Blog
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: an budget Bluetooth speaker that does the basics but sadly lacks sonic oomph
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: two-minute review
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is best summed up as ‘it does the job’. It’s not a standout speaker. It doesn’t offer anything exceptional above the competition, but it is very cheap, easy to track down, and very low-maintenance. Audiophiles will still complain about the lack of 360-degree sound (despite the specs) and when you crank up the volume, the audio quality definitely dips.
However, it’s much, much cheaper than the best Bluetooth speakers and it has the strength of being IPX7 waterproof and very robust, so it competes against the best waterproof speakers on that front. I accidentally dropped it a few times and it’s always fine and eager to work once more. It’s easy to carry in one hand, too, thanks to its strap.
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus has a handful of attractive buttons for volume, Bluetooth connectivity, and RGB lighting – all the kind of size that’s perfect for tapping while in the pool. There’s only a couple of RGB lighting settings and the app doesn’t support different color schemes, but it does the job. Yup, there’s that phrase again.
Costing $39.99 / £32 / AU$65 (approx.), it’s a good price for a simple speaker. There are better options available for slightly more, but not much that you can find for less. If you just need something a little disposable to take on your hike or vacation, the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus will keep you happy enough.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: price and release date
- $39.99 / £32 / AU$65 (approx.)
- Launched in June 2025
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus was released in June 2025 at a $39.99 / £32 / AU$65 (approx.) price point and is available to buy in the US, UK, EU, and Australia. It’s already discounted at some third-party retailers, with the speaker dropping as low as £23.99 in the UK.
As with all of Tribit’s speaker range, it’s pretty cheap. Competitors at about the same price include the JBL Go 4, but it only offers IPX67 waterproofing, while the JBL Clip 5 is pricier with the superior audio quality to match.
For the most part, at this aggressive price, you’ll be more likely to find unfamiliar brands.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: specs
Weight | 545g |
Dimensions | 118.9 x 90.9 x 90.9 mm (HWD) |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC, AAC codecs), AUX-in, USB-C (charging) |
Battery life | 12 hours (quoted) |
Speaker drivers | 48mm |
Waterproofing | IPX7 |
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: features
- IPX7 waterproofing
- RGB lights
- 12-hour battery life
Small yet robust, the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is designed to be that speaker you take wherever you’re headed. It has IPX7 waterproofing so it’ll happily sit in the pool without issue. Accidentally, I dropped it from about 5ft onto concrete and, again, all good here. The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is built to last.
The battery life is a fine-if-unremarkable 12 hours, and you should expect a full recharge to take about 2.5 hours. More would be nice but it’s not the end of the world, especially at this price. Bluetooth 5.4 means dropouts aren’t going to happen and there’s a comparatively rare AUX port if you need it. Support for SBC and AAC codecs are convenient, too.
The Tribit app isn’t the most exciting to look at but it has a simple Equalizer, so you can tweak sound how you like it. This is far from an audio powerhouse (more on that and its mediocre 360-degree sound in a moment) but being able to adjust things is always useful.
I rather liked the RGB lighting. It’s not too in your face and the two presets both look nice without overcomplicating matters. It’s all a nice checklist of the essentials and everything is suitably speedy to get using. Nothing is too complicated.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: sound quality
- Less-than-encompassing 360-degree sound
- 48mm drivers
- Fine at low volumes
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus’ principal weakness is its audio quality, which is quite an unfortunate drawback for a speaker. The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is fine-if-unremarkable at low volumes, but crank it up, and the issues become noticeable. Bass is weak and the general sound is pretty muffled. This is a small and cheap speaker so does all that matter? Only you know the answer to that.
For me, listening to podcasts was fine as I had no intention on maxing out the volume. Similarly, listening to some relaxing Chet Baker and other jazz worked fine. Moving over to the more bass-heavy Muse is where I realized the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus sounded weaker and more underwhelming. The soundstage is quite weak, too, with 360-degree sound appearing to be more of a buzz term than something that is actually noticeable.
Adjusting the equalizer helps a little but it still doesn’t solve the high-volume issue. Keep it low, though, and you won’t have many complaints at this price point.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: design
- Tactile, chunky buttons
- Clear design
- Grab strap
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus has a fairly typical design for a portable speaker and it works well for it. Along its side are chunky, tactile buttons for volume and playback, while the back contains smaller buttons for power, Bluetooth, and lighting.
The latter controls aren’t as tactile for those with visual impairments but they’re reasonably divided up so you won’t mis-tap easily. Underneath that lineup are the covered AUX and power ports. Everything works smoothly which should be an obvious one but, well, not always.
At the top is the lighting, while there’s also an easy-to-grab strap that is the perfect size for most hands. If you want to change up the EQ, you’ll need to use the aforementioned Tribit app, which is simple and offers five presets, as well as the ability to manually tweak matters.
There are less weighty speakers around but the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is nevertheless pretty light. I found no issue with carrying it around, placing it on a countertop or even leaving it lying on my bed while napping. The plastic exterior is robust but not harsh to hold.
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: value
- Cheaper than most of the competition
- Robust design
- Ideal for a summer’s fun
The Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus is cheaper than most of the competition. For a little more, you could buy the JBL Clip 5 or the Soundcore 3 but there are pros and cons here. The former costs a fair amount more, but boasts much better audio quality. The latter is about the same price but not as portable-looking.
As always, there’s a trade-off here, and I certainly appreciated the form factor of the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus more than a standard speaker.
Should I buy the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus?
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Features | All the essentials are here, from an app to neat lights, and reasonable battery life. | 3.5/5 |
Sound quality | The weakest element, doesn’t lend itself to high volumes, but it could be worse. | 3/5 |
Design | Portable with tactile buttons and an easy-to-grab strap, with few complaints. | 4/5 |
Value | Well-priced, and feels like the speaker for your summer. | 4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: also consider
| Row 0 – Cell 0 | Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus | JBL Clip 5 | Nokia Portable Wireless Speaker 2 |
Price | $39.99 / £32 / AU$65 (approx.) | $79.95 / £59.99 / AU$89.95 | $69 / £49 / AU$129 |
Weight | 545g | 285g | 225g |
Dimensions | 90.9 x 90.9 x 118.9 mm | 86 x 134.5 x 46 mm | 90 x 90 x 74mm |
Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC, AAC codecs), AUX-in, USB-C (charging) | Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C (charging) | Bluetooth 5.1, AUX, USB-C (charging) |
Battery life | 12 hours (quoted | Up to 12 hours | 22 hours (quoted) |
Speaker drivers | 48mm | Integrated class D digital amplifiers x 1 | 45mm |
Waterproofing | IPX7 | IP67 | IPX7 |
Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus review: how I tested
- Tested over 10 days
- Used with Spotify and Apple Music
- 15 years’ audio equipment reviewing experience
I used the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus a lot to entertain me while sick in bed. That meant a lot of podcasts through Spotify and Apple Music, and plenty of chill music via Spotify. As my health improved, it lived on my desk and was paired up with my PC so I could listen to YouTube and Twitch streams.
I also sometimes used the Tribit Stormbox Mini Plus while outdoors, seeing how it faced up against the British summer, and occasional drops on concrete. Basically, it took over as my main listening device for those 10 days to see how it performed.
