The Happy Plugs Joy Speaker won me over with its looks — and then instantly let me down with its tinny sound

What’s cookin’ good lookin’? The Happy Plugs Joy Speaker is one of the cutest speakers I’ve seen. It hopes to take on JBL and Tribit to earn a spot amongst the best cheap Bluetooth speakers. Perhaps the best thing it has going for itself is its egg-like design. I really like how portable the Joy Speaker is, and just how cheap it is.

Music sounds good, not great, and the Joy Speaker won’t impress like much larger (more expensive) speakers. While purely vocal tracks sound decent, pop, dance and heavy rock tracks sound scratchy in a lot of places.

And the entire time I was testing it, I kept repeating, “I wish it had a companion app so I could adjust the EQ and try to salvage some sound quality.” Also, the Joy Speaker has poor waterproofing and short battery life too.

For the complete breakdown, read my full Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A very portable, cute-looking Bluetooth speaker
• Who is it for? For people who want a portable speaker and don't care about good sound quality
• How much does it cost? $49 / £39
• What do we like? It’s cute, portable and very cheap
• What don’t we like? The hit-or-miss audio, lack of companion app, poor waterproofing, and short battery life

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Specs

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Price & availability

The Joy Speaker is manufactured by Happy Plugs, a Swedish brand based in Stockholm. It has a retail price of $49 / £39, making it one of the cheapest Bluetooth speakers available today. It comes in four fun, cute colors: Black, Blue, Green and Pink.

The Joy Speaker finds itself competing against the likes of the JBL Go 4 ($49), the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 ($59) and the Anker Soundcore 3 ($51). That’s some tough competition. Unfortunately for the Joy Speaker, its rivals carry better features and boast more powerful sound quality.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Design & controls

• Very cute
• Highly portable
• Straightforward controls

Simply put, the Happy Plugs Joy Speaker looks like an egg. Happy Plugs describes the speaker as “a statement piece” which I’m inclined to agree with. It’s eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing, and I love it. It’s available in four colorways, and I tested the green model, which looks more like the color of broccoli.

The Joy Speaker’s body is made of hard plastic and rubber, and most of it is covered by a mesh grill. They both lend it a premium edge, and it looks pricier than it actually is.

You’ll find a lace attached to the left edge of the speaker, so you can hang it off your backpack or wrap it around your wrist. On the Joy Speaker’s underside, you’ll find four grippy rubber feet that help it stay in place on most hard surfaces, like wood, plastic and glass.

I also really like how portable the Joy Speaker is. It measures just 3.54 x 3.07 x 2.67 inches so it’s easy to slip into a backpack or handbag — or even a larger pocket! At 6.77oz, its weight is fairly negligible too, and it’s lighter than the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 (16oz). I never felt weighed down by it when I carried it in my cargo pants’.

The controls are straightforward, too. You’ve got volume up, down, play/pause and power buttons located on the top. They’re soft to the touch and give great tactile feedback when pressed.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Features

• IPX4-rated only
• Competitors have been water resistance

The Happy Plugs Joy Speaker is IPX4-rated which means it’s resistant to dust and splashes of water. Alas, that means the speaker won't survive a tumble into a pool — something its rivals would manage.

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 and the JBL Go 4 are IP67-rated, which means they’re waterproof down to 3 feet. The Anker Soundcore 3 is IPX7-rated so it can be submerged in up to 1 foot of water for 30 minutes. These ratings make all three speakers the better choice if you want something that’ll get through a pool party — or a rain shower.

The Joy Speaker’s USB-C and 3.5mm ports are housed under a rubber flap, which securely locks into place, keeping dust and splashes at bay. I would not recommend taking this speaker on hikes or to the beach, though, as the “X” in “IPX4” means this speaker is not dustproof.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Connectivity & app

• 3.5mm jack for wired playback
• Bluetooth 5.3
• No companion app = No equalizer

The Happy Plugs Joy Speaker utilizes Bluetooth 5.3 to seamlessly connect to your smartphone and laptop (but not simultaneously). It’s really easy to pair too, as all you need to do is press the power button twice. There’s also a 3.5mm AUX port if you want wired playback.

Unlike the other budget speakers I mentioned earlier, like the JBL Go 4 and the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2, the Joy Speaker doesn’t come with a companion app. This means that you can’t adjust an equalizer and you’re stuck with the default sound profile.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Sound quality

• Okay-ish bass
• Gets overwhelmed easily
• Hit-or-miss vocals

I tested the Happy Plugs Joy Speaker by listening to my usual testing songs (rock, dance, indie, etc.) on Qobuz — one of the best music streaming services for hi-res audio. I used my Google Pixel 7 Pro and listened over Bluetooth.

The Joy Speaker sounds okay — and that’s me being generous. Tracks like ‘Money’ by Pink Floyd and ‘Little Dark Age’ by MGMT sound decent enough, as the speaker tries its hardest to reproduce basslines. In some parts, though, the bass feels muted, especially when there are multiple other instruments playing.

This issue feels amplified when listening to dance and pop tracks as the Joy Speaker can’t reproduce synthesized bass. I played Charli XCX’s ‘Von Dutch’ and immediately regretted it. Charli’s voice sounded tinny and hollow, and to me, it felt like the song had lost all character. Lady Gaga’s voice in ‘Disease’ also sounded distant and muffled while the drums sounded scratchy and almost painful.

The Joy Speaker doesn’t have the hardware to make music sound powerful. There is too much going on for the speaker to cope with, and this becomes clear when listening to ‘Up From the Bottom’ by Linkin Park. The Joy Speaker succeeds in reproducing clear vocals in the final bridge of the song when Emily Armstrong sings low notes, but when a vast array of electronic and percussion instruments kick in, her voice sounds muddled.

The only song I found enjoyable to listen to was ‘A&W’ by Lana Del Rey — I liked the warmth in her vocals. But that’s about it. If all you want to listen to are acoustic songs with minimal instruments in the background, then the Joy Speaker is good enough but for anything else, you’ll have to consider other options like EarFun UBoom L ($79) or the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Battery life

• Rated for 8 hours only
• Competitors do better
• USB-C port for charging

The Happy Plugs Joy Speaker is fitted with a USB-C port located under the flap on the right-hand edge of the speaker.

But if you’re looking for a speaker that will last you a whole day of listening, sorry to say but the Joy Speaker ain’t it. This tiny speaker is rated at just 8 hours, which isn’t fantastic. Five hours into testing and listening at (mostly) 50% volume, the speaker had dipped to 35% battery.

There are better, longer-lasting alternatives available. The Tribit StormBox 2 ($67) is rated at a whopping 24 hours, the EarFun UBoom L can last up to 16 hours, the JBL Clip 5 ($79) is rated for 15 hours, and the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is rated for 12 hours.

Happy Plugs Joy Speaker review: Verdict

If you want a Bluetooth speaker just so people can ask, “That’s so cute! Where did you get it from?” then the Happy Plugs Joy Speaker is the one for you. It’s cute and dinky, sporting a combination of rubber and mesh that gives it a premium edge. It’s also very cheap: for $49, you’re getting a highly portable speaker with adorable styling.

But you won’t be pleased with the sound quality, which I can best describe as hit or miss. Purely vocal tracks sound decent but when there are lots of instruments involved, the speaker gets overwhelmed easily and can’t produce sounds that make you want to bob your head.

If you're looking for impressive sound on a budget, I’d recommend the JBL Go 4, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 or the JBL Clip 5 instead. That’s because the Joy Speaker makes music sound scratchy which makes for an unpleasant listening experience.

I’m also not a fan of the poor waterproofing, short battery life and absence of a companion app.