Kodak isn't the first name that comes to mind while shopping for computer peripherals, especially speakers, since Sony, JBL, Bose and other brands have established a name for themselves in the Indian market. Bluetooth speakers are the new norm and let's face it even Apple wants to go wireless on practically everything.
But if you haven't considered Kodak while looking for a suitable portable speaker, you might as well do it now. Kodak TV Speaker 68M is the company's first portable solution for wireless Bluetooth speakers if you want a cheaper solution.
Kodak 68M is priced at Rs 3,290, and can be bought from all major e-retailers in the country including Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm. Even though Kodak's speaker comes at an affordable price, consumers would be interested in what it has to offer. In all fairness, it is justified, so here's a comprehensive review of Kodak 68M TV Speaker.
We've been using Kodak's TV Speaker. When the review unit was delivered to us via post, the packaging looked quite compact. And Kodak's presence was felt with the visible branding on the box and on the speaker.
Design
We weren't quite impressed by the overall design. But it is not impractical for a Bluetooth speaker, especially after attaching the leather strap that came with it. Kodak 68M is quite large and makes it hard to carry around without its strap, but it can be useful as a stationary speaker or makes more sense to be hung on the wall.
We'd warn against hanging it to your bicycle due to its weight, which is about 1.5 pounds. But it can be a good addition to your hiking kit as attaching it to your rucksack won't be an issue.
The speaker has all the important functions like Play, Pause, Volume controls at the top, and two indicator lights for Bluetooth and battery charging. These functions, which blend into the speaker's design, were quite useful for answering calls, skipping tracks, adjusting volume without having to reach out to the paired smartphone or laptop.
Hidden inside a rubber panel are more important functions. There's a power button, which moves left and right to turn the speaker on and off. Right next to it is a microUSB charging slot and two auxiliary inputs on both ends to connect to phones, laptop or another speaker.
We weren't able to check how well the Kodak 68M synced with other speakers via Aux connection since we mainly used it as a standalone speaker.
Kodak 68M scores well on convenience, but look-wise it's a disappointment.
Getting started
Setting up Kodak 68M was as easy as any other Bluetooth speaker we've used. Turning on the power automatically switches on the Bluetooth on as it starts looking for available devices. On the smartphone's Bluetooth pairing screen, S68 would promptly appear and with a tap you're good to go.
A peep sound indicates a successful pairing. But it took longer than usual for a Bluetooth speaker to pair with a phone. But we were able to fix that by switching to Aux, as it would instantly get us going.
Audio quality
We used Kodak 68M TV Speaker indoors as well as outdoors and found it more suitable in a closed space. The 10W speaker did its bit to deliver optimum sound quality, with balanced bass and clarity. But when we played bass-heavy songs, there was a level of distortion at high volumes. Considering the price of the speaker, we are willing to let that pass.
We noticed a comparable difference in the aux and Bluetooth audio quality, which is natural. So we relied mainly on the aux for our music needs instead of Bluetooth, which had inconsistent range.
Bluetooth worked well in closed spaces within a radius of about 20-30 feet, which is more than we can ask from a budget speaker.
Battery
The problem with wireless accessories is the battery life. With Kodak 68M we did not have the chance to run it till the battery went dead in one go, but with full charge it would last up to a week. But we did not use the speaker regularly for more than an hour. But if you are counting on the Kodak 68M's battery to run a Game of Thrones marathon, we'd ask you to stay close to a power source may be after 4-5 episodes.
If you're away from any power source, a power bank can come in handy.
Conclusion
Kodak 68M checks all the important boxes for anyone who is looking for a budget portable speaker. But it doesn't go out of way to impress. There's no water or dust proofing on this speaker, so we weren't able to test it around pools or beaches. But if that's not a requirement, Kodak 68M should fit the bill perfectly.
But at the same price range, there are options like Sony SRS-XB10, which is water resistant and much more compact, waterproof JBL Clip 2, and Logitech Wonder Boom speakers.
