Jawbone announces Mini Jambox at jaw-dropping $179 price, ships end of September

I’ve spent a lot of time reviewing the best Bluetooth speakers out there (TL;DR: Overall winner, Best Value, Best sound, Best Portable/Sound, Charger too, Apps/Updates,more) and while they practically invented the category, Jawbone has largely fallen behind in terms of quality/price to Logitech, Bose Soundlink, and JBL.

Today, Jawbone follows its Jambox and Big Jambox with a Mini Jambox which is close to the size of the original Jambox but under an inch thin.  Notably it includes support for Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy which will allow both the speaker and the device that is providing the music to last much longer.

The kicker, though, is the price: $179. That’s painful. For $20 more you can pick up the very high end UE Boom or Bose Soundlink Mini. For $30 less, the JBL Charge probably makes a lot more sense unless that sub 1″ thickness is a deal-breaker.  Need something small and pocketable? I’m currently reviewing and loving the Divoom Bean which has impressive sound for its diminutive size. Price? $30

Still, if you are a Jambox lover who loves the apps and wants something that may squeeze into a pocket, you may want to pick one of these up in “Late September” when it is released.