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LG XBoom Go XG2T review: two-minute review

The LG XBoom Go XG2T is an ultra-durable mini Bluetooth speaker that’s ideal for taking out on the go. This mini waterproof speaker offers military-grade protection against the elements – pretty hardcore. But how does it sound? Let’s find out…

With a lot of small speakers, audio quality can be middling at best. But the LG XBoom Go XG2T puts out a pretty solid sonic performance. Is it the most talented-sounding speaker on the market? No. But it offers commendable all-round clarity and impressive volume levels, especially with the Sound Boost EQ option enabled.

You may expect a big, bass-heavy sound from the LG XBoom Go XG2T – I mean, it's literally in the name – but you won't actually find booming bass here. Bass is adequately punchy, but it’s not the most controlled or deep sounding. Again, that’s pretty common with these mini speakers, but still, it may be a little underwhelming for those expecting a hard-hitting low-end output. If big bass is what you’re after, check out our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for a punchier alternative.

Of course, sound is always number one, but it's not everything. Thankfully, this speaker is extremely strong on the design front. It has a unique build, which includes a lace for attaching the speaker to a bag and four feet on its reverse side so the speaker can play upfiring audio. It’s also passed a series of tests that render it military-grade protected, not to mention an IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating, which makes it fit for any outdoor space, even the beach or pool.

Another nice inclusion is companion app compatibility, which enables EQ adjustment and Healing Therapy, which lets you listen to calming sounds – don’t worry, there’s a sleep timer included if you start to feel a bit drowsy while listening. One slight hiccup features-wise is battery life. The 10 hours maximum may sound good, but with Sound Boost on – which gives a serious leg-up to the speaker’s power – and volume above 50%, the battery will deplete considerably quicker.

Overall, this is a good small-sized speaker. Sure, you may have to charge it up semi-regularly, and sound quality isn’t top-tier, but you get generally clear audio, incredible durability, and an attractive design. Price-wise, this is great value if you can grab it on sale – but its list price of $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$89 may be slightly high against some competitors.

So, is the LG XBoom Go XG2T a speaker worth considering? Absolutely – that is if you want a travel-friendly small speaker that can slip into a bag for excursions. The biggest problem with the XG2T has more to do with the quality of its competitors. Options like the JBL Clip 5 and Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 are absolutely fantastic small speakers, with awesome audio and equally mighty waterproofing. If you’re all in on the XG2T’s design I’d say it’s worth buying on sale, otherwise, the aforementioned alternatives may just edge it out. More on those in the ‘Also Consider’ section.

(Image credit: Future) LG XBoom Go XG2T review: price and release date

• $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$89
• Launched in March 2024

The LG XBoom Go XG2T was released back in March 2024 with a fairly moderate list price of $79.99 / £69.99 / AU$89. However, if you’re in the US or UK you shouldn’t expect to pay anywhere near as much as that for it now. I’ve already spotted this lil’ fella available for less than $35 / £40.

That price is very much in line with some top-tier small portable speakers, such as the JBL Clip 5, which I’ve seen go on sale for less than $50 / £40 in recent months. Sometimes, this speaker can be found in a 2-pack at retailers such as Costco, which may be an even more cost-efficient option for those seeking louder, more room-filling sound.

(Image credit: Future) LG XBoom Go XG2T review: specs LG XBoom Go XG2T review: features

• Nifty companion app
• Pairing, multi-point and all essential options are here
• Average at best battery life

As is often the case with LG, you get a very solid companion app to assist you in your experience with the XG2T. It’s equipped with all the crucial tools you’d want from a modern Bluetooth speaker, including multi-point for connecting two devices at once and Party Link for connecting multiple speakers at once.

Another inclusion you’d expect to see is EQ settings, which are also here. Unfortunately, I found them to be a bit mixed, quality-wise. I did like the inclusion of a six-band equalizer, which offers a bit more customization than the slightly larger Bose SoundLink Flex Gen 2, for instance. But other than that things are a bit thin. The only other presets are Standard or Sound Boost. I wish there were a few more presets for particular moods or music genres, as you see with a lot of Sony’s speakers, for example.

But allow me to loop back to Sound Boost. This is a feature you can activate on the speaker itself or via the LG XBoom app. Essentially, it amplifies volume output and provides a bit more of a kick, especially in the low-frequency range. I’ll go into more detail about sound later, but for such a small speaker, the added power is very much a welcome addition.

On top of all the classic inclusions, the XG2T has some fun stuff to play around with. Healing Therapy plays from a set list of calming sounds, such as ‘A Still Summer Night with Insect Sounds’ or ‘The Sleepy Sounds of the Deep Sea,’ which did entice me, I can’t lie. You can set a sleep timer alongside these, just in case you drift off before an important meeting. Is this gimmicky? Sure, a little bit. Did I like it anyway? Yes, I did.

