Ultimate Ears Miniroll: Two-minute review
Parties in 2024 are about to get a bit bassier with the new Ultimate Ears Miniroll, a small-form Bluetooth speaker that wants to find its way onto our list of the best party speaker by virtue of the fact that it’s much smaller than all of its rivals.
A revival of the UE Roll from 2015 and UE Roll 2 from a year later, this is now Ultimate Ear’s smallest speaker by a country mile (and also a good few inches). It sits alongside the sonically superior, but much less totable, Wonderboom 4, as well as UE’s more pricy alternatives. Yes, that’s right, it’s not just small but it’s affordable too.
You only have to pay $79 / £69 / AU$99 for the UE Miniroll so it undercuts most of the competition, although a few other major audio brands also have lightweight party speakers like this for roughly the same (or less).
‘Miniroll’ is a funny name – the new UE speaker is bigger than the Roll and Roll 2, and probably doesn’t have any link to the sponge treat manufactured by former chocolate company (and now faux-chocolate company) Cadbury’s.
But while Cadbury’s has sadly gone downhill in the eyes of many, Ultimate Ears has only improved on the formula of its older speakers. The sound offers loads of bass, marking a notable improvement in audio capabilities over the previous two Rolls. The use of a USB-C port and a longer battery life also make this a more tempting option for people who may consider buying older tech.
Some of the best features of the Roll are here too. I found the carry strap incredibly handy, as I could attach the Miniroll to bags, pieces of furniture or even body parts (well, my wrist) to make it easy to carry around.
The speaker isn’t perfect though, as there’s no smartphone app to bring extra features or offer customization. There’s no equalizer either, something many rival party speakers offer, which will likely put off people who’d find the bass just a little ‘too much’. I also wished there was a way to skip or rewind songs, as many other speakers offer, to stop me having to use my phone for these tasks.
Some may also find the max volume a little too low for ‘parties’, especially since bass doesn’t carry as well as treble, though I guess ‘intimate social gathering speaker’ doesn’t have the same ring as ‘party speaker’. I can see this being a great pick for hikers or picnickers who want some tunes, or group runners who blast music to get everyone through that pre-breakfast 5k, rather than for traditional house parties or gatherings.
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Price and release date
- Released in September 2024
- Costs $79 / £69 / AU$99
The Ultimate Ears Miniroll was unveiled and released in mid-September 2024, ready for an outdoor party speaker to be almost obsolete in the wintery northern hemisphere.
The price of the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is $79 / £69 / AU$99, so it’s the cheapest wireless speaker currently offered by UE, and is one of the more affordable options on the market. It also undercuts the two UE Roll models which went for $99 / £99 / AU$149. The Wonderboom is the closest sibling in price at $99 / £89 / AU$149.
In fact, if you’re looking for a party speaker as compact as the Miniroll, the market’s not burgeoning with good-quality options. Your best alternative is the even cheaper (but not quite as chic, and a little older now) Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 (now available for $59 / £59 or around AU$85) followed by the JBL Clip 5, which sells for $79 / £59 / AU$89, so both are actually a bit cheaper in most regions.
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Specs
| Weight | 279g |
| Dimensions | 122 x 105 x 48mm |
| Battery life | 12 hours |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth (40m range) |
| Drivers | 46.8mm active driver + 37.75 x 65mm passive radiator |
| Aux-in | No |
| Charger port | USB-C |
| Microphone | No |
| Waterproofing | IP67 |
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Features
- Can link up to other Minirolls
- No equalizer or app
- 12 hour battery life
The Ultimate Ears Miniroll struggles most in the features department because… well, there barely are any.
Unlike with some other UE speakers, the Miniroll doesn’t have a smartphone app, so it doesn’t let you utilize features of some of its rivals. There’s no equaliser, for example, or even different EQ presets for you to toggle between. You can’t change audio codec, fiddle with Bluetooth options or use a ‘find my speaker’ function.
There’s no outdoor mode either, which in other UE devices (it’s the ‘tree button’ on the underside of the Wonderboom 4) strips bass in favor of treble to make the speaker easier to hear over distance. Of all the missing features this is the one I would have liked to see most – as with any bassy speaker, quality (and audibility) quickly drops off if you walk away from the Miniroll.
One thing you can do is connect the Miniroll to its siblings, in order to sync up multiple speakers. However unlike many other UE devices (but like the Wonderboom), you can only pair it to others of its make – ie, other Minirolls. So while your Boom, Megaboom, Everboom, Epicboom and Hyperbooms might all be having their own little party, the Minirolls will have to form their own shindig. According to UE the Miniroll can pair to an unlimited number of other Minirolls though, as long as your budget is equally infinite.
The battery life stretches to 12 hours on a single charge, which is longer than most parties I get invited to. Its a lasting power which positions the Miniroll as a handy device for people going on hikes or camping, as does its design.
Charging is done via USB-C, with a little port just above the strap.
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Design
- Small compact body
- Incredibly handy carry strap
- IP67 protected, survives up to 1.2m drop
The key selling point of the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is its design – it’s mini and feels lovely in your hand. A little pebble of a gadget, it weighs only slightly more than a smartphone at 279g, and measures 122 x 105 x 48 mm so it’s incredibly slender.
If you don’t trust measurements, trust me: it’s really easy to carry around whether it’s in the hand, strapped to a bag, inside said bag, or even slipped into a pocket (yes, it fits in my pockets, although that really muffles the audio).
