Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 – a portable bluetooth speaker with a wireless charging pad
The newest premium speaker from B&O combines a very capable bluetooth speaker with wireless charging to top up your phone or earbuds on the go.
The 4th generation in B&O’s line of Beolit portable speakers, Beolit 20 this year improves the battery, adds a wireless charging pad up top and some subtle design tweaks. Beolit 20 joins Bang & Olufsen’s other portable speakers such as the Beosound A1, Beosound 1 and Beoplay P6.
The wireless charging pad sit on top of the speaker with a circular ring indicating the position to place your phone, earbuds or any other Qi-compatible devices. Alongside the charging pad are controls for power, Bluetooth connect, play/pause, volume up and volume down.
The Beolit 20 features a similar modern classic design as the previous Beolit 17, with an iconic, elegant look, robust design and premium materials including a tough, lightweight anodised aluminium, robust polymer base and a vegetable tanned leather strap. The design updates come with the new colour contrasting grille and simplified controls over the Beolit 17.
Beolit 20 features Bang & Olufsen’s renowned signature sound, with powerful amplifiers and drivers, producing True360 sound for optimal dispersion in any environment. Internally you’ll find one 5.5-inch long-stroke wideband woofer, two 4-inch passive bass radiators and three 1.5-inch full range speakers, enabling a wide range from 37-20,000Hz.
The big update B&O are stressing is battery gains. Beolit 20 hits 8 hours of playtime at typical listening volume. This is an improvement over last generations Beolit 17 that managed 6 hours at typical listening volume. However, it’s still fantastic for a $500 portable speaker of its size. I would have hoped for around double the battery life at around 16-24 hours for a speaker of its calibre. Keep in mind, this battery will deplete faster if you’re using the wireless power bank feature. 3,200mAh is enough to charge most smartphones once, but then not much more (such as listening to music) on top of that. Beolit 20 charges via USB-C.
Beolit 20 uses Bluetooth 4.2 for a reliable connection. Pair with another Beolit 20 or 17 for stereo sound. Sound is customizable via EQ adjustements in the Bang & Olufsen app, with five presets to choose beween.
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 20 is available to order today in Grey Mist and Black Anthracite.