Key Takeaways
- Solar-charging extends battery life significantly, making the speaker perfect for outdoor adventures.
- Sound quality is good with adjustable EQ settings, but the speaker may not be as waterproof as claimed.
- The rugged and compact design, along with the app features, provide a great user experience for casual listeners.
I spend a lot of time outside, which in Florida means I’m almost always in sandy environments. It also means that I spend a fair amount of time near the water. Add to this my tendency to forget to charge things, and it makes finding a speaker for my outdoor activities challenging. It has to be waterproof and durable enough to handle harsh environments and provide a long battery life so that I’m more likely to have a speaker with battery when I head out the door.
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The headphones will have ANC as well, and could bid farewell to plugging in for a charge-up.
On paper, the Urbanista Malibu solar-charging speaker meets all of those needs and more. It promises an IP67 rating and provides solar-charging capabilities to extend its already impressive full-day of pledged battery life. Pocket-lint reviewers had the chance to briefly go hands-on with the speaker last year and noted that the sound was solid, but I wanted to see how it held up to waterproof, rugged claims after a few weeks of testing.
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Urbanista Malibu
A self-charging portable speaker
The Urbanista Malibu is a portable Bluetooth speaker with a rugged design. It features solar-charging capabilities, whether from the sun or electrical lights and offers lengthy battery life to last all day long. The promised IP67 rating doesn’t seem to be too accurate, though, so it’s not quite as durable as Urbanista claims.
- Adjustable EQ settings via the Urbanista app
- Solar charging extends battery life, especially on sunny days
- Plenty of sound detail
- Good amount of bass
- Floats
- Compact and portable with a lanyard for easy carrying
- Not as waterproof as promised
- Top-end sounds are edgy and unpleasant, especially at higher volumes.
Price, availability, and specs
The Urbanista Malibu is available for purchase for $149. It’s available in either Midnight Black or Desert Gray.
Urbanista Malibu
- Brand
- Urbanistat
- Speaker Type
- Portable Bluetooth
- Maximum output power
- 2 x 10W
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Weight
- 2.4 lbs
- Dimensions
- 6.69 x 2.76 x 2.76 in
- Battery
- 3,600 mA
- Frequency
- 20 Hz – 20 kHz
- Codecs
- SBC and AAC
- Ports
- USB-C
- Colors
- Midnight Black, Desert Gray
- Water and dust resistance
- IP67
What I liked about the Urbanista Malibu
A solar charging boost
The Urbanista Malibu gets a lot right. Though it doesn’t impact the final product at all, I was very impressed by the packaging, which contained zero plastic. Although Urbanista doesn’t provide any details, it says the speaker is made from recycled plastic and fabrics, which is also nice to see.
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The battery life on the Malibu is the main area where it really shines. That’s mostly because of the solar charging panel that stretches across the top of the speaker that harnesses the power of the sun and artificial light.
I charged up the device right when I got it, but I haven’t had to charge it since.
Without the sun, Urbanista promises all-day battery life, which is excellent. But, the company suggests that the solar charging, even on a moderately sunny day, can extend the battery life to 45 hours of playback.
I charged up the device right when I got it, but I haven’t had to charge it since. That’s even with nearly daily listening for a few hours at a time. I have the speaker sitting on a west-facing windowsill most of the time, and the Florida sun is no joke, so it gets plenty of intense sunlight.
The Malibu’s sound is no slouch, either. There’s a good amount of bass and plenty of detail. The only downside is that the top end gets a bit scratchy and harsh, especially as you turn the volume up. But, for most types of audio and for the casual listening that is dominant at pool and beach settings, it produces pleasant, quality sound.
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The app is another bright spot. I’m a sucker for adjustable EQ settings and tend to be annoyed by speakers that don’t provide that. Luckily, with the Urbtanista app, you can adjust the levels to your liking with the five-band EQ. There are four presets, or you can create your own as well. On top of sound adjustments, you can keep an eye on the current battery level and check out how much solar charging the speaker is getting in real time. You can also turn on power saving mode to extend playback time, though it will lower the sound quality substantially, and you won’t be able to use any adjusted EQ settings.
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Finally, when I dropped the speaker in my pool, it popped right back to the surface. That’s great peace of mind if you take the speaker on a boat. You don’t have to worry about it dropping to the bottom of the lake, gone forever. A rugged, waterproof speaker doesn’t do you much good if it sinks out of your life, after all.
What I didn’t like about Urbanista Malibu
Not so waterproof, after all
There’s an elephant in the room with this speaker, unfortunately. Urbanista claims an IP67 rating, which means that it is protected from solids and is water-resistant to a depth of three feet for up to 30 minutes. The Urbanista website even shows a video of the speaker going for a swim in a pool. Unfortunately, when I did the same with my speaker, things didn’t turn out so well. I dropped it a few times and let it float in the water, but it never went deeper than a foot and wasn’t in the water for anywhere near 30 minutes.
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When I got home and turned the speaker back on, things started to go south. It kept switching itself on and off of power-saving mode on its own. Then, when I tried to push the play button, it also toggled the power-saving mode while simultaneously increasing the volume. In fact, every button seemed to increase the volume, though none would lower it. The power button simply didn’t respond. The sound was the same as before, though it would just randomly stop and start again.
Should you buy Urbanista Malibu?
If you plan on being relatively careful with your Malibu speaker, then yes, I would easily recommend this speaker. The sound is great for casual listeners, and the solar charging is extremely useful, especially on top of the already long battery life. But if you’re looking for a truly waterproof device, look elsewhere.
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