Edifier ES20 Review

Design

• Retro charm with modern sensibilities
• Proper build quality
• Carry strap actually useful

The first thing you notice about the ES20 is how much it looks like a miniature amplifier from the 1970s. Edifier has wrapped the entire speaker in textured faux leather – available in black or ivory – that feels surprisingly premium for the price.

The metal grille dominates the front, complete with an embossed Edifier logo, while a ring of ambient lighting circles the rear, a bit like Philips Ambilight TV.

At 326 grams and measuring roughly 92mm cubed, the ES20 is genuinely pocketable. Not trouser pocket, mind you, unless you’re wearing cargo pants, but it’ll happily disappear into a jacket pocket or sit comfortably in the side of a rucksack. The included carry strap attaches via a slot on the side and feels robust enough for daily use — not the flimsy afterthought you sometimes get with budget speakers.

Build quality inspires confidence. The faux leather covering has a matte rubber feel that provides excellent grip, even when wet. The metal grille feels solid rather than decorative, and the whole unit has a reassuring heft that suggests it can handle a few knocks. Having survived a couple of tumbles from table height and a thorough soaking in British drizzle during testing, the ES20 takes its IP67 rating seriously.

Controls are sensibly positioned on the top panel: power button, volume up/down (which double as track skip when held), a multifunction button for playback control, and a dedicated lighting button. The buttons have satisfying tactile feedback with clear, clicky action – no mushy membrane switches here.

Four small LED indicators show battery level, though they’re only visible when you’re looking directly down at the speaker. The left side hosts an exposed USB-C charging port, and on the bottom you’ll find small but perfectly functional rubber feet to prevent slippage on smooth surfaces.

Features

Aside from its impressive IP67 waterproof rating, the ES20 includes Bluetooth 5.4 for rock-solid pairing and range, and multipoint connectivity for simultaneous connections to two devices.

With two ES20 speakers, you can create a proper stereo setup, transforming the listening experience. Pairing is straightforward – double-press the multifunction button on both units, wait for them to find each other, and you’re done. The soundstage widens considerably, and suddenly this little cube becomes a much fuller system for home offices, hotel rooms, or the odd dinner party.

The built-in MEMS microphone supports speakerphone functionality with AI noise cancellation. In quiet environments, call quality is acceptable — your voice comes through clearly enough for casual conversations.

However, move more than a few feet away or introduce background noise, and quality deteriorates noticeably. Voices start cutting in and out, and the AI noise cancellation can make you sound oddly muffled. It’s usable for emergency calls, but you wouldn’t want to conduct important business meetings through it.

Ambient lighting is the ES20’s party trick. The ring around the rear glows with various effects — Breathing, Rainbow, Static, Glittering, or Emergency Light. Through the Edifier ConneX app, you can customise colours, brightness, and modulation rate.

It’s a pleasant visual addition, enhancing the experience in dim settings. The lighting does, however, drain the battery noticeably faster, reducing runtime from 15 hours to around 10-12 hours with effects active.

The Edifier ConneX app provides additional control options. You can access four EQ presets (Music, Game, Movie, Outdoor), check battery percentage, enable a power saving mode and adjust the volume.

Connectivity

• Bluetooth connectivity is faultless
• App is functional but basic
• EQ presets are ineffective

Pairing the ES20 is simple, and you’re connected within seconds. The Bluetooth 5.4 proved stable across various environments and maintained solid connections without dropouts. Range comfortably exceeds 10 metres in open space and remains functional through walls and obstacles.

Multipoint connectivity works seamlessly. Pause playback on your laptop, hit play on your phone, and the transition is instantaneous. The Edifier ConneX app is functional but unspectacular. What disappoints are the EQ presets. Music, Game, Movie, and Outdoor modes promise tailored sound profiles, but in honest testing, they’re barely distinguishable.

Switch between them, and you’d be hard-pressed to identify which is active without looking at the screen. Perhaps this is intended for future firmware updates, but as shipped, they’re effectively non-functional. The app also lacks a custom EQ.

Battery indicator lights on the speaker itself provide a rough four-stage guide to remaining charge, whilst the app shows the exact percentage. Both prove accurate, with the app’s precision particularly useful for planning charging sessions before longer outings.

Sound Quality

• Punchy bass from passive radiator
• Clear mids and controlled highs
• Distortion at maximum volume

Here’s where the ES20 properly surprises. From a speaker this size, you’d reasonably expect thin, tinny audio that prioritises loudness over quality. Instead, Edifier has tuned the ES20 for warmth and balance, with a sound signature that belies its compact dimensions.

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The 43mm neodymium driver handles the full frequency range with surprising competence. Mids and vocals come through with clarity and presence, while acoustic tracks and podcasts sound natural and engaging. There’s none of the boxiness or compression you often hear from tiny drivers struggling with complex material.

Highs are crisp and controlled without ever becoming harsh or fatiguing, and the overall tonal balance means extended listening sessions don’t leave your ears feeling assaulted. Bass is the real party trick, thanks to that 55mm passive radiator. You get proper, physical low-end you can feel as well as hear — not the muddy boom of over-compensating bass boost.

Testing across genres reveals the ES20’s versatility. Acoustic ballads sound warm and intimate, with vocals sitting naturally in the mix. Bass-heavy productions deliver a satisfying thump without overwhelming the rest of the frequency range. Even orchestral pieces retain reasonable dynamics, though asking a £50 portable to handle complex classical music is perhaps unrealistic.

A significant limitation is volume. Push beyond 75-80%, and distortion creeps in… not catastrophically, but noticeably. At moderate levels in small-to-medium rooms, or outdoors in quiet settings, the ES20 performs admirably. Try to soundtrack a party or fill a large space, and its size becomes apparent.

The ES20 only supports the SBC codec. No AAC for Apple devices, no LDAC for high-resolution audio. This feels dated, particularly when even budget competitors often include AAC support. For most casual listening, SBC is perfectly adequate, but audiophiles accustomed to higher-quality codecs will notice the ceiling.

Battery life