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The portable speaker war rages on as new competitor enters the ring
Mon, 5th Mar 2018
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Harman has announced that two of their best portable speakers are making their way to NZ.

The JBL Flip 4 is the next generation in the Flip series, it is a portable Bluetooth speaker that supposedly delivers surprisingly powerful stereo sound.

This compact speaker is powered by a 3000mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery that offers 12 hours of continuous, high-quality audio playtime.

Sporting durable, waterproof fabric materials that are available in 6 vibrant colours, Flip 4 is the all purpose, all weather companion that supposedly takes the party everywhere.

It also features a built-in noise and echo cancelling speakerphone for conference calls, and JBL Connect+ technology that can wirelessly links more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers together to amplify the listening experience.

With a simple button press, users can activate and talk to Siri or Google Now from the JBL Flip 4.

Key features:

  • Wireless Bluetooth Streaming
  • 12 hours of playtime 
  • IPX7 Waterproof 
  • JBL Connect+
  • Voice Assistant Integration 

Another addition making its way to NZ is the Onyx studio 4.

Supposedly Providing the perfect balance of sound and design, the Onyx Studio 4 is aimed to be the epitome of room-filling audio.

Crafted to be a full featured, portable Bluetooth speaker, the Onyx Studio 4 offers two device connections, 8 hours of playtime and Harman Kardon Connect+, which allows users to connect 100+ speakers with the same feature with the touch of a button.

Rounding out the Onyx Studio 4 offerings is a built-in microphone with Voicelogic.

The primary features of both these speakers are quite similar, with the main difference being mainly the shape.

As usual, the company may have a hard time entering the market because of how many better-known competitors there are.

However, if these speakers are half as good as they claim then maybe they will find their place in the hearts (or rather backyards) of Kiwi consumers.