LG XBoom Go XG7Q Bluetooth Speaker review

About the LG XBoom Go XG7Q

• Price: $179.99
• Height x Width x Depth: 3.9 x 10.3 x 3.7 inches
• Weight: 2.4 lbs
• Colors: Black
• Battery life: up to 24 hours (at 50% volume and no lighting)
• Speakers/drivers: one woofer, one front tweeter, one passive radiator
• Wireless connection: Bluetooth 5.2
• Wired connection: One auxiliary input, one USB input
• Charging: USC-C
• Sound formats: SBC, AAC
• Dust/water resistance: IP67
• Special features: Wireless Party Link

The XBoom Go doesn’t come with much outside of an owner’s manual, but we recommend downloading the accompanying LG XBoom app. While not the most comprehensive speaker app we’ve seen, it’s a one-stop shop for adjusting the side lights on the XBoom Go, managing power-saving options and toggling between LG’s EQ modes.

What we like

It sounds good and gets loud

There’s no need to bury the lede here. The LG XBoom Go sounds good—very good at that. There isn’t a lot of magic at work under the hood (the speaker consists of a single woofer and tweeter, plus a passive radiator), but it doesn’t matter that much. Music blasting through the XBoom Go is clear, detailed, and well-balanced for the most part. Whether it’s Chris Stapleton’s “Joy of My Life,” Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” or anything in between, the XBoom Go continued to impress with its audio quality.

It’s not just the definition of the sound, either. Especially with Sound Boost EQ enabled, the XBoom Go can effortlessly belt out tunes. At around 30% volume, it filled my kitchen and living room with hits from Hootie & The Blowfish, Dirty Heads and the like. The XBoom Go easily has the chops to be the prime entertainment for a backyard pool party, and that’s before considering LG’s Wireless Party Link that allows you to pair it up with another LG XG7 Bluetooth speaker (or nine) to create a multi-channel soundstage. You could also link any combination of the XG5, XG9, and XO3.

It’s adventure-ready

A quality portable speaker holds a trifecta of features that make it ideal for taking on the go. First, it needs some sort of weather resistance. The XBoom Go wields an IP67 dust and water resistance rating, making it quite durable against the elements. Next, portable speakers should have adequate battery life. And while volume and side lighting can lower this threshold, the XBoom Go can last for up to 24 hours at a time. By comparison, the Sonos Roam is only good for about 10 hours of playback per charge.

Finally, a portable speaker needs to be, well, portable. The XBoom Go isn’t the go-to option in this department, but it’s still a reasonable size to toss in your backpack at slightly over 2 pounds. There are lighter speakers to be had, like the Bose SoundLink Flex or the Anker Soundcore 2. But for all it has to offer, lugging 2 pounds around is a small sacrifice for big performance.

Additionally, the XBoom Go can act as a portable charger. The speaker’s built-in powerbank lets you charge other devices, like smartphones, when you’re in a remote location without power.

It’s friends with Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant

Depending on the device connected to the XBoom Go, you can employ Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, or Google Assistant to control your music. Personally, with as many Amazon devices positioned around the house as I have, I opted to not wake the horde and primarily use Google Assistant. Particularly when cooking, it made for a seamless experience changing tracks with nothing more than the sound of my voice.

What we don’t like

EQ has no middle ground

As good as the XBoom Go sounds, it’s not perfect. More specifically, there’s no quantifiable middle ground when it comes to bass. You can turn on the speaker’s Sound Boost EQ mode, which usually amplifies bass quite well. However, there are certain bass-heavy songs where the XBoom Go could benefit from a bit less bass and let other frequencies sing.

Herein lies the problem. Your only option is to toggle into the standard EQ, which simply doesn’t provide enough low end to your music. Technically, the speaker’s app does have a customizable 5-band EQ. But it’s not easy to navigate, at least not to the average bluetooth speaker customer. For individuals that choose not to attempt the EQ menus, it’s all or nearly nothing when it comes to bass.

It’s not the Sonos Roam

If this feels a bit on the nose, LG started it. It’s likely no coincidence that the XBoom Go was priced identically to Sonos’ wildly successful portable speaker. And as a concept, it’s not a bad idea. If you have a chance to take a slice out of one of the best options on the market, why wouldn’t you?

Unfortunately for the XBoom Go, it just doesn’t stack up to the Roam. Sonos’ small-but-mighty portable speaker has the edge in sound quality, weighs half as much, and benefits from being a Wi-Fi–enabled product that offers connectivity with the rest of Sonos’ industry-leading wireless speaker ecosystem.

To the XBoom Go’s credit, it has a decisive advantage in battery life (up to 24 hours vs. up to 10), and can probably get a few decibels louder when push comes to shove. That said, the Roam offers more for the price, particularly if you’re already invested in Sonos.

Should you buy the LG XBoom Go XG7Q?

Yes, unless you’re already a Sonos owner

In most ways, the LG XBoom Go exemplifies what it means to be a portable bluetooth speaker in the modern day. It’s not exactly pocket-sized, but it’s still a reasonable weight to pack away for day trips and overnighters alike. Beyond that, it boasts exceptional battery life, great resistance against the elements, and a detailed sound signature that holds up, even when you crank it up. And you sure can crank it up.

If you already have Sonos speakers in your home, or if you plan to expand into the Sonos ecosystem over time, the Roam is the better buy here. It just offers more utility in that regard. If it doesn’t have to stand toe-to-toe with the Roam, though, the XBoom Go has the tools to compete with the best or the rest.

$178.29 from Amazon

$179.99 from Best Buy