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Honeywell Trueno U300 Review: Secure Connection, the global brand licensee of Honeywell, unveiled its new range of Bluetooth speakers in India a few weeks ago. The catalogue included the Suono P300, P400 and Trueno U300. In a highly competitive market, what could Honeywell do to stand out? At first glimpse at the specs-sheet, you might say two-year warranty.

A deeper read of the Trueno U300's specifications revealed intricate details. It offers massive sound drivers, dual bass radiators, a big 4,500mAh battery and diverse connectivity options. But how does this Honeywell Bluetooth speaker perform in real life? Well, I'll deep dive into my experience with the most pricey offering in the lineup, starting with the design to help you find out.

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Honeywell Trueno U300 Front Grille. (Image:Vikas Yadav/JE)

Design and Build:

Trueno U300 comes in standard packaging with a user manual, warranty card, charging and AUX cable. It offers a soft matte (rubberised sort-off) finish on the body. The front gets a mesh fabric grille. To port it easily on the go, it has a red annexe on the side, which you can latch onto while moving around. On the top, it gets four buttons to power on/off, play/pause music (and calling functions) and manage volume (and tracks).

On the rear, the speaker sports a host of connectivity ports and an LED indicator inside the Honeywell-branded inlet. Trueno U300's bass radiators are visible on the rear. I wished they were inside a metallic or fabric covering for added protection from possible damage. Beyond this, the audio device sports a premium design, which attracts attention with its Blue body and a red lanyard (Superman-inspired?) from a distance.

The cloth band feels sturdy and can hold the weight of the Trueno U300 (995g) with ease. (Image:Vikas Yadav/JE)

Sound Quality:

Honeywell Trueno U300 houses dual 78mm drivers, which can output 20W sound. Straight to business, the unit gets supremely loud in a closed single room. The vocals are clear and crisp. Thanks to the two drivers, the bass is better than you would expect from a portable Bluetooth speaker. The treble tones are one notch below the production of intricate instruments across the sound spectrum because of the emphasised bass.

Musical tracks like Luminary had a decent balance of high notes and instrument details. Watching Ford v Ferrari kicked in the adrenaline rush as the Le Mans race was in the final leg. While hearing podcasts, adequate focus on the speaker's voice ensured a great experience. I also tried it with other genres across Hindi and English music.

Honeywell Trueno U300 bass radiators. (Image:Vikas Yadav/JE)

With a similar emphasis on low and mid tones, the output was largely enjoyable. But if you are akin to the sound signature of Sony or JBL, you may feel the output misses out on the sharp preference for high notes. However, some users may trade the compromise against the peak volume and good bass on the Trueno U300. As for loudness, some level of distortion kicks in at maximum volume.

Keeping the volume two levels below the peak potential delivers an enjoyable experience. Lastly, you can also experiment with the equaliser switches within your phone's music app to fine-tune the output based on your preference. Overall, the U300 can serve bass enthusiasts and loud music listeners. For those who listen to old classics or instrumental tracks, you may have to tune the equaliser or prefer other choices.

The feedback from the buttons on the Trueno U300 feels tactile. (Image:Vikas Yadav/JE)

Battery:

According to Honeywell, the Trueno U300 gets a 4,500mAh battery, which takes over three hours (via the USB Type-C port) to charge and can deliver up to 13 hours of playback time. During my testing, I easily clocked over 10 hours of battery life. This spanned from testing the product at 100 per cent to 80 per cent volume levels.

Connectivity:

Besides Bluetooth 5.3, the IPX6-rated offering supports USB A, microSD card and AUX inputs. All ports worked like a charm without any problems. The brand claims a range of 15 metres with Bluetooth. However, hindrances between the range (such as concrete walls) may hamper the experience. Pairing via Bluetooth was not an issue across devices.

Connectivity ports on the Honeywell Trueno U300. (Image:Vikas Yadav/JE)

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Conclusion:

So, the answer boils down to this - if you are out in the market to find a Bluetooth speaker in the sub-Rs 2,500 bracket which offers decent sound, premium design, enduring battery life, wide connectivity options and a class-leading two-year onsite warranty, the Honeywell Trueno U300 portable Bluetooth speaker should be on your buying list. Priced at Rs 2,499 on Amazon, the gadget is available in blue and black options.