After having spent a month with the Tribit Stormbox Flow portable speaker, I have grown to appreciate some of its key features – particularly the ease and comfortability to take it with me while traveling – which I will dive more into later. While the Tribit Stormbox Flow is one of several portable bluetooth speakers in my house, for $79.99, you can’t ask for a better listening experience.
Tribit Stormbox Flow specs
There is a lot to love about this tiny, powerful speaker, starting with the fact that it is just that… tiny and powerful. Looking kind of like a small piece of poundcake (complete with rounded edges), the Tribit Stormbox Flow measures just less than eight inches long, around 3.5 inches wide, about 1.5 inches thick, and weighs 1.45 lbs. I was shocked to learn it weight 1.45 lbs as it feels heavier when you’re holding it, but it is also obvious that it can withstand some bouncing and banging around. The Tribit Stormbox Flow feels durable, making it the ideal traveling speaker.
Featuring 25W of sound, a 30-hour battery life, and the ability to charge other devices, the Tribit Stormbox Flow also boasts:
- Addtional stereo pairing
- Water-resistant design
- IP67 protection from the elements
- 24 hours of playtime on Xbass mode
- 50 Hz frequency response
At first glance
Right out of the box, I enjoyed how easily the Tribit Stormbox Flow into my hand. Its sleek design makes for easy carrying, and it comes with a carrying lanyard attached on the righthand side – allowing you to loop your fingers through or even attach it to a backpack using a carabiner if you want to take it with you on day trip.
Naturally, I was excited to hear how it sounded, so of course I immediately connected and paired the Tribit Stormbox Flow to my iPhone. (I have found that with some portable bluetooth speakers the pairing process can take too long for someone like me, who is impatient, but the Tribit Stormbox Flow connected immediately.)
Sound-wise, initially?… I thought that the music I was playing came out of the speaker a bit too tinny and a bit too muffled for my taste. Figuring the reason this was happening was because I was playing a bass-heavy hip hop song (“Cobra” by Megan Thee Stallion), I played other songs with less bass, but they all had that gritty sound effect. I pressed the EQ button several times to see what I was working with, eventually landing on Xbass mode, which sounded the best for just about every song I was testing from that point forward. The other sound mode offered on the Tribit Stormbox Flow is “audiobook mode,” or you can simply turn off the EQ which defaults the speaker to “TRIBIT default sound.” More on these later.
Out and about
The Tribit Stormbox Flow speaker is the third portable bluetooth speaker in my home (along with a Bose Soundlink Revolve and a Marshall Emberton II), but it is the only speaker I have felt comfortable enough to take with me when I go to friends’ houses or when I recently spent the weekend out of town without having to worry if it’ll get banged up or not – again, a testament to its durability.
When I brought this speaker to a small gathering with a few of my girlfriends, everyone had the same initial reaction that I did. As one of my closest friends put it, “Why does every song sound so thin?” It wasn’t until we realized that the Tribit Stormbox Flow, which we had been standing upright, if you will, is also designed to be laid flat with its speaker facing upwards. Once we did this, the sound quality skyrocketed. Each song sounded fuller, more well-rounded, and with a more leveled EQ. Even though Tribit markets this speaker as one that you can stand or lay flat, it unequivocally sounds better when it’s laid flat so that the sound becomes more immersive, rather than it being walled off while upright.
Favorite features
Something I really enjoy about the Tribit Stormbox Flow that sets it apart from other portable bluetooth speakers is the fact that you can charge other devices from its USB-C input. In a world where our technology owns us rather than us owning our technology, I have to admit that this particular piece of tehcnology embedded within the speaker is a cool little party trick.
Per Tribit:
The portable bluetooth speaker can charge phones in a pinch. But when its battery dips below 50%, it’ll stop juicing up phone to save itself some playtime. Need to keep charging your phone? Just power down the speaker – no restrictions apply.
I even went as far as to test this with my 2022 MacBook Air by plugging in the MacBook’s USB-C charger into the Stormbox Flow’s, and it did indeed give my MacBook a boost, bringing it from a 60% charge to a 68% charge in about 30 minutes.
The other features I appreciated were the “audiobook” mode of the speaker, which was ideal while listening to my favorite podcasts, in addition to the attached lanyard. I can’t really say why I love the lanyard so much for sure, except to say that it gives the speaker a bouncy feel that translates, to me, into duarability.
9to5Toys’ Take
Overeall, the Tribit Stormbox Flow portable speaker packs a punch of sound (when laid flat) and is made durably enough to be taken with you on the next time you go out of town. The ability to charge your phone or laptop with the speaker is a sweet little bonus, as is Stormbox Flow’s barely-there design in matte black. Get yours today for $79.99.
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