Our first encounter with budget brand Tribit’s ultra-portable, ultra-affordable Stormbox Micro Bluetooth speaker was a success. One of the most wallet-friendly portable speakers we’ve come across (costing just £50 / $56 / about AU$88), it proves you can combine good design and good sound quality for very little money. It’s the ultimate speaker for those tight on space and budget.
Tribit is now back with a sequel. The Stormbox Micro 2 builds on everything that made the original a five-star recommendation, with added features and the promise of improved sound quality.
The price is £60 / $60, although we’ve seen it at a range of prices between £50 and £60 in the UK. That equates to about AU$109 in Australia. We’re already seeing it at various discounts online, but even if you’re paying a few extra pounds over the older model, the new Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is more than worth it for the extra features and performance it packs in.
Design
The Tribit Micro’s petite and portable design remains, with the woven texture on top and rubberised bottom half giving you plenty of grip. The volume and multi-function buttons are now more prominent and painted light grey, which stands out against the all-black finish. It’s a practical, well-made design for indoor and outdoor use, that also feels rather smart.
There are smaller buttons for power and Bluetooth pairing hidden away on the side, with LEDs indicating battery level that can be read at a glance. The multi-function button plays, pauses and skips songs, while a long press summons voice assistants. It’s no exaggeration that the Micro 2 is one of the simplest, easy-to-use wireless speakers we’ve tested. The buttons are responsive and it all works smoothly.
The new speaker is a smidge taller and chunkier than its predecessor, but not so much that you’d notice. The Micro 2 is still tiny: it’s smaller than a burger and fits into the palm of our hand. It’s so easy to carry around the house or slip into a backpack. No matter how short on space you are, this speaker can be perched on a windowsill or the edge of a shelf, or sit amongst all the clutter on our desk or kitchen table.
If you’re the adventurous type or like to wake up to your morning playlist, there’s a stretchy rubberised strap at the back of the speaker that can be attached to a showerhead or bike.
Features
The biggest upgrade on the Micro 2 is with battery life: you now get 12 hours, which is a big jump up from the previous model’s eight. This is on par with the pricier JBL Flip 6 and Flip 5, and just two hours shy of the UE Wonderboom 3 with its 14-hour runtime. A USB-C to USB-C cable is provided for charging.
The Micro 2 also doubles up as a powerbank. This means you can charge your smartphone or wireless earbuds’ case using the speaker’s USB-C port (Apple users will have to use a USB-C to Lightning cable). It’s a handy feature we normally see in beefier speakers like the JBL Charge 5 (it’s not even in JBL's more compact Flip series), so Tribit’s inclusion of it here is very welcome.
Bluetooth 5.3
Battery life 12 hours
Dimensions (hwd) 99.8mm x 99.8mm x 42.9mm
Weight 315g
Power 10W
Features Waterproof, Dustproof, Bluetooth, Powerbank
Connections USB-C for charging
App? Yes
With the Micro 2’s IP67-rated waterproof and dustproof rating, it’s designed to survive splashes and dunks in water (but it doesn’t float). It certainly feels rugged, and during the time we had it playing near the kitchen sink, by the bath and in a rain-splattered garden, we didn’t find any water ingress troubling the sound or operation.
Bluetooth is now of the newer 5.3 variety (up from the previous 5.0) and the wireless range has been upped to a claimed 120 feet (around 36m). Pairing with our iPhone 12 was seamless: the Tribit re-connected every time, and the connection was stable throughout our testing period. You can connect two devices at the same time to the Tribit, but swapping music between the two isn’t quite as instant as it is on rivals like the UE Wonderboom 3.
There are some extra features you wouldn’t expect to see in such a budget wireless speaker, but Tribit packs so much in. The speaker emits short, friendly tones when powering up/down and pairing. You can also pair two Micro 2 units together for bigger, stereo sound. This mode isn’t compatible with the first-gen Micro sadly, and neither is the new app that now accompanies the Micro 2. While not necessary for day-to-day use, the new Tribit app displays the Micro 2 speaker’s battery level and offers EQ presets (Music – preferred, Audiobook, Custom) that you can customise.
Sound
Straight off the bat, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 makes it known it’s a more powerful and more capable speaker than the older model. With a claimed 10W of power (versus 9W), the Micro 2 delivers a bigger, punchier and louder sound than before.
There’s energy in spades. Play Juice by Lizzo and we’re caught up in the upbeat tempo, with her raw vocals and playful personality admirably conveyed by the speaker.
Voices in particular shine through the Micro 2 speaker. They’re clear and detailed, with the speaker highlighting the midrange in an appealing manner. If you’re a fan of podcasts, this speaker will suit you well.
It has no problem delivering highs with bite and lower frequencies with ample depth and weight, especially for a device of its size and price. Basslines and guitar strums are tuneful, too.
Legend Has It by Run The Jewels shows off the speaker’s dynamism and timing skills. The start and stop of notes are snappy and precise, while the ebb and flow of the song are communicated with ease. The Tribit speaker takes everything you throw at it in its stride, from musicals to hard rock anthems.
Sure, the sound hardens up when you push the volume up too high, but it never veers into boomy, sharp or messy territory. That’s quite the achievement for such a budget model.
We bring out the previous generation Micro speaker, and the sound is thinner and coarse in comparison. It sounds smaller-scaled, too. Overall, there’s plenty more body, punch and authority from the new Micro 2.
While considerably cheaper, Tribit is going up against long-time favourite budget stars JBL and Ultimate Ears. The Micro 2’s performance perhaps isn’t as balanced or subtle as the pricier Flip 6 or Wonderboom 3, but it more than holds its own at this price.
Verdict
Price and size are huge factors here; it’s quite astonishing just how much you get out of this little speaker. Tribit has managed to improve the Stormbox Micro 2’s sound performance in every way while also adding lots of helpful features. And without hiking up the price.
With its enthusiastic and capable performance at this ultra-budget price, this Micro 2 speaker is truly the best budget Bluetooth speaker we’ve tested so far. Highly recommended.
SCORES
- Sound 5
- Features 5
- Build 5
MORE:
Read our JBL Flip 6 review
Also consider our UE Wonderboom 3 review
Read our Tribit Stormbox Micro review
Our pick of the best outdoor speakers: portable, wireless, waterproof
