The main limitation of enjoying digital content, like music or TV series, is that the sound may not be loud enough when accessing it from devices like smartphones.Especially when outdoors, or watching with friends. For this reason, the existence of wireless portable audio is important, and Olike Beatz SF4 could be an attractive option for Gizmo friends.
Olike itself is not a new player in releasing accessories such as Bluetooth speakers—previously, their products were known under the brand Oase. However, since late 2021, the two brands have officially merged to present higher quality products at an affordable price. The Olike Beatz SF4 is no exception, bringing an interesting differentiation.
Generally, an affordable Bluetooth speaker appears plain with just enough features and quality—again, since its affordable people can’t complain much, right? Olike Beatz SF4 is here to “break” such statements. Bringing a number of features that maybe Gizmo friends never thought could exist in a relatively affordable device, appearing with RGB lights.
Here’s the full review of Olike Beatz SF4.
Design
The Olike Beatz SF4 appears as a portable Bluetooth speaker with a small size. It is easy to carry in one hand, for example in a bag or backpack.It weighs not much heavier than the weight of today’s smartphones, at 272 grams, using a tough plastic material that makes it not slippery when held.
This device comes in two color options, namely bright blue and black.
On the bottom there are two stripes of rubber that stop it from slipping when it is placed on different surfaces. The right side has a strap that allows it to be hung anywhere. For the black variant, the strap is made of a rather contrast orange color.
The top portion of Olike Beatz SF4 is where the buttons for controlling the device and its features can be found, while on the back there are a number of ports and power switches. This device uses a built-in battery that can be charged, not AA/AAA batteries. In our opinion, by design, the Olike Beatz SF4 doesn’t look cheap at all. The front tends to be plain (without the RGB lights) but also stylish, with a fairly subtle placement of the logo at the top.
When it’s not active, the device only appears to be standard. However, when turned on, the front view of the Olike Beatz SF4 will look different from most speakers in its price class.
Feature
This is a mode where you can pair one Olike Beatz SF4 unit with another unit for a more jarring stereo sound effect. The method is quite easy, just press and hold the “M” button to connect between units. A very useful feature if you want to fill a larger room with music. Even though it’s not only music that you can listen to via this compact Bluetooth speaker.
How to Use
Olike Beatz SF4 supports Bluetooth 5.0 connection, which can offer a stable connection at a considerable distance. In addition to the wireless option, users can also play music files stored on USB drives such as flash drives or microSD cards via the port provided on the back of the body. Unfortunately, there is no 3.5mm audio jack on this device.
The file format that is supported when using the two media is mp3. Meanwhile, to switch between modes, you can simply press the M button. Overall, Olike Beatz SF4 is a pretty much easy-to-use Bluetooth speaker.
Apart from the M button, there is also a +- button for volume control and switching songs/radio frequencies, as well as the Play button which can also be used to change the light effects on the Olike Beatz SF4. When the smartphone is connected with Bluetooth, it will always automatically connect later without having to do the repairing process.
Battery
What can also be appreciated on the Olike Beatz SF4 Bluetooth speaker is its battery life. With a battery capacity of 1200 mAh, Olike claims up to 10 hours of playback time at 80% volume. During our test period, the device could play sound longer at around 12 hours at 50-60% volume.
The volume is enough to just fill the bedroom space. Meanwhile, for charging, there is a micro-USB port placed behind the body. Unfortunately, not the newer USB-C, however there are still many accessories that use micro-USB. It takes about 3 hours to charge from low to full.
If you only use Olike Beatz SF4 for 1–2 hours every day, this means that in a week you only need to charge the battery 1-2 times, making it perfect for traveling without having to worry about the need to recharge. The charger port that is placed at the back also keeps its front looking clean when charged, so that it can be used as a desktop speaker accessory as well.
Audio Quality
Being an affordable wireless portable audio, you can’t expect much from the sound quality that comes from the Olike Beatz SF4 speaker. Since it’s quite compact, the driver is not very big at 45 mm with an output of 5W. Even though there seem to be two of them, in fact there is only one driver for this speaker that is one on the left.
The details that came from its speaker are not the best, especially when it comes to playing songs with complex instruments. When playing folk or vocal-dominant genre kind of songs, the quality is better. Of course, you can play them on the radio or podcasts. The bass can still be heard, matched with the size of the device driver.
At least, the Olike Beatz SF4 can sound really loud when needed. In addition, if two units are paired in TWS mode, they can be used for outdoor group activities or even a hall-sized room.
Verdict
When many affordable Bluetooth speakers came with so-so designs and features, Olike is trying to offer a more attractive device through products like the Olike Beatz SF4. Not only are the features complete, up to the FM radio, but also in appearance through the RGB lighting effects which can be customized according to the user’s taste.
Audio quality is just okay, but at least it can be very loud, especially when paired with other units via TWS mode. The battery is also durable, so it is suitable for filling the sound in the room all day long and even more. Olike Beatz SF4 can be the best choice for Gizmo friends who want feature-packed speakers with a price of just IDR 199.000.
Olike Beatz SF4 Tech Specs
Heavy |
272 grams |
Codec |
SBC |
bluetooth |
5.0
|
PowerOutput |
5W
|
Frequency Range |
40Hz – 18KHz |
driver sizes
|
45mm |
Color |
Black, Blue |
Feature |
6 modes of colorful lighting effects |
Battery |
1200mAh |
charging time |
3 hours, 10 hours playtime |
Price |
IDR 199 thousand |
The Indonesian version of this article can be read in Gizmologi.ID