But let’s finish by tackling one of the key areas for any speaker – battery life. This speaker won’t be able to survive too long, although that’s pretty common for models of this size. LG says you get a maximum of 10 hours of playtime, which is pretty average. But here’s the thing – that’s only if you’re playing at 50% or lower with Sound Boost or EQ settings off. Fine-tune your audio and crank the volume up and you can expect the battery to drain much faster, meaning you’ll definitely want a full charge before taking it out and about.

• Features score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future) LG XBoom Go XG2T review: sound quality

• Clear overall audio
• Bass isn’t booming
• Can get impressively loud, but you’ll compromise on quality

With a lot of these small-sized portable speakers, you get pretty disappointing quality in exchange for a highly compact build. Is that the case with the LG XBoom Go XG2T? Not exactly, but you’ll certainly have to make some sacrifices.

First, I thought the overall audio quality was solid, with decent mids audible from the offset. For instance, I tried Nothing Can Come Between Us by Sade and found that vocals were clear in the overall mix at around 50-60% volume and didn’t get distorted or drowned out by other mid-range or low-frequency sounds. If anything, I thought that bass was lacking. There was, thankfully, a part-solution here – Sound Boost mode. This amps up the volume and adds a bit more meat in the low end, which was very much needed. With this mode on, the bass was okay for a small-sized speaker, but still not exactly “booming” as LG has advertised.

I compared the XG2T to the JBL Clip 5 and found the latter offers meatier and clearer bass output. For instance, the drum machine in Black Eye by Allie X was replicated with more depth and impact with the Clip 5, even when utilizing Sound Boost mode on the XG2T. What the XG2T did offer, however, was a bit more clarity in the mids – vocals sounded clean and overall output was nicely balanced, especially with the speaker placed on its feet.

However, the vocals sounded a touch harsh when the speaker was hung up and angled toward me, and that wasn’t the only time I felt the audio quality suffered. When I cranked up the volume to the 80%-100% mark, songs got swamped by an almost underwater effect, marked by muddied, tinny audio output. Don’t get me wrong, this mini speaker can certainly get loud for its size, but it won’t sound great at the top of its range.

Having said that, I do want to give the XG2T its flowers. It may not sound the best at top volumes or certain angles, but this is pretty standard for a small-sized speaker. And when I compared it to the Sony SRS-XB100, the XG2T outperformed it by a significant margin. For example, I tuned into Everyday by Jamiroquai on the XG2T and found that strings were well-balanced in the mix and hi-hats sounded sharp and responsive. When I listened to it on the XB-100, bass levels were stronger, but the low end wasn’t too clear, making for a bloated, messy overall sound.

So, you do get fairly nuanced, clear sound from the XG2T compared to some small-sized competitors, but you still can’t expect amazing audio. Bass is pretty underwhelming, even when using Sound Boost and detail is lacking – especially at top volumes.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

(Image credit: Future) LG XBoom Go XG2T review: design

• Unique, rugged-looking speaker
• ‘Military-grade’ protection against the elements
• Lace can be used to hang or attach it

Something that's sure to instantly grab people’s attention is the XG2T’s unique-looking design. It comes in a diminutive, curved, square-shaped shell, with a lace attached to the side. This lace can be adjusted and attached to anything from a bag to a hook – you could even sling it on a tree branch when out in the woods. A lace isn’t something I’ve seen from a whole lot of speakers before, so LG scores well for originality.

The speaker's outer casing is pretty hardy, after all, LG claims that the XG2T meets US military standards. To back up this claim, the speaker passed seven durability tests against: dust, high temperatures, rain, salt fog, shock, vibration, and water immersion. It'll be unsurprising, then, that this speaker holds the IP67 dust and waterproof rating, meaning it's well equipped for any outdoor space, even the sea or a swimming pool. That's a staple design feature of any speaker that wants to make it into our list of the best waterproof speakers.

Another unorthodox design choice is a volume wheel on the side of the speaker, as opposed to buttons or similar. I found this to be pretty cool-looking and responsive too. Notably, there’s a power button and a play/pause button on the front of the speaker. Practicalities aside, I also found the black and red color combination to be very appealing – the relatively low-key color coding suiting the speaker’s ruggedness to a tee.

One small criticism, though. I would have loved it if the speaker could stand upright without my hand supporting it. It can sit on four feet for upfiring sound, but this isn’t always ideal. The option to have forward-firing audio would be the icing on the cake here, but I’m fully satisfied with the design otherwise.

