Polaroid P3 Bluetooth speaker review

The Polaroid P3 Bluetooth speaker resembles a conveyable radio and is bursting with vibrant appeal. With a couple of exceptions, together with the Marshall Emberton, most Bluetooth audio system are cuboid or cylindrical in form, so it’s good to see one other model embrace skeuomorphism.

The P3 is one in every of Polaroid’s larger audio system, bigger and louder than the dinky P1 (£49.99/€59.99) and borderline pocketable P2 (£119.99/€129.99), however smaller than the hefty P4 (£259.99/€289.99).

All of Polaroid’s Bluetooth audio system, excluding the P1, assist True Wi-fi Stereo (TWS), and may type wi-fi stereo pairs.

Picture: Polaroid

What you get

The Polaroid P3 is pretty massive however its deal with makes it straightforward to reposition, and the sturdy base means it received’t tip over simply. It’s not IP (ingress safety) rated, so it’s exhausting to inform how waterproof the P3 is, although the three.5mm enter and USB port are protected by a rubber plug.

Two cloth speaker covers sit on the entrance, flanking an acoustic cavity, and an eight by eight LED grid, which shows primary however enjoyable animations, in addition to monitor names and quantity degree. There’s additionally a quantity wheel, media controls, and a Bluetooth pairing button. When it comes to codecs, there’s no assist for AptX HD, or AAC, simply normal Bluetooth SBC.

Polaroid P3 Bluetooth Speaker — Picture: Thomas Newton

Establishing

To get essentially the most from this Polaroid product, you’ll need to set up the Polaroid Music app (iOS, Android), which can allow you to pair the P3 with one other Polaroid speaker, set up firmware updates, and stream from quite a few Polaroid Radio stations.

As we had been solely despatched one speaker for testing, we are able to’t touch upon how effectively stereo pairing works. Nonetheless, provided that the P3 can attain as much as 75dB, one is a lot loud sufficient by itself. The P3 goes 5 higher than Spinal Faucet, with a most quantity setting of 16, however for those who’re listening at your desk you probably received’t need the amount greater than concerning the 4 setting. With the flexibility to stream from as much as 10m (30ft) away, you’ll be able to crank it while you’re exterior or having a celebration. Distortion is audible at quantity ranges past 10 however, except you hate your housemates and/or neighbours, you in all probability received’t be listening round this degree fairly often.

The in depth frequency vary implies that low-end noises have loads of rumble, whereas toppy sounds are effectively outlined. The center part of King Crimson’s Starless begins with gently performed bass guitar, and slowly builds, with guitar, percussion and drums progressively becoming a member of the fray. Listening by way of the P3, the bass stays clearly outlined all through this part, which sounds messy by way of lesser audio system.

The Polaroid P3 is available in blue, yellow, purple, gray and black. At £169.99/€189.99, it’s an costly product for those who plan to make use of it solely as a desk speaker – wherein case the cheaper P2 is a greater choice – however for outside in addition to indoor listening, it’s a superb purchase.