This LG speaker is versatile but one thing about it bothers me

• Price, availability, and specs
• What I liked about the LG xboom Bounce
• What I didn’t like about the LG xboom Bounce
• Should you buy the LG xboom Bounce?

It seems like there is a lot of effort being put forth by electronics companies to create the most comprehensive Bluetooth speaker companion possible. Among the contenders is LG, whose line of xboom portable speakers offers comprehensive sound and durability along with convenient use.

I tested out the LG xboom Bounce, a portable Bluetooth speaker, playing a variety of music in and around the home to see how good it really is and who would be best served by it. Here’s what I found out.

Price, availability, and specs

The xboom Bounce is a portable Bluetooth speaker featuring a pair of frontward dual dome tweeters and two passive radiators on top of the device. It can be operated via buttons on the unit as well as the LG app. It is among a series of speakers designed in tandem with singer and songwriter will.i.am. The Bounce positions itself as more robust than the xboom Grab, though not quite so potent as the larger xboom Stage.

The Bounce is designed with travel and movement in mind, with an elastic strap running around the side and back of the unit. It is IP67 water and dust resistant and built to withstand high temperatures and impacts. The battery aims to last for up to 30 hours of playback, with only a few hours required to reach maximum charge.

The xboom Bounce is available from LG, Amazon, and Best Buy. It retails for $200, though can be found at a slight discount at certain times of the year.

What I liked about the LG xboom Bounce

Superb audio, design, and functionality

This is a well-designed speaker both in terms of sound and functionality. Through a range of music styles and audio content, from Kpop to rock, from R&B to music, from ebooks to podcasts, I found I heard everything I needed and plenty more detail I didn’t know I wanted.

Inside at home, I kept it at a low volume, which was plenty to fill any room. Outside in a sizable backyard, I didn’t need to turn it too high to hear it around the space. When I did turn it up high, the sound was loud, clear, and definitely well-traveled. The bass is also potent for the size of the speaker, though certainly not something you should lean in on. LG advertises a battery that can provide 30 hours of continuous play. I didn’t quite time it, but it sounds about right; I barely had to charge it at all, both because it lasts long and charges quickly.

You’ll get a lot of functionality through the associated LG app, where you can change lighting settings, create a library for your favorite music, and connect to other speakers. Via the app, you can set your preferred listening style and keep the device up to date. However, one huge plus is that you don’t really need to use the app that much if you don’t want to. The discrete buttons on the top of the unit provide a lot of options for convenient playback. You can control volume, start and stop music, connect via Bluetooth, and connect to other speakers via Auracast. A heart button on the top can also connect you to Apple Music and the LG app, playing back content with ease. As someone who subscribes to Apple Music over Spotify, this feature was highly prized.

It feels durable too. It’s designed to be used indoors and out, certified to withstand dust, sand, high temperatures, saltwater splashes, rain drops, flooding, and impacts. It’s a pretty comprehensive list, and I couldn’t fully test all of those assertions. I didn’t make it to the beach or find any high temperatures at this time of year. However, I did let it play in the bathroom while a hot shower filled the room with humidity and moisture, and I also had it going outside during some cooler moments of light rain. It worked well.

I want to give a bit of praise to the speaker’s aesthetic; it seems to strive for this curious balance between having a refined look that a perhaps older audiophile might desire while also nodding towards the sort of party-geared portable speakers that are advertised to younger consumers. It doesn’t adhere to the colorful, funky look of models by UE or JBL, but the addition of a light strip and the passive, bouncing radiators that lend the speaker its name keep it from being just a simple, boring black box. That subtle lighting effect on the lower edge of the device is something I could take or leave, but overall the design feels somewhat elevated despite the fact you can take it to a pool party, let it sit by the ocean shore, or drop it while hiking.

What I didn’t like about the LG xboom Bounce

Questions about the strap and AI features

There are some minor points of contention, and in a crowded Bluetooth speaker market, these issues may be deciding factors. While I appreciate its ability to link up with Apple Music, that lack of Wi-Fi connectivity is a bit of a letdown. Then there is all the AI stuff.

Electronics companies are going all-in on anything they can describe as related to AI, even if that description is vague at best. I certainly don’t care for it, and I don’t think there’s much to the many AI features inundating TVs and speakers. For the xboom, there are so-called AI DJs available via an app, all of whom have names and supposedly a “distinct cultural background” to create fun playlists and radio stations. There’s a lot that’s problematic and annoying with this, and I can certainly do without all the focus on it.

That the letters “AI” are in front of every feature is a bit extra, because a lot of these technologies have existed for some time, and it’s not entirely clear why or how the introduction of an LLMs makes a big difference in enhancing the voice or boosting the bass of a song or genre. There’s AI Lighting, AI Calibration, AI Sound, AI Personas. It’s too much marketing, and I don’t want my enjoyment of quality sound to appear as an endorsement of anything related to AI.

Lastly, while I quite enjoy the design, I do have some hesitations about the strap that runs from one side around the back to the other side of the unit. It adds a degree of convenience to be sure, especially if you’re on the move or trying to hang it from something (although I’m not entirely sure how that would work). But it also detracts from the look of the speaker, and seems like something that wouldn’t be used as much as maybe it was intended to. I just wonder if there’s a better way to make it a little more mobile.

Should you buy the LG xboom Bounce?

A quality investment for listening at home and on the move

The xboom Bounce is a terrific, somewhat pricey portable Bluetooth speaker in a saturated, consumer-friendly market. It verges on being too big, and I’d be most mindful of the size when investing in this model. It is certainly portable, and the durable strap adds convenience if it’s that’s something that’s important to you. Still, you should give some thought to the actual size and weight, as it’s larger than cheaper, competing models that really lean into portability.

It’s durable and robust, and with its crisp, clear audio, even at high volumes, there is a lot to enjoy for both solo listening parties and large gatherings, inside the home and out.