• Design score: 4.5/5

(Image credit: Future) LG XBoom Go XG2T review: value

• Great price when on sale
• Solid sound for the money you pay
• Not worth it at full price, in my view

Is the LG XBoom Go XG2T worth your cash when it’s at full price? Perhaps not. That’s not to say it’s way overpriced, but there are far too many small-sized options with lower price tags out there.

Consider the discounted cost it’s regularly available for and the picture totally changes, though. If you can nab this for less than $40 / £40 / AU$70, I think it's a decent option. Audio is by no means perfect, but for a tiny Bluetooth speaker like this, it’s more than passable. You also get an ultra-durable, attractive design and a nice assortment of features to play around with.

So, again, if you can grab the XG2T on sale – which shouldn’t be a rare occurrence at this stage – then it is a very strong value option.

• Value score: 4/5

(Image credit: Future) Should I buy the LG XBoom Go XG2T? Buy it if...

You want an audio travel companion
This is an ultra-portable speaker that you can easily attach to, or carry inside, a small bag for your travels. It's also IP67-rated, meaning it's perfectly suited to any outdoor environment.

You’re searching for an attractive, unique-looking speaker
There aren’t many speakers that look like the LG XBoom Go XG2T. With its practical lace, rounded square shape, and red/black colorway, it has an aesthetic that neatly fits its rugged build.

Don't buy it if...

You’re looking for premium audio
A lot of mini speakers struggle to offer impressive audio, and although the XG2T puts up a valiant effort, it's not exactly premium-sounding. If you’re an audiophile, it could be worth considering a slightly larger, yet still portable option, like the Sonos Roam 2, for instance.

You need long battery life
A 10-hour battery may seem like a decent amount, but if you’re listening at higher volumes or have Sound Boost active, you’ll get less playtime than that out of the XG2T. If battery life is a top priority, it's worth considering other options, such as the two alternatives below.

LG XBoom Go XG2T review: also consider

JBL Clip 5
The JBL Clip 5 is a super-impressive small speaker with punchy bass, solid volume levels, and a convenient carabiner-like design. It even has Auracast Bluetooth tech and an IP67 rating – not bad at all. In my view, it’s still the best-in-class for speakers of this size and it's regularly available at a cut price, so it’s a top-tier option. Read our full JBL Clip 5 review.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2
Another excellent small speaker is the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2. It offers strong sound quality, a fantastically compact build, and even the ability to charge external devices. It's also very well-priced and regularly available at a discount, so it’s a top-tier value pick in my book. Read our full Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 review.

LG XBoom Go XG2T review: how I tested

• Tested for one week
• Predominantly used in music testing space at Future Labs
• Mainly listened with Tidal on Samsung Galaxy S24 FE

I spent hours listening to music on the LG XBoom Go XG2T. I tried the speaker in a few environments but mainly used it in our music testing room at Future Labs to best judge the audio quality and assess the accuracy of battery life claims.

When listening to tunes, I predominantly tapped into Tidal on the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, where I streamed tracks from our carefully curated TechRadar reference playlist, as well as my personal library. I also used a range of small-sized speakers for comparison, including the Sony SRS-XB100 and JBL Clip 4.

• First reviewed: December 2024
• Read more about how we test

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Now you can open almost any function or app right from your Control Center.

• Pangolin from System76 is powered by an AMD Ryzen 8945HS
• It supports up to 16TB storage but adding 2x8TB SSDs more than triples its price
• It only has a six hour battery life and no numeric keypad, a shame for a 16-inch notebook

System76, a company best-known for its Linux-based computers, has released the latest iteration of its Pangolin laptop.

Designed to offer good performance and features at a reasonable starting price, the 16-inch Pangolin aims to appeal to Linux enthusiasts seeking a large-screen laptop.

Be warned though, getting the system you actually want could drive the cost through the roof.

Some compromises have been made

Powered by an AMD Ryzen 8945HS processor, the Pangolin supports up to 96GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 16TB of SSD storage across two M.2 slots. It features a 2K 16-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, and 100% sRGB color accuracy. Its integrated Radeon 780M graphics make it well-suited for tasks like content creation and professional workflows.

The Pangolin’s base price starts at $1299, which seems fair, but adding upgrades can quickly ramp up the cost. For memory, the laptop comes with 16GB DDR5, but 32GB costs an additional $69, 64GB adds $199, and the maximum 96GB costs $279.

While the base model includes a 500GB SSD, upgrades range from $49 for 1TB, to $1,745 for 8TB, considerably more than the laptop itself. Adding a second SSD for additional storage starts at $129 for 1TB and goes up to $1,825 for an 8TB drive. Fully upgrading to 16TB storage with two 8TB SSDs more than triples the base price of the device.