Strapping it to a bag comes thanks to a rubbery strap, which is locked to the Miniroll at one end and is hooked and removable at the other. This gives you lots of versatility in how you attach the Miniroll to things, especially with a gap in the strap letting you hang it from objects. This was my preferred way of using the speaker, hanging it from doorknobs or cupboards – the multitude of ways to position the speaker is great for positioning it in rooms or attaching it to various rucksacks. Ultimate Ear’s promotional material even shows someone attaching it to a dog.
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One annoying element of the design comes into play here though, in combination with the speaker’s heavy bass (more on that later). Sometimes when on certain objects, the natural vibrations from the bass would cause the speaker to wobble, and it fell off boxes I put it on several times. Likewise when I hung it up, it’d sometimes shudder from the bass and start to sway – I can’t put it on my bedroom door because the bass makes it repeatedly knock into the wood panel. It’s an odd situation and I had to always think about where I placed the Miniroll.
On the top of the Miniroll are a volume up and volume down button, which should surprise no-one given that the buttons are a giant + and -. The edge of the speaker has the power button as well as the play/pause one, which can also be held to enable pairing with other Minirolls (more on that later). There’s no button to skip or restart tracks so you’ll have to rely on your phone for that.
If you’re worried about damage, the speaker is IP67 rated – that means it’s totally protected from dust particles and can be immersed in water for a depth of a meter for up to half an hour. It’s drop-proof but only up to 1.2 meters, which is something else to bear in mind when placing the speaker – my rucksack is higher than that off the floor and so are most of the tables I’d put it on.
As you can see from the pictures, I tested the pink Miniroll – Calming Pink, as UE calls it – and there’s also black (Gentle Black), blue (Majestic Blue) and white (Revive Gray).
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Sound quality
- (No need to) turn up the bass
- Volume not suitable for large parties
- Lack of equalizer limits appeal
I’ve referred to the Ultimate Ears Miniroll as a ‘party speaker’, but I should qualify that ‘party’ part of the phrase – this isn’t for big gatherings in Beverly Hills mansions or beach parties with hundreds of people. Think ‘D&D party’ size – this isn’t the loudest speaker in the world and it will best suit medium- to small-sized groups.
In my (very studious) tests, the Miniroll sounded decent at up to 5 meters distance, but when I got to 10m it was hard to hear parts of the song (partly from the volume, but partly from other sounds being more prominent). I found the Miniroll great for playing music in my bedroom, but unlike some other speakers I’ve tested, its sound didn’t carry through my entire (two-person) flat. If you’re going on a trip with this attached to your bag, you’d better keep your friends close if they want to hear music.
The UE Miniroll isn’t so quiet that it’s going to disappoint you, but you need to temper your expectations in keeping with its size – UE does have bigger speakers if you want to entertain a large number of listeners.
In terms of the audio itself, the Miniroll is a bassy little creature, and I was pretty surprised by just how much bass the thing eked out. I’ve already written about how it literally vibrates from what it’s putting out!
The bass is admittedly a little muddy, and the sheer nature of physics means it doesn’t carry that far (thanks, physics), but bass-heads near to the speaker will really pick up what it’s putting down.
As with any bass-heavy speaker, treble and mids suffer the consequences of this heavy lean, and both lack an extra ounce of detail – they also distort a little at higher volumes. However, balanced treble and audiophile-quality mids aren’t something it’d be truly fair to demand from party speakers at this price. It’s certainly not necessary for the Macarena.
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Value
- Form factor makes it appealing for portable music
- Some users might prefer other speakers
The Ultimate Ears Miniroll fits its niche really well: it’s cheaper and more portable than many other Bluetooth speakers, with a decent battery life, sufficient protection from life’s bumps and a really handy strap. With that in mind it’s hard to argue that the Miniroll isn’t good value – it’s much better for a certain type of user than other options in the market.
However, if you’re just looking for an affordable Bluetooth speaker for your house or garden, you can find options with better audio and a couple of extra features for a similar price. They just lose portability as a trade-off.
Should I buy the Ultimate Ears Miniroll?
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Features | The UE Miniroll doesn’t offer many features but its battery life is decent. | 3/5 |
| Design | It’s lovely and compact, and the carry strap is handy | 4/5 |
| Sound quality | If you like bass, you’ll be happy, as long as you’re close to the speaker. | 3.5/5 |
| Value | It’s decent value if you’ll use its form factor. | 3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Ultimate Ears Miniroll review: Also consider
| Ultimate Ears Miniroll | JBL Clip 5 | Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $79 / £69 / AU$99 | $79.95 / £59.99 / AU$89.95 | $99.99 / £89.99 / AU$149 |
| Dimensions | 122 x 105 x 48mm | 86 x 134.5 x 46mm | 104 x 95.3 x 95.3mm |
| Weight | 279g | 285g | 420g |
| Battery life | 12 hours | 12 hours | 14 hours |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth (40m range) | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Drivers | 46.8mm active driver + 37.75 x 65mm passive radiator | Integrated class D digital amplifiers x 1 | 2 x 40mm active drivers, 2 x 46.1×65.2mm passive radiators |
| Aux-in | No | No | No |
| Charger port | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Microphone | No | No | No |
| Waterproofing | IP67 | IP67 | IP67 |
How I tested the Ultimate Ears Miniroll
- Tested for two weeks
- Tested at home and on some trips
I tested the Ultimate Ears Miniroll for over two weeks, during which time I used them alongside my Android smartphone.
Most of the testing was done at home but I also took it on a few day trips and picnics to see how well it works outdoors. Mostly I used the speaker for music streaming but I also tested it with spoken word podcasts a little bit as well.
I’ve been reviewing audio products at TechRadar for 5 years, including other Ultimate Ears products.
- First reviewed in October 2024
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tom.bedford@futurenet.com (Tom Bedford)
