Bluetooth speakers are now one of the most demanding smartphone accessories in the Indian market.
Partly due to the fact that smartphone manufacturers often cut the corners when it comes to the speaker quality, an external speaker has become a must for music lovers.
The intense competition from various multinational and local brands has also resulted in a sharp decline in the price of such gadgets.
In this article, we’ll compare two of the most popular Bluetooth speakers available in the country under a budget of Rs. 2,000 – the Portronics SoundDrum and the JBL GO.
Rest assured, this article will cover every aspect related to the quality and performance of these speakers and provide you with a final purchase verdict.
Portronics SoundDrum Vs JBL GO
Portronics and JBL are two established companies in the market, popular for their audio related products.
These two companies have their own loyal fan following and a wide service network around the country to provide its users with a satisfactory customer service experience.
Build Quality and Design
Both these Bluetooth speakers capitalize on a different type of users and are designed accordingly.
The Portronisc SoundDrum has a rounded cylindrical design which allows the speakers to have a 360 degree sound throw in all directions.
The JBL GO on the other hand is boxy Bluetooth speaker with the sound driver facing towards the front.
In terms of portability, the JBL Go significantly trumps the Portronics SoundDrum.
The build quality of both these devices is excellent.
The use of polycarbonate plastic material and the mesh design imparts robust structural strength and durability.
Both these speakers offer some sort of water resistance but don’t come with a specific IP rating.
Comparison Table
| Portronics SoundDrum | JBL GO | |
| Frequency | 20-20K Hz | 180-20K Hz |
| Driver Size | 2x 40mm | 1x 40mm |
| Wattage | 10 Watts | 3 Watts |
| Bluetooth | v4.2 | v4.1 |
| Battery Life | 6-7 Hours | 5 Hours |
Speakers and Sound Quality
The Portronics SoundDrum features two 5W speakers delivering high quality, bass-rich stereo sound output.
The bass radiator provides rich, deep bass which supplements the crisp and clean vocals as well the high tones.
These 40mm speakers cover the normal frequency response range of 20 – 20000Hz and offers an overall enjoyable music listening experience.
The JBL GO on the other hand has a single 40mm speaker which is rated having a power output of 3W, which is considerably lesser than the 10W output of the former.
This Bluetooth speaker does give a rich sound output with the signature JBL custom-tuned drivers, but not as good as the one from the Portronics SoundDrum.
The larger size and the dual stereo speakers help the Portronics SoundDrum to take the edge in this aspect.
Connectivity Options
The Portronics SoundDrum makes use of Bluetooth v4.2 for wireless connection with devices such as smartphones and laptops.
Not only does this latest Bluetooth standard offers wide codec support for excellent quality over the air music delivery, but also a stable consistent signal latching between the devices.
The JBL GO uses a slightly older Bluetooth v4.1 protocol, which works well similar to the Portronics SoundDrum.
Other than the Bluetooth connectivity, the Portronics SoundDrum has a USB port for plugging in USB drives with music files so that you can playback the music directly.
There is also a built-in FM radio receiver on the Portronics SoundDrum which can be utilized to receive local FM broadcasts.
Both the SoundDrum and the JBL GO has 3.5mm AUX input to connect with devices without Bluetooth capability.
Battery Life
The Portronics SoundDrum comes with a 1800mAh rechargeable battery which is rated to last up to 7 hours of continuous music playback.
The JBL GO has a slightly smaller 600mAh battery which lasts for up to 5 hours on a single charge.
SoundDrum takes about 2 hours to charge completely while the JBL GO charges the battery in under one and a half hour.
Verdict
The Portronics SoundDrum and JBL GO, both are capable performers under the budget of Rs.2,000.
If you are solely into the sound quality, we’d recommend the Portronics SoundDrum over the JBL GO Bluetooth speaker anytime any day.
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