Operating system choices include System76’s excellent Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. Pop!_OS is pre-installed and offers encryption at setup, providing added security for users.

While the Pangolin looks good with its aluminum chassis and premium build quality, there are some compromises. It lacks a numeric keypad, which may be inconvenient for a 16-inch laptop, and the battery life is capped at six hours, which might not suffice for all-day use.

The Pangolin is available now through System76’s website, with configurable options for performance and storage.

For those seeking a Linux laptop with good graphics performance and a large display, the Pangolin is definitely a strong contender, but keep an eye on the overall price when configuring it.

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• New Gorilla Glass rumored for the Galaxy S25 Ultra
• The phone could also get a storage speed upgrade
• All four Galaxy S25 models are expected on January 22

Another day, another Samsung Galaxy S25 leak or two to pick through – and this time we've got news about upgrades that could be coming to the display and internal storage of the Ultra model in the series.

First up, according to well-known tipster @UniverseIce, we can look forward to "second-generation" Corning Gorilla Armor Glass with anti-glare tech built into it for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, improving on the Corning display used in the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

It's not clear exactly what upgrades the new screen tech will involve. Corning last unveiled a new type of glass back in November 2022, but we're assuming this is something the company has been working on specifically for Samsung.

That was the case with the current model, so presumably the next version of the screen tech will be even tougher and even better at reducing reflections. That should help with outdoor viewing as well as giving you some extra peace of mind.

Storage boost

The Galaxy S24 Ultra launched in January 2024 (Image credit: Future)

Our next Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rumor concerns the internal storage, which is apparently going to get an upgrade in terms of speed. That's based on some digging into leaked files by the team at Android Authority.

The files point to UFS (Universal Flash Storage) version 4.0, and while that matches the spec of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the new phone will apparently use an improved version of UFS 4.0 with more data lanes – so faster read and write times.

We've already heard plenty about the Galaxy S25 Ultra from those in the know, including the colors it's expected to come in, and the internal specs that will be packed inside. It also seems next year's model will be more rounded in terms of its design.

The Ultra model is expected to show up on January 22 if the leaks are accurate, and there could be three other models unveiled alongside it: the standard Samsung Galaxy S25, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, and a new Samsung Galaxy S25 Slim.

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Moo Deng and Haggis are joined by another slick, round supreme on the scene. Fans of the new baby can cast their vote to name her until New Year's Eve, with the winning name announced the next day.

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It's unclear how the issue of ownership of the Panama Canal became a talking point for President-elect Donald Trump this week, but the question has a long political history.

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When I downloaded and signed up for Tidal recently, I finally made the leap from Spotify because I had to, for coverage on TechRadar – but I must admit I was a little excited to try it out.

I never used to be an audiophile, but I’ve tested enough of the best headphones and best earbuds for TechRadar to become a convert – there’s something magical about higher-resolution audio (this is why we can’t have nice things; we get too used to them).

Tidal’s made a name for itself as a streaming service that dishes out hi-res CD-quality audio. So to me, getting let loose in Tidal was like if 10-year-old me was let loose in Legoland.

Never did I think that I’d be back on Spotify after trying out Tidal's souped up offering. More than that, I didn’t even get through a week of streaming hi-res music before I was clicking on that green-and-black sound wave logo. Three days! My Tidal trial hadn’t even expired!

That’s not to say Tidal is a bad streaming service, (on the contrary, it's one of the best music streaming services) but I had enough issues with it for me to bounce straight off – enough issues in fact, to create a nice little listicle! Audiophiles are already shaking their heads, tutting and closing this article, but people who are on the fence between Tidal and Spotify might find themselves agreeing with some of the things I've said.

Reason 1: the playlist problem

The teething problems with Tidal began as soon as started it. I’ve spent a decade creating a huge number of incredible playlists (and an even huger number of really terrible ones). And while there is a way – arguably a few ways – to convert your Spotify playlists to Tidal, you have to pay if you transfer over 500 songs' worth of playlists. At last count, my library was about ten times that.

I only managed to transfer about eight playlists over to Tidal, and so when I was trying to enjoy my favorite songs in hi-res, I was spending more time re-building my old playlists than I was actually listening to them!

My job is to fiddle around with tech; I don’t want to do that in my spare time too. And after building about five playlists, I got sick of the process and started simply using Spotify for the ones I hadn’t recreated. That was the start of the problems, but it’s not what made me stop Tidal for good…

Reason 2: lagging, buffering and bugging

(Image credit: Tidal)

I had a lot of trouble listening to Tidal.

