As soon as the Huawei Sound X was revealed during the Huawei P40 series launch, I was intrigued and wanted to try it right away. After all, it’s not everyday you see a relatively tiny Hi-Fi speaker.

Fast forward months later and having spent a couple of weeks with it, I can say with absolute certainty that having the Sound X is a balls to the wall smashing good time!

It’s so small for its device category, it fits in a shelf meant for toy figures

Its power source is located underneath and tucks in nicely when set up 

With a P40 series phone, tapping on the NFC area makes for an easy and immediate pairing 

But you can pair it via bluetooth with any phone you have. This ties in nicely with Huawei’s 1+8+N strat which is essentially a connected life starting with your phone.

In fact, this is the first product to come to the Philippines that’s not the usual phone, laptop, tablet, or wearable variety. And if this is the first peripheral accessory that you’ll add to that Huawei Life you’re building, then it’s a damn good way to start.

Up top are its volume and pairing controls 

You can do more with it on the Huawei AI Life App 

It’s co-engineered with Devialet 

Devialet is a global audio brand known for its premium High-Fidelity products. They’ve garnered numerous awards for their inventive products that boast thunderous power and unparalleled performance within a limited-sized body. That’s actually a perfect way to describe the Sound X.

It gets really loud 

Throughout my time with the Sound X, I never once turned it up to max volume. One. because I never really needed to. Two, even if I wanted to, I’m afraid my neighbors would come banging at my door for disturbing their peace.

It sounds f*cking amazing

There’s really no other way to describe it. Playing practically anything on the Huawei Sound X feels almost like an out-of-body experience — one that’s typically reserved for when you’re listening to live music.

See, the thing about music is it has the ability to transport you into certain times and places in your life. I know I sound dramatic but it’s true. This is exactly what I experienced with the Sound X.

One Sunday morning I decided to listen to the classics that my parents used to blast on our stereo speakers. Hearing “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin and the legendary riffs of “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple, I felt like that kid again quietly jamming to the music from my childhood.

Later on I decided to switch things up and put on Usher and Alicia Keys’ “My Boo,” and instantly I was my pre- and early teen self again. I wanted to keep the RnB streak going and ended up listening to Neo’s “Go on Girl” which brought up memories of being cheated on.

I picked up my mood by putting on what I listen to mostly these days for an instant shot of happy — which is of course K-Pop girl group TWICE. Lastly, I rounded up the day by pumping myself up with soundtracks from Boku No Hero Academia.

That roller coaster of emotion was magical. I doubt it would be possible if the Sound X didn’t sound the way it does. It really does bring that X-factor to whatever you’re listening to.

Is this your GadgetMatch?

At PhP 19,990 (US$ 405), this makes for a big ticket item for most people especially for its intended purpose. For the most part, you can live with just using your smartphone’s speakers or your earphones or headphones for listening to music. But if you want to elevate and share that experience, the Huawei Sound X is a fantastic choice.

The tech behind it is fantastic for sure. You have stuff like Devialet‘s patented signal-processing SAM (Speaker Active Matching) technology, iconic Push-Push symmetrical structure, and all that whatchamacallit.

However, the thing that makes the Sound X an excellent speaker is no matter how impressive the fancy tech looks on paper, it all takes a backseat once you start using it. At that point, it’s all magic and that’s what good tech is. It stays in the background and all you’re left with is a magical experience.

The one thing that I really, really don’t like about the Sound X is that I have to give it back to Huawei. 😢