Interesting-Permit19
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LG finally shipped the xboom Blast it showed at CES back in January. It slots into the 2026 xboom by will.i.am range next to the Stage 501, the Mini and the Rock, but where the Stage 501 chases karaoke and live performance stuff, the Blast is aimed at being carried somewhere with no outlet. IP68, 99 watt swappable battery, up to 36 hours, 210 watts on battery. Drivers are two 5.25 inch neodymium woofers and two 20mm tweeters, supplied by Peerless. Bluetooth, or USB-C if you want it wired. Rolling out in select markets this month, wider later in the year. No price in the announcement I read.
Two things stand out. First, swappable. Almost every party speaker in this class glues the cell in and turns into landfill the day it stops holding charge, so a user replaceable pack is worth more than any of the tuning claims. Second, that 99 figure. If LG means watt hours, it sits just under the 100Wh limit airlines allow in the cabin, and I would bet money that is not a coincidence for a speaker sold on beach days and camping trips.
The AI layer I care about a lot less. Space Calibration Pro adjusting output to the room is fine and measurable. Ten AI personas and DJs talking back to you through FYI.RAiDiO is a feature nobody outdoors has ever asked for, and it is the first thing that will stop being supported in four years.
Does anyone actually buy a party speaker for the software, or is it battery and IP rating and nothing else?
Two things stand out. First, swappable. Almost every party speaker in this class glues the cell in and turns into landfill the day it stops holding charge, so a user replaceable pack is worth more than any of the tuning claims. Second, that 99 figure. If LG means watt hours, it sits just under the 100Wh limit airlines allow in the cabin, and I would bet money that is not a coincidence for a speaker sold on beach days and camping trips.
The AI layer I care about a lot less. Space Calibration Pro adjusting output to the room is fine and measurable. Ten AI personas and DJs talking back to you through FYI.RAiDiO is a feature nobody outdoors has ever asked for, and it is the first thing that will stop being supported in four years.
Does anyone actually buy a party speaker for the software, or is it battery and IP rating and nothing else?
