ZAAP Aqua Pro review: A rugged party starter

ZAAP has steadily gained a reputation for being the one-stop destination for all things smartphone accessories. The brand has a wide range of products ranging from car mounts to Bluetooth speakers and everything in between. The ZAAP Aqua Pro is one of the brand’s newest additions in their portable Bluetooth speaker portfolio and it checks all the right boxes when it comes to what one needs from a speaker — design, build and audio output.

Design, Build

The ZAAP Aqua Pro as the name suggests comprises of an industrial designed speaker that’s above all water resistant. This means that it can be your go-to toy for your next pool party as no matter the damage dished out to it, it will remain rugged and most importantly still function admirably.

The Aqua Pro is enclosed in a Black rubber casing with a metal grille up front. The brand has stressed on the industrial design of this rectangular speaker by adding nuts and bolts along its face; giving it that rugged, yet a stylish look. Apart from the grille, the rest of the speaker is encased in rubber thereby giving it its IP66 ingress protection rating. With this rating, ZAAP claims that it’s not just water-proof; but also dirt proof, shockproof and even snow proof. This gives us the assurance that it can be used in any environment without potentially getting damaged. With the IP66 rating in tow, we get total protection from dust and strong jets of water from all directions. While we are not out to accidentally cause harm to the device, we can rest easy knowing that it can survive some of the elements during outdoor trips.

The side of the speaker plays home to the sensitive areas such as the micro USB port for charging, the on/off toggle switch and the AUX port. The cover for this bay reminds us of a soda bottle cap albeit made of rubber. The brand could have made a flap that was flush with the body so that it doesn’t protrude outwards. The on/off switch could have been a multifunctional button with the Bluetooth pairing button located on top. These minor design decisions go a long way in keeping the overall looks as streamlined as possible.

On the top, ZAAP has included the various buttons for controlling the device. These include — the volume and track buttons and a Bluetooth button in the centre. The denotations for the buttons are embossed in the rubber itself making it a classy affair. We just wish that this trend was translated in the bay for the on/off toggle as well.

The ZAAP branding is located at the front and above it, below the speaker grill is a blue LED indicator. If you are peering at the device from an angle the flashing light would not bother you. However, if you do stare at it head on or place the device in front of you, this light can be rather irritating. The LED indicator should be active only during the pairing process and be off otherwise or flicker very slowly and dim.

Performance

The ZAAP Aqua Pro’s main highlight is its resistance to external elements such as water, dust, snow and shocks. And in this respect, it performs as expected with us having no qualms whatsoever. It is fitted with two 3.5W drivers and comes with Bluetooth 4.0 — a total of 7 Watts. The brand rates its connectivity at 50 feet which is pretty impressive for a Bluetooth speaker at this price point. The speaker also has support for voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant, etc.

The Aqua Pro has a lot going for it in terms of audio quality and its biggest selling point is the volume output. This is by no means an audiophile grade product; however, it does perform well for the average consumer. This is a fun product and at about 60 per cent volume, it performs pretty well with the lows having a significant thump. When used at higher volumes, the speaker tends to move about even though it has a rubber casing — bass-heavy music makes it vibrate and the device keeps moving around on the table. This is quite annoying and we would have liked it if it remained rooted, else if it is on the table, you can find it on the floor after a few minutes. Also, at higher volumes, the bass tends to get a bit distorted leaving not a lot to be desired, but it is noticed only on a few genres. The speaker performs best at the medium output (till around 70 - 80 per cent) and anything higher than 90 per cent volume, we notice the mids tending to get drowned out by the overpowering bass output. Highs perform as expected from a speaker in this price range and nothing really negative to write home about.

Overall, the ZAAP Aqua Pro is a speaker that performs as intended and though not an audiophile grade speaker, its one you can have some great times with.

The brand has added a 2000mAh battery here and in our testing, it lasted for about four hours at higher volume. To get the most out of your battery, you can play it at lower volumes. 

Verdict

At Rs 2,549 it is a great choice for outdoor trips. Being a rugged device that performs admirably, this is an option you should consider. The ZAAP Aqua Pro can be your go-to device for practically every setting; be it a pool party, an outdoor camping trip or even for just chilling out at home with friends. The ZAAP Aqua Pro checks most of the right boxes for it to be your next party starter because no matter what you through at it, it will continue to deliver.