Bang & Olufsen’s latest portable Bluetooth speaker is the Beolit 20, a lunchbox-sized successor to 2017’s Beolit 17. The big upgrade this time around is a new Qi wireless charging pad that can be found on top of the speaker, which can charge other devices like phones or earbuds.
According to Bang & Olufsen, the Beolit 20 can also play for 30 percent longer than its predecessor. The company says the speaker’s 3,200mAh battery offers 37 hours of listening at low volumes, but this reduces to a little over 8 hours if you’re listening at typical levels, or just under 4 hours at max volume.
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Otherwise, the Beolit 20 features a similar design to the 17. It’s got a leather carrying strap, a USB-C port for charging, a 3.5mm jack for wired connectivity, and on top, you’ll find buttons to handle Bluetooth pairing and volume and playback control. There’s no multi-function button this time around, instead you get a dedicated play/pause button.
Internally, the speaker has a single 5.5-inch woofer, three 1.5-inch full-range drivers, and a pair of 4-inch passive bass radiators. The speaker uses the Bluetooth 4.2 standard, and can be paired up to work in stereo, either with another Beolit 20 or an older Beolit 17.
Bang & Olufsen’s Beolit 20 will be available for $500 (£450 / €500) in gray and black starting on October 29th.
