Nor will you walk away from the speaker with your phone, a classic party miss in the age of Bluetooth. With a line-of-sight range of up to 150 feet and a long distance even with obstructions like walls or windows, you’ll have to get quite far away to cause annoying mishaps.
The UE app adds more options, including a multi-band equalizer, the ability to pair the speaker with up to 150 other Ultimate Ears speakers (if you’re hosting some kind of outdoor rave), and an alarm that lets you wake up to the last song played. There’s also a new megaphone feature that lets you talk through your phone’s speaker, which could be useful for calling the kids to dinner ’80s intercom style.
My favorite feature has to be the ability to activate the speaker from standby without the need to get up from the lawn chair while sipping a cold drink. It’s the kind of convenience normally reserved for Wi-Fi speakers of the Sonos variety, without the need for a nearby network. One caveat is that keeping this feature on drains the battery more quickly with the speaker idle, so you’ll want to save it for when you use the speaker regularly.
As for battery life, UE claims a whopping 15 hours per charge, although I think that’s ambitious. I never had more than 12 hours of testing, but your experience will vary depending on where you save the volume.
Midrange Happiness
You have to adjust sound expectations for any speaker as foldable as the Boom 4, but within those limitations, the speaker provides a remarkably enjoyable audio experience. Its dual drivers are designed for 360-degree sound, meaning you’ll get a good experience no matter which direction you face the speaker, even if it’s rolled up on the floor or placed on its end caps.
The basic sound signature dives surprisingly deep into the instrumental textures, especially talented from the midrange upwards. There’s a warm, pulpy punch on instruments like snares and percussion, a solid presence on vocals and acoustic instruments, and a sweet clarity that rises into the highs, especially noticeable with synths and fundamental effects.