Whether I streamed on my computer, on my phone or on my iPad, Tidal would often take some time to buffer each song. Sometimes it was a few seconds, sometimes it was literal minutes. It turns out that streaming hi-res audio over the internet takes a lot of loading (as does streaming low-res audio on Tidal, for some reason).

I couldn't exactly get into the flow with my songs if I had to wait patiently for each one to start. And this totally ruled out using Tidal for my workout playlist too; I'm not waiting minutes between each set of weights so my next motivation song can play!

That wasn’t all, though, as I found the PC app very buggy. It often decided to change computer input on a whim, jumping from the default output to other PC outputs for no real reason. When I booted up the app it’d sometimes decide to begin on a random output I’d never use, and I’d only realize when music playback failed.

Nearly every time I used Tidal, I ended up having to fight it simply just to listen to music, which was incredibly infuriating. Spotify may not have high-res audio (yet?) but at least it works!

Reason 3: the accessibility issues

Beyond its issues, Tidal simply isn’t accessible to everyone.

And I’m not just talking about the price, even though the $10.99 / £10.99 / $11.99 monthly cost of Tidal compared to the $0 / £0 / AU$0 of Spotify's Free tier was an intimidating spectre to face for when my free trial ran out.

I’m talking about the tech side of it too. You need pretty premium headphones to make the most of Tidal’s high-res audio, and that isn’t cheap. Moreover, Tidal didn't actually let me listen on its Max quality setting via Bluetooth (ie, the way most people listen), and so I couldn’t even enjoy it most of the time.

I mostly listen to music when I’m out and about, so my Tidal app constantly telling me that I couldn’t listen to music at a high resolution really made me question why I was signed up in the first place. Sure, I could find excellent wired headphones and an adaptor for my phone, or I could listen on my computer with my proper gaming cans. But that's not how I listen to music... at least, it's not the only way.

Spotify Wrapped shows me getting between 50 and 100 hours of music listening time each year for the past few years, and that's not just from one source. It's from when I'm out and about, when I'm working on my computer, when I'm at work, when I'm playing from speakers in the living room or at others' houses; it's from a whole range of methods.

A music streaming app has to be so minimal and easy-to-use that we forget it's its own app or a service, and start thinking it's an everyday part of our tech phone. From my experience, Tidal didn't feel like that.

I've been using Spotify for 10 years now (or maybe more, but my first playlist was created a decade ago) and so Tidal always had an uphill battle to win me over. This time around, it wasn't successful, due to the issues mentioned above that I kept stubbing my toe on. Maybe, as tech gets more advanced, it'll get a leg up over Spotify... but I'll wait until then to try it again.

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We'll show you how and where to get rid of your old electronics for free -- and in some cases, for store credit.

Whenever Hulu drops its monthly list revealing everything new on Hulu in January that will be available for us to indulge in, it's a solid reminder of why we still appreciate it as one of the best streaming services. But while it's great to see new movies and shows come to these platforms, older ones must be removed and Hulu is gearing up to wipe more in January 2025.

Compared to previous months, the titles leaving Hulu in January 2025 aren't all disappointing as a large majority are festive movies which you will undoubtedly be sick and tired of. This means that, thankfully, none of our best Hulu movies or best Hulu shows will be departing in January 2025, which is a major positive.

Everything leaving Hulu in January 2025

Arriving on January 2

Mia and Me: Hero of Centopia (movie)

Arriving on January 6

The Year of the Everlasting Storm (movie)

Arriving on January 9

Pharma Bro (movie)

Arriving on January 13

Ailey (movie)

Arriving on January 14

Bergman Island (movie)

Arriving on January 20

Paris, 13th District (movie)

Arriving on January 21

The Estate (movie)

Arriving on January 26

Happening (movie)

Arriving on January 27

Mayday (movie)

Arriving on January 28

Charli XCX: Alone Together (movie)
9 Bullets (movie)
Assassin (movie)
Stop and Go (movie)

Arriving on January 29

The Reef: Stalked (movie)
Gigi & Nate (movie)

Arriving on January 31

10.0 Earthquake (movie)
12 Pups of Christmas (movie)
A Chance for Christmas (movie)
A Christmas Movie Christmas (movie)
A Snow White Christmas (movie)
A Unicorn for Christmas (movie)
An En Vogue Christmas (movie)
Christmas Crush (movie)
Country Christmas Album (movie)
Four Cousins and a Christmas (movie)
Merry Kissmas (movie)
The Spruces and the Pines (movie)
Small Engine Repair (movie)

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If we can’t get to the forest, the forest must come to us, in the form of cities designed around green spaces.