BlitzWolf F1 Bluetooth Speaker Review

BlitzWolf is a brand I came across not long ago, but so far, I’m sold. They don’t have a lot of products in their kitty as yet, but additions keep coming every now and then; mostly from the accessories category.

A few days back, we reviewed the BlitzWolf VR headset, which I thought is quite a nifty gadget that every tech enthusiast should own. After all, we’re now even having phone launches in VR!

Coming back to BlitzWolf, this time round, I spent a few days with their new BlitzWolf F1 Bluetooth Speaker. As you’d have guessed, this gadget goes head-on with the new and improved Xiaomi Bluetooth Speaker.

Both gadgets sport an extremely similar form factor; the F1 is however cheaper for international buyers at $34.99 shipped (purchase link at the bottom of this review) compared to the ~$45 asking price of the Xiaomi speaker at reseller stores.

Let’s take a quick look at the specifications of the BlitzWolf F1:

• Bluetooth 4.0
• Aux in support
• 2 x 45mm, 5W drivers
• 1800mAh battery
• Aluminium body

Inside the box, you get an aux cable, a micro USB cable, a wrist strap and the user’s manual besides the speaker itself.

Here’s a video from the factory demonstrating the speaker:

BlitzWolf F1 Bluetooth Speaker Review

Right out of the box, the F1 feels like something legit. It doesn’t feel like a product developed just for the sake of it; and that’s exactly what I’m liking about BlitzWolf so far.

The metal-plus-rubber duo takes it far. It leaves you with a satisfactory feeling when you use the F1, although the flap that covers the micro USB and aux ports can be a little fidgety sometimes.

The buttons have a very satisfying click to them, but yet it takes a while to get used to exact pressure that you need to apply to press the buttons — there’s a fair bit of travel to them.

The speaker comes in three versions — full black, grey and black/red. The unit that was sent out to us is the black/red one, MKBHD style.

I managed to test the F1 in a very in-depth manner. My old Sony LCD TV was dying, so I thought of watching the ongoing T20 World Cup on my 23″ monitor. A bit (never thought I could be this euphemistic) small, but it was worth it considering the fresh LED panel had ‘young’ pixels. Then the audio — what better time to test the speakers!

On a single charge, I managed to watch 2 full 3 hour matches. I’m not sure if the F1 has subwoofer at the back, but it managed some superb audio with precisely the right amount of bass. I couldn’t risk running out of battery mid-match, so I let it charge before the next match started.

The product page claims life of 10 to 12 hours, which is very impressive. As you just read, I tested it for 6-7 hours and had no issues whatsoever.

The F1 also features an IPX5 body, which means it is splash-, shock- and dust-proof.

For a $34 gadget, I think the F1 hits the sweet spot. But then there’s something that’ll be a ‘no issue’ for some, but a deal breaker for many: the lack of an SD card slot. BlitzWolf probably want to be looked upon as a ‘premium’ lifestyle brand, which perhaps explains the lack of flexibility here.

BlitzWolf F1 Bluetooth Speaker Review: Picture Gallery

BlitzWolf F1 Bluetooth Speaker Review: Spec Comparison with the Xiaomi Bluetooth Speaker

That said, you’re been warned: there’s no microSD slot on the speaker. I don’t store my music on my phone, so a microSD slot is of utmost importance to me and others who like to keep their phones organised like me. And that is a shame… because I’d take the F1’s sound over the Xiaomi’s any day, but the latter (Chinese version thereof) has a microSD slot that gives it a huge advantage.

also on Amazon

If that isn’t an issue for you, you can head over to Banggood.com to buy the F1 for $34.99 shipped by clicking the button above.