Honeywell Trueno U300 Review: An Affordable Portable Speaker that Punches Above its Price

When it comes to affordable Bluetooth speakers, Indian consumers have a plethora of options. However, of the many options, Honeywell is not the brand that first comes to mind. Yet the brand has been making waves in the affordable audio segment.

We recently reviewed the Honeywell Trueno U5100 earbuds, a pair of affordable TWS that offered good value for money. Now, we have yet another affordable audio product from Honeywell, the Trueno U300 Bluetooth Speaker. With a price tag of Rs 2,499, the Trueno U300 aims to offer solid audio at an affordable price. But let's find out if it can deliver!

Design & Ports

The speaker features a standard yet minimalist design with our model coming in blue, although you can also get it in black. The Trueno U300 is made of a soft rubber material with a matte finish on the body, while the speaker grille on front uses a mesh fabric.

On the back, there are two open twin bass radiators on either side of the speaker. The Honeywell logo covers a small compartment on the back, which when opened houses several ports, including a 3.5mm audio jack, a USB Type-C port, a USB Type-A port, and a microSD card slot.

Additionally, there are four contoured volume buttons on the top of the speaker to control playback and pair the speaker with your phone or laptop. Lastly, the Trueno U300 also features an IPX6 rating for resistance to water, allowing you to take it outdoors in the rain. Overall, the U300 focuses more on substance than style, unlike some of its competitors who tend to go over-the-top with the LEDs.

Performance

The Trueno U300 Bluetooth speaker is equipped with dual 78mm drivers with a 20W sound output. The speaker gets surprisingly loud and can easily fill a small room. Budget speakers are generally tuned to deliver heavier bass to mask some of their shortcomings. Thankfully, that isn't the case with the Trueno U300, which outputs clear mids and vocals.

Even at high volumes, there's minimal distortion, although it is present, nonetheless. Thanks to the dual-driver setup, bass was surprisingly good for a speaker at this price. When emphasizing low and mid tones, the output was quite pleasing.

Additionally, the rear-positioned dual bass radiators and the speaker's angular design work together to disperse sound evenly, ensuring that even a large room is filled with consistent audio coverage. However, if you prefer the crisp high-end tones typical of a Sonos or Sony speaker, you might find this output lacking in those higher frequencies.

But given its price, the Trueno U300 reproduces surprisingly good audio quality. I'd recommend keeping the speaker at 70% volume to ensure the best audio experience. The speaker also supports Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, providing a wireless range of 15 meters. Honeywell says that you can pair two Trueno U300 speakers together, although we weren't able to test the sound output.

Battery

The Trueno U300 Bluetooth speaker is touted to deliver up to 13 hours of battery life on a single charge. However, we clocked around 11 hours of playback over a period of several days. The 4,500 mAh battery on the speaker takes around three hours to fully charge via the USB Type-C port. Overall, the U300 delivered good battery life and surprisingly quick charging. Moreover, the speaker also has excellent standby battery life.

Verdict

Although advertised as a portable speaker, the Honeywell Trueno U300 is anything but portable. However, that might not be such a bad thing as the bigger size allows for a better overall audio experience. Honeywell shifts the focus from heavy bass, providing a more balanced sound signature that is more ideal for listening to various genres.

The speaker also boasts excellent wired and wireless connectivity options, while the overall volume is surprisingly good for the price. Honeywell also ditches the over-the-top LED lighting for a more minimalist approach to design, while the IPX6 rating makes it ideal for outdoor use.

Honeywell may not be a major player in India's affordable portable speaker market but given the many 'Pros' of the Trueno U300, it can no longer be ignored. The Trueno U300 is worth every penny, particularly if you're looking for a good sounding portable speaker without breaking the bank, earning it an easy recommendation in our books.