A Bluetooth speaker that turns itself on when you stick your phone to it. That’s the hook here, and honestly, it’s a pretty clever one. Xiaomi has just put its Bluetooth Speaker Magnetic Version on sale in China, and for a device this small and this cheap, it’s packing a surprising number of ideas into one little package.
The whole concept revolves around magnets. Slap a compatible phone onto the speaker and a Hall sensor detects the connection, automatically waking the speaker up. Pull the phone off and it goes back to sleep. iPhone 12 and newer attach directly thanks to MagSafe-compatible magnets. Android users get a magnetic ring in the box to make it work. It’s a small quality-of-life thing, but it’s the kind of detail that makes a product feel thought through rather than thrown together.
The speaker itself is tiny. It weighs 95 grams, runs a 1.5-inch full-range driver at 3W output, and supports AAC and SBC codecs. There’s also a foldable metal ring on top that works as both a carry loop and a phone stand, letting you prop your phone in landscape or portrait mode. So you’ve got a speaker, a phone dock, and a stand all in one object that fits in your pocket. That’s a decent value proposition even before you get to the price.
And then there’s the RGB light ring at the bottom that reacts to music. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. Does it look fun in a dark room? Almost certainly. This is the kind of feature that could easily feel gimmicky, but at this price point, it’s more of a bonus than a reason to roll your eyes. Xiaomi also threw in IP67 water and dust resistance, which is genuinely useful for a portable speaker. Bluetooth 6.0 handles the wireless side, which is still pretty new tech and should mean a more stable, efficient connection.
Battery life is rated at around four hours of continuous playback from a 650mAh cell, charged over USB-C. Four hours isn’t a lot if you’re taking it on a full day out, but for desk use or short sessions it’s fine. You can also pair two units together for TWS stereo, or chain up to 10 speakers for a bigger setup. That’s a wild upper limit for a $22 speaker, but it’s there if you want it.
Pricing is where this gets really interesting. The launch price is 149 yuan, which works out to roughly $22. That promotional rate runs through September 30, after which it goes back to the standard 199 yuan (about $30). It’s available in Dark Gray and Light Brown. No word yet on global availability, which is the one frustrating part. Xiaomi gadgets like this tend to take a while to show up outside China, if they ever do at all.
Still, this is a good example of what Xiaomi does well: pack a lot of small, smart ideas into an affordable product. The magnetic auto-on feature alone sets it apart from the usual sea of generic Bluetooth pucks. If this one makes it to global markets, it’ll be worth a serious look.