The iGear Evoke stands out with its retro design and solar charging.
Highlights
This speaker stands out because of its retro design and solar charging.
The iGear Evoke has a 1200mAh battery.
With this you can also charge other devices.
When it comes to affordable portable speakers, a compact and easy-to-carry device often comes to mind. But there are some options that stand out. One such product is the iGear Evoke, a portable speaker that stands out from others in its price range for several reasons. At first glance, you might think it's just an old-school radio set, but this device is equipped with modern features and connectivity options that make it easily usable in this era of wireless connectivity.
With features like retro styling, a radio tuner, multiple connectivity options, and solar charging, the iGear Evoke offers a lot for just ₹3,000 . Is it currently the best low-budget portable speaker? Find out in this review.
Solar and micro-USB charging on the iGear Evoke speaker
The iGear Evoke closely resembles the Saregama Carvaan series of portable music players. It resembles an old-fashioned radio set. Besides its style, another striking element is its color options. I received a yellow unit. Blue and white are also available. It features a
folding handle on the top for easy carrying. The speaker is located on the front. Controls and ports are located on the front and right sides of the device. There's a dial on the front for setting the AM/FM/SW radio frequency, along with four buttons for controlling playback and connectivity modes (when using Bluetooth or digital storage media).
The side of the speaker features a switch for selecting the source (radio or digital media), a USB port, a microSD card slot, an auxiliary socket for 3.5mm connectivity, and a micro-USB port for wired charging. There's also a dial for power and volume controls. Turning the dial initially turns the speaker on, and then adjusts the volume. The speaker is large, and all the controls are comfortably placed and work well.
The iGear Evoke has a solar panel on top, which keeps the speaker charged as long as it's exposed to sunlight. There's also a telescopic antenna that enhances radio signal quality.
Solar charging means users don't need to keep the speaker plugged in all the time. This largely depends on usage. The company hasn't provided details about the iGear Evoke's charging time. Solar charging is much slower than wired charging, and it can take hours or even days to fully charge the speaker's battery. Sometimes, you may have to rely on USB charging. However, it's still a useful feature. If you take it on a camping trip, it's also useful when electricity isn't available.
The iGear Evoke has a 1200mAh battery, which allows you to charge other devices as well. This means you can use the device as a solar-powered power bank in case of an emergency, although it will charge at a much slower rate. Additionally, the speaker has a rated sound output of 5W. Audio can be played using Bluetooth 5, FM/AM/SW radio, a USB port, a microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm auxiliary input. The speaker also comes with a wall adapter and a charging cable.
Battery life depends on your usage and media source, as it continues to charge in sunlight even when in use. The speaker drains battery faster than it charges. I played audio via Bluetooth at medium volume, and the speaker delivered 10 hours of battery life.
Lots of connectivity options, but unsatisfactory sound quality on the iGear Evoke
While the speaker itself is quite unique, it doesn't live up to expectations in terms of sound quality. Sound can be described as decent or below average, depending on the music source. Even with the best source, the sound quality can still be lacking. For everyday home listening, it wasn't bad. The device produced sharp sound, but it wasn't clear. The sound experience seemed to match its retro style.
The FM radio sound wasn't as clear as playing from Bluetooth or local storage MP3s. Outdoors, even with the antenna fully extended, the sound wasn't clear. Music played from Bluetooth or a USB drive sounded much clearer. However, the sound was quite faint and lacked much detail.
There's a dial for tuning the radio frequency, but it automatically locks the tune to the radio station without any hassle. When using digital connectivity, the four physical buttons on the front are useful for controlling music. A small display could also be provided to display the music track or battery level. However, the lack of a display is justified at this price.
I listened to Tiesto's song "Boom" with my smartphone connected to the speaker via Bluetooth. The track's strong beat was accompanied by low bass and a popping sound, making it unenjoyable. Furthermore, tracks with heavy bass sounded quite odd. Playing Jetlag and Axwell's With the house classic So Right felt like I had placed a heavy blanket over the speakers. Even these dynamic tracks sounded quite muffled.
Playing music from a USB drive at medium volume, the high points of the sound seemed quite sharp. The vocals sounded muffled. A music listener might get tired of this quickly. Same was the case with other tracks as well, where I couldn't find any details in any of them. Despite having so many connectivity options and features, the iGear Evoke fails to deliver good sound quality.
Verdict
There are many affordable wireless speakers on the market, but the iGear Evoke stands out with its retro design and solar charging. Its charging feature is also quite useful, and it offers numerous connectivity options. The only drawback is its poor sound quality. The
iGear Evoke lags behind in terms of sound quality, but if you just want a simple device for occasional music listening, it's worth considering. If you're more into music, you might want to consider the Mi Portable Bluetooth Speaker (16W), available for ₹2,499. It delivers significantly louder sound and is better in terms of performance.
