Audio station, photography camera, voice recorder, research assistant...a smartphone is, truly and really, jack-of-all-trades, mastering almost all of its skills! That said, when it comes to playing music, even the most expensive smartphones today can't compete with a dedicated portable speaker.
There is only so much power tiny phone speakers can put out, which is why portable speakers are so popular, especially since you can get them as compact as the Urbanista Sydney, which is a travel friendly Bluetooth speaker that easily fits in a bag or pocket so, it's ideal for indoor or outdoor use.
The Urbanista Sydney speaker also features True Wireless Stereo (TWS), which is a nifty function found on some Bluetooth speakers that allows them to be connected to a secondary Bluetooth speaker.
Being a single (mono) speaker with TWS function, you can connect two Urbanista Sydney speakers and create a left and right channel, as well as double the sound output from 3 watts to 6 watts.
While 3 watts of output power isn't the loudest, it's definitely more powerful than a phone speaker. The 40mm speaker driver inside the Urbanista Sydney is very sensitive (80dB+/-3dB) so, the volume output packs quite the punch. The sound is balanced too, even at max volume without noise artifacts.
The highs (treble), mid-range and bass are clearly reproduced, although the Urbanista Sydney speaker does favor the upper midrange and treble so, the bass response isn't as present or punchy as in the Brisbane speaker. There is no support for aptX but, the Sydney speaker's Bluetooth chip does support AAC and SBC codecs.
The Urbanista Brisbane is a larger speaker though, while the Urbanista Sydney is extremely compact, measuring just 9.5cm long, 3cm wide and 7cm tall. Total weight is 228 grams. The Urbanista Sydney is, effectively, a mini version of the Urbanista Brisbane but without dual speakers and dual passive radiators.
The button layout on top of the Sydney speaker is also the same as in the Brisbane speaker, featuring four rubber buttons embossed on the woven fabric material, which covers the top, front and back of the speaker. The bottom of the Sydney speaker is exposed, revealing hard plastic build of the speaker.
The sides of the speaker are also uncovered but feature a rubberized outside perimeter. The dedicated volume buttons control the skipping tracks, while play/pause, power on/off, voice assistant, TWS and call functions are all controlled via the "S" button.
Battery performance is respectable at 5 hours from a single full charge (90 minutes). The lithium-ion 600mAh battery can hold charge for 30 days in standby. When connected to a Bluetooth 5.0 device, the Bluetooth 5.0 chip inside the Urbanista Sydney speaker can boost a strong and stable wireless signal up to 10 meters in direct line of sight.
On the rear of the Urbanista Sydney speaker, there is a rubber pop-up flap, covering the connectivity ports, namely the micro USB charging port and standard 3.5mm aux input that allows you to wire the Urbanista Sydney speaker to a phone, computer or any other audio source with a 3.5mm aux output. The speaker has an IPX5 water-resistance rating.
The built-in microphone is located on top, next to the status led light, which is hidden within the fabric. The microphone provides good amplification and clarity for conference calls. Buy it on Amazon.
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