Chip Chick
How can Fugoo improve on their already excellent clutch-style Fugoo Style Bluetooth speaker? Simple—make it bigger and louder.
The new Fugoo XL is just that, packed with eight acoustic drivers, up from six, that combine to provide 24 watts of power. Specifically, we’re looking at four neodymium tweeters, two neodymium aluminum domed mid-woofers, and two passive radiators. Those eight drivers are spread out on all four sides of the Fugoo XL at slight eight-degree angles to achieve Fugoo’s version of 360 degree sound.
The increased power does come at a cost, but it’s not a huge one. Battery life in the new version will dip to 35 hours from 40 in the original, but honestly, once we get past about 20 to 24 hours of battery life, we’re playing with house money. In fact, the battery situation is probably better in the new version thanks to the addition of a USB charge port—now you can use all that excess battery life to charge up one of your mobile devices on the go.
The Fugoo XL retains the same speakerphone functionality from its predecessor, including an omnidirectional noise-cancelling microphone and Siri and Google Now support. It’s also just as tough as it was before—the speaker is IP-67 rated, making it waterproof, shockproof, dust-proof and snow-proof.
The same two-piece construction also carries over from the previous model. Each Fugoo XL is made up of a speaker core and an outer jacket. A greater variety of jackets are now available, including the Style XL, Sport XL, and Tough XL, all of which will be available in multiple colors and materials. The Style XL and Sport XL jackets can float, making them ideal choices for pool parties.
One last tweak is a new set of five physical control buttons on the Fugoo XL itself, in addition to control from your smartphone.
The new Fugoo XL and the speaker bundles with the Style XL and Sport XL jackets will go on sale in the United States, Canada, and Europe in April. The Fugoo XL will retail for $330, while the Style XL and Sport XL speakers will come in at $300. We’re not sure about pricing or availability for the Tough XL speaker.
