The F2 is Sudio’s second portable bluetooth speaker, following the Sudio Femtio from a couple of years ago. Sudio has managed to make the F2 smaller, lighter, and cheaper than the Femtio, while improving upon its water resistance and (purportedly) bass performance. Is it any good? Let’s find out after the specs.
Sudio F2 Specifications
- IPX7 water resistant
- 106*106*55 mm, 410 g
- Up to 15h of playtime
- Bluetooth 5.3, SBC codec, 10m range
- USB-C
- 3.5mm audio input
- Broadcast functionality lets you connect up to 100 F2’s together
Design & Build
The design and build quality of the Sudio F2 is perhaps its best selling point. The speaker is rather uniquely cube-shaped, which looks minimalist and clean, especially in might white unit. It’s meant to be placed upright, with the speakers firing out the front directly towards you, and the button controls along the top edge.
Button controls are simple. There’s power, play/pause, volume up/down (which also doubles as skip track with a long press), and a button for pairing with multiple Sudio F2’s.
Lastly, there’s a strap on the right edge for hanging the F2 up in the shower(?)
One flaw with the design that I noticed was that the Sudio F2 would vibrate itself off a desk when playing at max volume.
Sound
Perhaps the most obvious drawback of the Sudio F2 is that its cubular design only allows sound to fire in one direction, instead of the 360-degrees that is common in this category of speakers. Practically, it means placing the Sudio F2 in a corner of the room rather than in the middle — but I found that the volume of the F2 is more than loud enough to fill a small to medium sized living room.
Sudio claims that the bass has been greatly improved from the Sudio Femtio, and I found this to be the case, albeit not vastly improved. In my review of the Femtio, I remarked that it had a bright sound signature with disappointing levels of bass and mids.
Bass is definitely more present in the F2, but I found it to be slightly muddy and it doesn’t extend to very low frequencies. You’ll be able to hear the thump of a bass kick, but lower rumbles like that in Taylor Swift’s ’tis the damn season aren’t very noticeable.
Overall, the F2 has a very mid-forward sound signature compared to the brighter Femtio. I found this to be an improvement. Vocals, especially female vocals, shine. I found that simple, vocal-focused tracks sound good on the F2, but more complex tracks like hip-hop and rock tend to get a little messy and distorted. They still sound fine, just not great.
Depending on the type of songs you listen to, you’ll either find that the Sudio F2 sound average or surprisingly good for its size.
Pricing & Conclusion
Pros
- Minimal, clean, compact look
- Clear mids and vocals
- Surprisingly loud sound for such a small package
- Good battery life
- USB-C charging
- IPX7 water resistance
- Option to pair with up to 100 Sudio F2’s
Cons
- Speaker WILL vibrate itself off a desk at max volume
- Slow charging (4h for full charge)
- Bass leaves more to be desired
- Sound is directional unlike other 360-degree speakers in this category
At just S$129, I’m willing to forgive some of the Sudio F2’s shortcomings listed above, the biggest of which seems to be the extremely slow charging speed.
If you’re looking for a small, lightweight, and water-resistant portable bluetooth speaker — and don’t mind the shortcomings listed above — the Sudio F2 is not a bad choice.
Of course, there are plenty of alternatives for portable bluetooth speakers. The most popular and closest competitor would probably be the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 (S$139), which is just as lightweight and compact, and has the added benefit of 360-degree sound. Creative’s Muvo Go (S$119) and Muvo Play (S$59) are also viable competitors worth checking out.
There are also even smaller, more lightweight, and cheaper options such as the JBL Clip and JBL Go. Alternatively, if you want better sound and don’t mind something slightly larger, heavier, and more expensive (~S$200) the UE Boom, JBL Flip 6, and Creative iRoar Go are viable options.
You can purchase the Sudio F2 on Sudio’s website for S$129, and use code TFT15 at checkout for a further 15% off.
As always, when purchasing online, check if you can get additional cashback on your purchase with ShopBack. You can also check out our deals page for more Singapore deals.
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