After launching Musicbot Evo Soundbar (review), pTron has launched a compact Bluetooth speaker named pTron Musicbot Lite in India. This aggressively priced speaker comes with various features such as a dedicated on/off switch, USB-A port, microSD slot, built-in microphone, and matte black finish. I have been using this speaker for the past few days, and check out my detailed review below.
pTron Musicbot Lite Full Specifications
- Bluetooth: v5.1
- Bluetooth range: 10 meters
- Speaker: 1 x 5W, 40mm Driver
- Microphone: Single
- Battery: 1200mAh
- Charging time: Up to 3 hours
- Charging voltage: DC 5V-1A
- Standby time: 120 Hours
- Music playtime: Up to 6 hours
- Port: USB-A, MicroSD slot, Micro USB for charging
- S/N ratio: 85dB
- Dimensions: 12 x 7.5 x 3.5 cm
- Weight: 162 Grams
- Materials: ABS (Body) + Fabric (Front Grill) + Plastic (Buttons)
- In the box – Speaker, Micro USB cable, Welcome card
pTron Musicbot Lite Design
The pTron Musicbot Lite is a compact Bluetooth speaker with a square design, and you can easily hold it in your hand. The entire speaker body is made from plastic, while a fabric grill is used on the front side. You’ll find a pTron logo on the bottom right of the fabric grill.
Except for the front grill, the other sides are coated with matte black for enhanced looks. Even though it looks good, the matte finish is a fingerprint magnet and easily attracts fingerprints. pTron has provided a strap on the right side of the speaker so that you can easily hang the speaker in your room, tie it to your backpack, or even to your bicycle, etc. The strap is strong but is non-removable.
The pTron Musicbot Lite has a 5W speaker with a 40mm driver and supports Bluetooth 5.1. It is compatible with smartphones, laptops, and tablets. The speaker supports quick pairing and automatically connects to the last connected device if the device is inside the range and the Bluetooth is On.
On the top, you’ll find four buttons – ‘M‘ (Mode), ‘–‘ (Volume down), ‘+‘ Volume Up, ‘>‘ Play/pause or Muti-function button to control the speaker, such as increase/decrease volume, change tracks, play/pause music, and accept/reject calls. The ‘M‘ button works only when a USB-A or microSD slot is used. When the music is playing through a microSD card or USB drive, you can press the ‘M‘ button to switch between Bluetooth mode and microSD card or USB drive mode.
You’ll find a connectivity panel on the rear side with a dedicated Power (on/off) slider switch, USB-A port, A microSD slot, and a Micro USB port (DC 5V) to charge the speaker. This speaker supports microSD cards up to 32GB. There is no AUX port like pTron Musicbot Evo, so you cannot connect your phone to the speaker via a 3.5mm audio jack.
The speaker also includes a built-in microphone placed on top near the buttons. A LED indicator is also placed on the front inside the fabric grill to let you know the speaker’s status. The LED light blinks while paring and turns steady blue when paired with a device. The buttons support the following music and call functions.
- Music Play/Pause: Press the Play/Pause button once.
- Next song: Press the “+” button once.
- Previous song: Press the “–” button once.
- Volume up: Long press the “+” key.
- Volume down: Long Press “–” key.
- Answer a phone call: Press the Play/Pause button once.
- Reject a phone call: Press the Play/Pause button for 2 seconds.
- Re-dial: Press the Play/Pause button twice in the standby mode.
Once you connect the speaker to your phone, you can easily accept and reject voice calls directly from the speaker. Like pTron Musicbot Evo, this speaker also supports ‘Phone number announcement’. So whenever someone calls you, the speaker starts announcing the phone number of the person calling you. I made a couple of voice calls the performance is decent. As there is no proper vent for the microphone, the person on the other side may not hear your voice properly if you talk a little slower.
In case you missed it: pTron Force X10 Smartwatch Review: Affordable Smartwatch with Bluetooth Voice Calling
pTron Musicbot Lite Connectivity
pTron Musicbot Lite supports three connectivity options – microSD, USB Drive via USB-A Port, and Bluetooth. To connect the pTron Musicbot Lite to your phone, follow the below-mentioned steps.
- Turn on the power switch on the soundbar’s rear side by sliding it towards the left side. You will see a Blue LED light starts blinking.
- Turn on your phone’s Bluetooth.
- Select ‘pTron BT Speaker‘ from the list of available devices.
- Allow access to Contacts and Call logs (Optional).
- That’s it. You’re now connected to the pTron Musicbot Lite soundbar.
Once you pair the speaker to your phone, you can check the amount of battery left in the speaker from your phone’s Bluetooth Settings. pTron Musicbot Lite is set at 50% volume out of the box. You can control the music through the dedicated button on the speaker or use the phone’s volume rockers to increase or decrease the volume.
In case you missed it: pTron Bassbuds Wave TWS Earbuds Review
Apart from the Physical On/Off switch, the pTron Musicbot Lite also supports Auto Power Off. When the speaker is ON and is not connected to Bluetooth or no music is playing, it goes to sleep mode after 15 minutes of inactivity to save the battery.
pTron Musicbot Lite Battery
The pTron Musicbot Lite is backed by a non-removable 1200mAh battery and can provide a maximum battery life of up to 6 hours. During my testing, I got about 5 hours of music playtime with the volume set between 50 to 70%. You need about 3 hours to charge the speaker using the standard 5V-1A power adapter.
You can use a power bank to charge the speaker but do not charge the speaker using fast chargers. pTron has bundled a Micro USB cable inside the box. Once you connect the power source, such as a 5V/1A power adapter or power bank, to the speaker, the Red LED light turns Red and steady during the charge and turns blue once the charging is complete.
pTron Musicbot Lite Opinion
The pTron Musicbot Lite is an entry-level Bluetooth speaker with a price tag of just ₹399. It has a compact design with premium looks. The quality of the materials used is very good, especially for the price it is offered. The matte finish enhances the look and an added strap will help you to hang the speaker wherever you need. It might look small in pictures, but it is not small enough to carry in jeans pockets (at least mine). However, you can easily carry it in your backpack or cargo pockets.
Coming to the audio performance, the audio output is loud (about 87bB) and is enough for a small hall or a bedroom. The vocals are clear, treble is moderate but there is a little bass which is completely acceptable for the price it is sold. Even though the audio output is loud, the music distorts when you increase the volume level beyond 90%. Up to 85% volume levels, the speaker offers a decent audio output without distortion.
The speaker can be a suitable replacement for your laptop’s speakers as the sound output is excellent and loud compared to most mid-range laptops available in the market. Alternatively, you can even use it as a speakerphone which is quite useful to attend the calls while you’re working with no one around you.
With the decent design, compact size, loud audio output, multiple connectivity options, decent battery life, and built-in microphone for voice calls, the pTron Musicbot Lite ticks all the right boxes and justifies its pricing. It’s hard to find a speaker with all these functionalities under ₹400. If you are looking for a mini Bluetooth speaker under ₹400, I don’t think you’ll find a better option online than pTron Musicbot Lite.
What I like
- Compact
- Good build quality
- Loud audio output
- Built-in strap
- Built-in microphone
- Dedicated power switch
- Multiple connectivity options
What I don’t like
- Attracts fingerprints
- No microphone vent
pTron Musicbot Lite Price & Availability
The pTron Musicbot Lite comes in three colors – Electric Blue, Carbon Black, and Flare Red. It will be available to purchase via Amazon.in at ₹399. The pTron Lite comes with 1-year limited warranty. Follow GizArena on Facebook and Twitter for the latest tech updates. If you have any queries, do let me know in the comments section.