Jabra, the company that gave many of us our first introduction to the glory of Bluetooth, allowed us a sneak peak today at the next big thing in its Bluetooth speaker arsenal, the Jabra Solemate Max. An update of the original Solemate portable speaker, the Solemate Max is built tough and ready to accompany you in your outdoor adventures, with a sleek yet rugged exterior, an easy-carry handle, and a respectable stockpile of onboard drivers to deliver big sound in or outdoors.
Jabra is being hush-hush on pricing for its new toy, set to be released sometime around the end of the year, but here’s the low down on the specs: The Solemate Max packs four drivers, including two tweeters and two woofers. Features for the speaker include Bluetooth version 3.0 with NFC pairing, a speakerphone, a 14-hour battery life, and an Aux input via USB, which will also charge your device when connected. And, perhaps most significant, Jabra has once again tapped the gurus at Dolby, employing “Sound Space Expander” DSP to deliver a more immersive sonic experience.
While Jabra remains mum on pricing for the Solemate Max, the Max’s predecessor started at $200 upon its release, so you can bet the new speaker is likely to match or top that number. You can also put money on the fact that the Max will likely be out in time for holiday shoppers to put it on their list.
Jabra plans to demo the Solemate Max at CES this January, but we’ve got a review sample coming and will offer a deeper look and listen soon.
