Review: Logitech UE Roll is a UFO-Shaped, Rather-loud Speaker

Logitech UE Roll is the company’s second wireless speaker part of UE range.

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

Logitech and Ultimate Ears cater to a completely divergent set of consumers, even though they’re part of the same brand family. Ultimate Ears (UE) debuted in India last year with the UE Boom wireless speaker that fetched Logitech’s co-brand the much needed eyeballs.

This year, they’ve launched another product in the UE range, UE Roll which as you can see looks nothing like what might have seen till date. Priced at Rs 8,495, UE Roll is positioned as a on-the-go audio companion for travel junkies who like to prowl in the water or dust.

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

Key Features: Logitech UE Roll

• Spherical shaped front bound drivers
• microUSB 2.0 and 3.5-mm audio jack
• IPX7 rated: can be immersed in liquid up to 1m for up to 30 minutes
  
• Weighs 330-grams
• Up to 9 hours battery life
• Pair 2 UE Roll and syn the music
• Price: Rs 8,495

What’s Good?

UE Roll is a unique-shaped wireless speaker with its eyes set on beating the likes of JBL Charge, Logitech’s own X300 mobile speaker and Creative Muvo 20 among others. The circular-shaped UE Roll offers a 360-degree Bluetooth audio experience that is good enough

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

It’s rugged in nature with its IPX7 certification, implying that the UE Roll is purely meant for adventure seekers who like to carry their music along wherever they go. The speaker weighs around 330-grams and has to rank as one of the most peculiar-shaped speakers we’ve come across in recent times.

You can hang the UE Roll on top of a hook or latch it to your waist so that you don’t have to keep it holding all the time. Using the UE Roll is quite easy and most of the time, you’ll end up forgetting whether your phone is paired with it or not. The odd construction of the speaker has been aptly dealt with the placement of the power and the Bluetooth button in order to fit the right size of sound drives inside.

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

Sound-wise, you’ll be surprised to hear the levels of UE Roll. It may be small in stature but the built-in drivers are more than capable of holding their fort. Also, just like the UE Boom, you can control the UE Roll from your smartphone via the UE app. This way you don’t need to hit the big size volume buttons to change the volume up and down.

And finally, Logitech claims for a 9 hours battery life with UE Roll. However, we managed to get around 5 to 6 hours on an average with a single charge.

What’s Bad?

Most of the speakers that are small but loud tend to lack in the bass department. And with the UE Roll, that’s exactly what you are signing up for. While it would be unfair to expect a small size speaker to deliver on the bass front, but UE is a brand known for its heavy thump.

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

We would have liked the placement of the microUSB port and 3.5-mm audio jack to be at a more convenient spot. Instead, you have to open up the flap on the back side to charge or put the speaker in wired mode.

Why Buy It?

Logitech UE Roll speaker. (Photo: The Quint)

Logitech UE Roll for Rs 8,495 is quality when it comes to high pitch sound. It’s an IPX57 rated wireless speaker that can hold its own in the water and resist dust damages as well. If you’re looking for a petite audio companion that can be hung onto your jeans sleeves or bag handle, Logitech UE Roll fits right alongside the Creative Muvo 20 as an option.