Harmon Kardon One review: Near perfect, but disappointing battery

Mumbai: Harman Kardon’s recently launched HK One portable Bluetooth speakers are now available in India. With a beautifully loud and clear sound, the HK One makes for a fantastic portable audio device. Recently, we got an opportunity for a hands-on review of the speakers and here is what we drew out of the speaker’s experience.

The HK One speaker is housed in a cuboidal dark metal grey body with audio grilles covering the surface of three sides of the speakers. The left side of the speaker features the control panel, with the power button in the middle, and the volume buttons, Bluetooth and Calling option on the sides. On the right side of the HK One, a charging point, an auxiliary port and LED indicators are placed. However, an AV-LR control panel seems to be missing.

Along with Bluetooth v3.0, the portable speakers also feature NFC and HTC connect technology, which makes connecting the device via Bluetooth a lot easier. It also features built-in speakers for hands free conversation.

The HK One are powered by 2,000mAH Lithium-ion polymer battery, which gave us a runtime of about five hours on playing music non-stop on it. Also, the speaker charges decently quick.

Further, the speakers come bundled with a carrying case, a power adapter and a USB cable, along with a quick-start guide and safety sheet.

The Harman Kardon One has a frequency response range of 100Hz - 20,000Hz. The speaker has a portable output of 2 X 6W.

Now to view the speakers critically, the dimensions of the speaker make it absolutely easy and comfortable to carry around. The sound of the HK One is loud and clear with decent imaging and clarity, however it lacks sub-bass. In a larger view, the audio output of the device is pretty decent. If playing music on the device in a small room, you may not even be able to put the volume up entirely, owing to its loudness.

The device’s built-in microphone is a wonderful feature, and it makes taking calls so much easier while you are doing some other work.

However, there is just one thing that disappoints us. With such a great performance and a premium-looking and portable built, the Harman Kardon One loses out some major points on its battery’s runtime. With a full charge, the speaker lasts only about five hours, which is not impressive at all. The lesser runtime would definitely restrict a user from using the device outdoors for a long duration.

Gathering our thoughts, we think the Harman Kardon One Bluetooth portable speakers are a brilliant buy. The reason we call it a 'brilliant buy' owes to the device's premium brand, stunning performance and a high-quality built, all at a price of Rs 14,990. Having said that, if you are making up your mind on purchasing the piece we must remind you to keep the low battery life in mind.

Further, the heavy audio output of the device makes it suitable for outdoor parties, and big and small gatherings at home. The speakers are easily paired with smartphone, tablets and laptops. Also, in the similar price range, you may want to consider the JBL Pulse 2 and Harman Kardon Esquire Mini, that may not perform as well as these speakers, but they are pretty much there.