has been a great purchase. If you are in the market for a small iPhone dock or travel speaker, you should certainly consider the Logitech Mini Boombox.

Pros:
- Good sound from small package
- Music and volume buttons included on speaker make for easier playback control
- Long lasting battery

Cons:
- Distorts during music playback with moderate/heavy base
- No case/sleeve included to use when traveling
- The music and volume buttons on the top of the speaker can be difficult to see in direct sunlight