B&O Play takes on Apple's HomePod with the retro Beoplay P6 speaker
Bang & Olufsen's sub-brand B&O Play, which specializes in fine-looking speakers and headphones, has a new portable speaker that sounds like a solid competitor to Apple's HomePod.
The Beoplay P6 is a dust and water-resistant speaker that plays nice with both Siri and Google Assistant, has 16 hours of battery life, and 360-degree sound.
The sound comes from speakers positioned in opposite directions, which should result in 360-degree sound that can get quite loud -- the integrated amplifier delivers a total of 215W peak power, according to B&O Play.
Beoplay P6 connects to other devices via Bluetooth and charges via a USB-C cable; B&O Play says it only needs three hours for a full charge.
The speaker has a nice retro design, with an anodized and pearl blasted aluminum finish and a leather strap on one side for easy carrying. The controls on top of the device include a "OneTouch" button which invokes Google Assistant or Siri, and can be used for tasks such as accepting phone calls.
Beoplay P6 comes in two colors: black and natural (which means silver) and will retail for $399 (399 euros in Europe) when it becomes available in B&O stores, online, or through third party retailers, on April 23.
Topics Gadgets
Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.
