Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 Review

Perhaps a little less in the spotlight of late, Ultimate Ears is trying to reassert itself with a fresh line-up. After the larger, more powerful Everboom comes the turn of the range's smallest member, the excellent Wonderboom, in a fourth version that finally adopts USB-C. Not before time. This review is based on that published test, not on a hands-on trial of our own.

It has to be said that the Wonderboom's format is close to perfect. All curves, compact but not too small at 104 x 95.3 x 95.3mm, the speaker sits beautifully in the hand; it is easy to grab and, at 420 grams, never weighs on the wrist. Its cylindrical shape lets Ultimate Ears place all the controls on the top and underside so that everything falls naturally to hand, with large volume buttons on the front for good measure. Set beside a Wonderboom 3, the two are near-impossible to tell apart.

Compared with previous models there are subtle new finishes: at launch the Wonderboom 4 comes in five colours — active black, cobalt blue, enchanting lilac, joyous bright and hyper pink, or more plainly black, blue, lilac, white and pink. Ultimate Ears also varies the colour of the +/- controls but stays loyal to its royal-blue logo shade for the little strap; on an otherwise all-pink or all-black speaker, that royal-blue rectangle rather clashes — odd that no one thought of it.

The mesh fabric covering is no more new than the rest of the design, which only reveals itself when you turn the speaker over. On the underside sits a protective flap, and lifting it reveals the device's single connector — here Ultimate Ears has listened to complaints about the previous model and swapped micro-USB for USB-C at last.

The other "big" change on this fourth version concerns the button underneath, the one devoted to Outdoor mode. Introduced with the Wonderboom 2, that mode is still present, tweaking the audio balance to suit listening outdoors. On the Wonderboom 4, a second press of the Outdoor button now activates a Podcast mode; rather than adding body and power, this shifts the equalisation to favour voices. It is no revolution, but it does the job, and voices are indeed clearer and more distinct. Beyond USB-C, that is the only addition — Ultimate Ears evolves the recipe very gently. Unsurprisingly there is still no auxiliary input or card reader and, more surprisingly, still no smartphone app; this is the only speaker in the range without one.

An app would allow richer EQ options than just the Outdoor and Podcast modes, though it would also chip away at the Wonderboom 4's rugged simplicity: as it stands, you switch on Bluetooth and everything works. Pairing is very quick, with no dropouts noted, and there is no trouble linking two speakers for a more enveloping sound — you can pair a Wonderboom 4 with a Wonderboom 3, though not with a 2.

That pairing slightly offsets the Wonderboom's lack of low-end heft, which remains the one small criticism of a speaker otherwise capable of lovely things for its size. Behind the mesh sit two 40mm active drivers and two passive radiators; the bass is still there, the sound balanced and even despite a dip in the low-mids, and keeping the treble under 75 per cent of maximum volume avoids any distortion, while the 360-degree delivery fills a room nicely. It cannot, of course, power a concert hall, so some restraint is called for. There is nothing to fault in the Bluetooth range — up to 40 metres — though it is a shame SBC and AAC remain the only codecs. Battery life, unchanged, is excellent: 14 hours officially, but usually beaten by 50 to 90 minutes depending on volume, with a full recharge still taking around 160 minutes. The IP67 rating carries over, so the speaker shrugs off dust and water, surviving 30 minutes at one metre deep — and, handily, it floats, making it harder to lose. Ultimate Ears also stresses its "eco gesture": the product contains at least 31 per cent recycled plastic, drawn from end-of-life electronics. It is only a gesture, but better than nothing.

In its day the Wonderboom 3 scored well, and this fourth version earns the same, which is no surprise given how minuscule the changes have been over nearly two years. Beyond USB-C — at last — and the Podcast mode, it is essentially the same speaker: the same rounded design and easy handling, the same IP67 resistance to almost everything, the same pair of active drivers and passive radiators for a pleasant sound that just wants a touch more body, the same coupling and outdoor features, the same very good battery for a day out walking. Happily for Ultimate Ears, competition on this precise segment is still thin — Tronsmart's T7 Mini aside — so the Wonderboom can once again arrive at its perennial price without much risk. For owners of a Wonderboom 3, or even a 2, though, there is simply no reason to upgrade.