The MINI is an iconic compact sedan that was first produced by the British Motor Corporation. The MINI transcended the normal gas-guzzling, bigger car design and replaced it with a smaller, more efficient design. What made MINI so unique was despite its small design it was still able to fit passengers and luggage.
I have a couple of buddies that have MINI Coopers and riding in one is an exhilarating experience. I never expected such a small, unimposing car to be as quick as it is. It’s only fitting that MINI puts out a compact bluetooth speaker that packs a serious punch.
Build
- Model: Compact MIRROR PF-328M
- Weight: 0.22 Lbs
- Product Dimensions: H 2.14” x D3.1” x W2.39” (inches)
The package comes with the compact speaker, micro-USB charger, and user manual.
This Bluetooth speaker is really, really small. This is fitting because the MINI car itself is known for its miniature size. The MINI Compact Mirror speaker fits in the palm of my hand. The design is based off the actual MINI sideview mirror. On the back of the speaker is United Kingdom’s red, white, and blue flag. The front of the speaker is made of a metal grill with the a small MINI logo at the bottom.
The controls are located at the bottom of the MINI speaker. The bottom of the speaker sits on a rubber padding that ensures that the speaker will not move around. The controls are limited and only give you the option of turning the device on, turning it off, bluetooth pairing, and opening up Siri or Google assistant. The rubber bottom of the speaker is a button that when pressed will open up Google assistant. There are no volume rockers on the speaker, so increasing and decreasing volume will be controlled through your phone or tablet.
Charging the device is really simple. Just plug in the micro-USB cord and plug it into a power source. The speaker can be charged and play music at the same time. There will be a red light right above the MINI logo on the front grill that will indicate that it is charging.
Sound
To be honest, I did not expect much from the MINI Compact Mirror speaker when I first saw it. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of this speaker. The highlight of this speaker is that it can play music at full volume without noticeable sound distortion. You can’t say that about a lot of speakers, especially from one that is so small. The speaker can get decently loud, but I wouldn’t use it for a party. The best setting would be in your room, or in the living room with your roommates.
I found the MINI Compact Mirror speaker to have a well-balanced sound. Don’t expect huge bass from the 34mm driver. Speakers of this size do not have the capacity to produce the huge bass some people expect to hear from hip-hop or EDM genres. Instead, I listened to some acoustic playlists on Spotify and really enjoyed the sound experience from this little speaker. The guitar and vocals were really crisp even with the volume turned all the way up. Even my roommate who categorizes himself as an audiophile was extremely impressed with the well-balanced sound coming from such an unimposing speaker.
Usage
This speaker is roughly the size of an extra large egg. I actually forgot I put it in my pocket and spent half an hour looking for the speaker before realizing where it was. This could be a testament to how much of an idiot I am, but it also highlights the portability of this speaker.
I found myself using this speaker primarily in my living room. My roommates and I try to live like responsible adults and will “attempt” to clean every weekend. This was the perfect speaker to throw on some acoustic jams to help forget the awfulness of cleaning your house. I had no problem hearing the music from across my living room.
I got roughly five hours of use from the MINI Compact Mirror speaker. I found this battery life to be really good especially because I was listening to music at full volume. I can imagine you would get closer to six or seven hours if you are only listening at 50%.
The MINI Compact Mirror speaker also has a microphone to allow hands-free calling. This feature worked really, really well. Every one of my friends that I used this hands-free option with had no problem hearing me.
Conclusion
The MINI has always been known for its exceptional performance despite compact design. It’s only fitting that MINI keeps the same theme with its MINI Compact Mirror speaker as well. One might think that this speaker is only for MINI Cooper owners, however that is not the case. This little speaker has a huge presence with its ability to play music at full volume without distortion. It’s well-balanced sound and portability makes it a great speaker if you want to keep it at your desk or take it outside in the backyard.
The MINI Cooper Compact Mirror speaker is only $25.99 on Amazon with the discount code Q3S4LE4J (save $10). This is an absolute steal considering the quality you get for the cost. You don’t need to be a MINI Cooper owner to appreciate the unique design and sound performance this little speaker can put out.
