Got this speaker just to be kept in a bathroom at all times, and we're amazed by the sound (especially the bass). We'd been looking for something small but with good sound, to not take up too much space on a shelf, and something that would match the blue color scheme. The charge lasts a long time, too. Love this product and are getting another one.

I love the size of this speaker. I’m even more impressed with the sound quality. Can’t go wrong with Sony!!!

The Sony SRS-XB12 is smallest of the new Extra Bass Bluetooth connected speakers released this year. The XB12 replaces the outgoing XB10. The overall design remains very similar, and you would have a hard time telling the two apart side by side. The only outward difference is the strap. The XB10 had a silicon ring loop for a strap that doubled as a nifty little kickstand for stability on its side. The XB12 comes with a fabric strap that can be unbuttoned to loop through/around anything. Inside the differences are subtle. The XB12 loses NFC for fast pairing but gains an IP67 dust/water immersion rating (XB10 was IPX5 for splashing water). Design The XB12 (like the XB10) is a compact, single driver Bluetooth speaker. Sound is provided via a single 1.81” active driver facing upwards, while the extra bass is provided by the passive radiator at the bottom. The 4 cutouts around the bottom are the openings/vents for the sound coming out of the passive radiator. The charging port (Micro-USB), 3.5mm audio-in jack, and reset button are located behind the rubber gasket-like cover. The cover needs to remain closed for the XB12 to have its IP67 rating. The battery life remains unchanged from the XB10 and stays at 16hr. All controls are in one long strip. Power and pairing share the same button. The play/pause button is also multifunctional. 1 press for play, 1 again to pause, 2 presses to skip forward, and 3 to skip backwards. Its also used for answering any incoming calls with 1 press (another to hang up). The microphone for phone calls is also located on the backside, at the opposite end of the power button. The Add button allows you to pair another XB12* in a L/R mode for stereo listening. *Per all literature I have seen it has to be another XB12, and not an XB10. The entire unit fits easily in the hand, and has the diameter of an aluminum drink can, but about 1.5” shorter. That means this speaker easily fits into a cupholder, like that on fold out patio chair. The small size makes it very portable, and easy to bring along in a bookbag, purse, or whatever. I go on camping and backpacking trips, and this easily fits into the mesh drink pouches on my pack, or I can loop it along the side with the speaker’s strap. I can also hang the speaker from the canopy of my tent for some music (or white-noise) to fall asleep to. The little blue power LED is small enough that it won’t annoy you if you fall asleep with it on. I’ve brought it along at work to play in my lab. My laptop speakers just don’t cut it, but the XB12 did a nice job sending good volume through my 1200sqft lab space. Sound Sound out of the XB12 is pretty good for such a small speaker. I had it cranked to its loudest and I never heard it clip or distort. Sony has done of good job of setting that max volume limit. As far as bass goes, not bad. It’s nice, punchy, and can keep up with a fast beat. You won’t get any deep rumbling bass out of this speaker, but that’s just never going to happen in such a small package. I listened to a decent variety of music, and it to handled everything pretty well. Really, any music that benefits from good punchy bass seemed to play well on the XB12. I had a couple of Hip-Hop/Rap songs with deep/rumbly bass throughout – those didn’t sound as good as I know they can sound. The XB12 just can’t push a long, continuous rumble and come off a little flat. Aside from these limited cases the speaker sounded great, so I can’t complain. Other Areas The Bluetooth connectivity works well. Reported range is 32.81ft – I can confirm that it works at least that far, and maybe a touch further. I had to get more than 40ft in my lab a few times before I heard it cut in and out. I didn’t have any issues with connectivity over 10+ hours of use. The strap, at first, is very difficult to undo. The eyelet to pass the button through needs to stretch out a bit after a few uses, and then its not too bad. I certainly wouldn’t want it to be too easy to undo or else I would worry about it popping free unintentionally. The outer coating is a silicon rubber material. Mine is black. It cleans up pretty easily (soapy paper towel for me) and should hold up well over time. I’m not sure if the speaker automatically shuts itself off after a period of inactivity or not. I would think it would to save battery, but I don’t know for sure. I connected the speaker to one of my Google Home Mini’s so my kids could play music and have better sound quality. They liked that they could carry and dance around with the speaker. Overall This actually isn’t my first Sony Bluetooth speaker – that goes to my old SRS-X33. I loved that speaker, but it was lost on a camping trip last year (sad). I was happy to see the XB12 come around, so I wanted to give it a shot. Turns out I like this little speaker. It’s sound isn’t as good as the X33, but it’s much more portable and has 4 more hours of battery life. Turns out I just want good quality sound in a package that is easy to transport, and easy to use. The XB12 does that and does it well. I trust Sony to make a good quality product (like my old X33), and it helps that its an evolution of the time tested little XB10.

This is a great product, It has great volume, sound and, value. It has good range and can be used next to water with no worries. The only thing that could improve the overall ratings would be if if the controls were better identified. They are slightly raised but are still hard to see, perhaps if they had some color on them.

Pretty good little speaker, I wantee to have one for my toolbox that wasn't going to take up alot of space. So far I haven't regretted buying this speaker. It's held up against heat and rain and the audio hasn't failed yet. It's tiny compared to my JBL Charge 4.