For a speaker that stands 12cm tall and 10 cm diameter, the Tronsmart Element T6 Mini can deliver a decent 15 watts of power perfect for outdoor use in the garden or around the home. The housing of the T6 Mini speaker is covered with strong fabric mesh and a thick rubber trim, running across to the top and bottom of the speaker.
The top rubber panel contains two hidden status leds, a microphone pinhole and four buttons for powering and controlling the audio playback of the speaker, including volume and skipping tracks. The buttons have raised symbols, which make them tactile and easy to read.
The status leds are located next to each other, just above the Tronsmart logo and are designed to feedback the bluetooth signal connection (left led) and charging/TWS connection (right led). TWS stands for true wireless stereo and it's a feature some speakers come with, including the Element T6 Mini, that lets you pair two same speakers so, you can double the volume output and create a wireless stereo right and left audio channels. The single driver inside the T6 Mini speaker has a 15W output rating so, connecting two T6 Mini speakers together would deliver a total of 30W.
The TWS feature is, particularly, useful if the speaker has only a single driver like the Element T6 Mini, although you can also find the TWS function in some stereo (dual driver) speakers like the Mega SoundPulse, which really turns them into small sound powerhouses.
The thick rubber trim that runs across the body of the Tronsmart Element T6 contains a small rubber cover, concealing the micro SD card slot (supports up 64 GB), USB-C charging port and auxiliary input for wiring the Element T6 speaker to any audio source that integrates a 3.5mm audio socket such as a computer and smartphone.
Towards the bottom of the thick rubber trim, there is a long nylon lanyard attached to the body of the speaker. The cord comes pre-attached from factory, which is handy because removing it and reattaching it again can be a bit fiddly.
The base of the Tronsmart Element T6 is also made of thick rubber and contains a passive radiator speaker embedded approximately 1cm into the body so, the passive radiator doesn't actually touch the surface when sitting upright. There are also three rubber feet along the base, which provide enough height to let air pass through the base of the of the passive radiator speaker.
The Element T6 Mini integrates a Bluetooth 5.0 chip that is able to boost the bluetooth signal up to 30 meters in direct line of sight. The stability of the bluetooth signal does depend on your specific phone but, as a rule of thumb if you connect the T6 Mini to a bluetooth 5.0 phone, you can expect to get a solid wireless range. Low battery consumption is another benefit you get with Bluetooth 5.0. If you connect the T6 Mini to a bluetooth 5.0 phone, you can get up to 20 hours of play time and up to 17 hours when connected to a bluetooth 4.2 phone.
Speaking of battery, the T6 Mini can be left in standby for up to 2 years, which indicates quality battery cells. Charging the T6 Mini's 2500 mAh battery to 100% takes 3 hours via a maximum 5V/2.1A input charge. The speaker powers off automatically after 10 minutes of not being connected to an audio source. There is no support for pass-through charging like you get with the T2 Plus speaker; hence you cannot stream audio, while charging at the same time.
In terms of sound performance, the Element T6 Mini performs better than most similar-sized mono speakers. This is because most small mono speakers don't integrate a passive radiator like the T6 Mini does, which allows the T6 Mini to sound like a stereo speaker. Being a mono speaker, the Element T6 Mini delivers a monaural sound; hence the audio signal is mixed together. This means, there is no sound image or instrument separation when listening to audio like you get with the T6 Mini's big brother - the Element T6.
The T6 Mini delivers good sound from low to mid/high volume with some sound distortion at max volume. The T6 Mini single driver likes the higher frequencies better, especially the vocal midrange, so, the bass won't be as present at higher volume from 85% upwards.
The 360 degree sound effect in portable speakers is usually created by placing the speaker drivers back to back. In the case of the T6 Mini though, there is only one driver so, it's technically not possible. However, the T6 Mini speaker driver has been oriented upright so, as sound fires upwards it bounces off the top down the bottom, escaping through the sides and bottom of the T6 Mini speaker, which in turn creates a 360 degree-like sound effect.
As far as hands-free calling, the microphone provides decent quality and amplification, thanks to its placement on top of the speaker, allowing you to have a clear conversation from a distance without having to hold the speaker in your hand. There is a 12 months warranty included with the T6 Mini speaker, as well as a charging USB cable, audio cable and user guide. Check out the T6 Plus Upgraded Edition.