This is the first time we’ve tested a Huawei Bluetooth speaker, something we’ve done with other Huawei smart products before. For the Sound Joy speaker, Huawei collaborated with Devialet, a French audio tech firm, to compete with JBL’s Flip series.
Quality design and construction should be the norm.
It has a cylindrical form with a mesh fabric overlay and soft-touch plastic. Weight: 680 grammes, 202mm tall, 73mm broad A 500ml insulated water bottle is a good comparison to give you an idea of its size. With its IP67 water and dust protection, you may use it outside without fear of damage if it begins raining or someone accidently spills their drink on it.
On the inside, there is a 20W full-frequency speaker and a 10W tweeter. Passive radiator grilles on each side amplify sound. When you’re listening to music, you’ll see a multicoloured LED ring light on the speaker’s top side (or right if the speaker is oriented horizontally). Other relevant information, such as battery life, volume, or firmware update status may also be shown on the screen.
The five physical buttons on Sound Joy are arranged in the following order: power, voice assistant, play/pause, Bluetooth, and stereo, if you wish to use two of these to get stereo sound. Sound Joy comes with a USB charging cable, too.
In addition, there are two huge volume buttons with a tactile sensation and an NFC logo to show where the coil is located. A charging cord and lanyard are included in the retail box.
The quality of the sound as well as the characteristics
Despite the fact that it may be used in a stereo arrangement, Sound Joy is a monophonic speaker. Compared to the JBL Flip 6, it isn’t as loud. The bass dominates the sound, drowning out the mid- and low-end frequencies. As a result, the voices are sometimes lost, which isn’t ideal for listening to music properly. Here, the bass distortion and the lack of tone balance are the main issues. We’ve also found some volume irregularities, particularly at higher volume levels.
If your TV doesn’t come with a fantastic soundbar by default, the Sound Joy is a feasible option. As a bonus, it’s a lot better than your laptop’s built-in speakers.
There is no 3.5 mm connection for older devices to connect to the Sound Joy through Bluetooth 5.2. NFC tapping and pairing is another possibility. The AI Life app from Huawei lets you fine-tune the speaker’s sound and functionality from a single interface.
However, I was able to successfully set it up on a Samsung phone. The iOS version of AI Life doesn’t support the speaker, so Apple users are out of luck here. A Hi-Fi mode, Vocal mode, and Devialet mode are all included. Although the speaker is set to Hi-Fi mode, the Devialet mode really sounds better with crisper mids and a more distinct sounding voice.
The programme also has a slider that enables you adjust bass levels between -6db and +6db. For speech pickup, Sound Joy has three microphones on board. My voice was heard clearly and loudly by others on the other end of the line, therefore the call quality is good.
There are a few things to keep in mind about the Huawei-specific features. Because the speaker can only be used with Huawei smartphones, you’ll need to go into Bluetooth settings every time you wish to play music from a non-Huawei device. It’s also worth noting that the speaker’s voice assistant button may be used to activate whatever service your phone already has. Bixby appeared as soon as I clicked the button on a Samsung phone I tried this on.
The duration of a battery’s life
Huawei Sound Joy has an 8,800 mAh battery that should be able to play music for up to 26 hours on a single charge. We were able to get three weeks of use out of the speaker in our testing. The 40W charging capability is one feature that’s quite useful. If you have the correct power adaptor, a ten-minute charge will provide you an hour of use.
Verdict
In terms of durable Bluetooth speakers, Huawei’s Sound Joy is a solid start. Having an IP67 classification for outside usage is reassuring, and the LED ring light makes it a fun party trick. A 40W charger is all you need to quickly recharge Sound Joy’s battery, which lasts for weeks at a time. This is a multipurpose speaker that can play your favourite music whether you’re out on a walk or at the beach, as well as with your TV or laptop, or as a desk speaker.
The bass-heavy music playback is a bit of a disappointment, obscuring the vocals. This speaker is loud enough, however JBL’s Flip series speakers are significantly louder. In addition, the greater the volume, the more distorted the voices become.
Although the Huawei Sound Joy has been discounted many times recently, it is presently on sale in Europe for €140/£130. For the same €140, you can get JBL’s newest Flip 6, which is an intriguing deal. If Huawei’s ecosystem is more your thing, then the Sound Joy is a worthwhile addition. Source