Verdict
While it’s sold at a great value price, the Majority Move M1 needed to do a little more to compete against ultra-budget speakers from JBL, Tozo and Soundcore in this low-cost tier. It doesn’t offer much in the way of control or sound quality, so other than its compact size, minimal looks, water-resistance and long battery life, it’s not the easiest model to recommend
-
Very affordable price
-
Minimal design
-
Water-resistant
-
Simple to use
-
Sound is thin and tinny
-
It gets distorted if you raise the volume
-
Onboard controls are limited
-
Beaten by competition at this price
Key Features
-
Review Price:
£29.95
-
Bluetooth 6.0 + TWS pairing
The speaker has one of the latest Bluetooth versions, plus the ability to pair two speakers together for wider stereo sound
-
70-hour battery life
This is among the longest battery life claims in the category, and impressive for something with a discreet size
-
Built-in microphone
Unlike some Bluetooth speakers, this has a mic for hands-free calls and voice assistant chats
Introduction
There’s a surprising amount of competition in the ultra-portable speaker market. What I’m talking about here are the palm-sized speakers that weigh under 350g.
Many of the speakers we all call portable are actually about a kilo and will take up a good amount of room in your backpack, so it’s worth considering these dinky ones if you want something easy to stash in your personal item when flying on a budget airline, for example.
You’re spoilt for choice, though. There are models from Soundcore, JBL, Tozo, Bose, Tribit and more. And they range in price from around £20 up to £120. Because they’re all very small, though, they tend to deliver less battery life and less powerful sound than the larger competition, and it’s a real risk that you’ll end up getting something that barely sounds better than your smartphone speakers.
The Move M1 is a relatively recent rival from Cambridge-based Majority, and it’s a compact, lightweight 12W speaker for use on the go, with dust and water-resistance plus a massive claimed battery life of 70 hours. Does it challenge the expensive brands? I put it to the test to find out.
Design
- Simple design
- Very small and lightweight
- Only one button for control
- IP65 rating for water-resistance
This is a very simple speaker design, not quite minimalist, but definitely spartan. You have a small plastic body, a fabric-covered front surface carrying the blue Majority logo, and a single multifunction button on the back, plus a hidden USB-C port for charging (under a dust cover). There’s a thin shoelace-style loop at the top for hanging the speaker – and that’s it.
The whole package measures 4.4 x 10 x 10 cm and weighs just 220g, making it comparable to the Soundcore Select 4 Go and JBL Go series. But, it’s not the absolute lightest in its class; the aforementioned JBL Go 4 is 190g, and I’ve been testing out the petite Tozo PE1 alongside this Majority unit, and that’s an impressive 180g. Realistically, anything in the sub-350g group is going to feel super-light, but the models under 250g, like these, won’t weigh your bag down in the slightest.
The design of this one is fairly basic, though, and I think Majority has scaled back a bit too much. I’ve found the carry loop fine for hanging the speaker in some places – like on the drying rack while I’m hanging laundry – and I think it’d be fine for a carabiner on your bag, but it doesn’t feel strong. I think there’s a chance it could break, and I’m not sure why the brand didn’t pick a more durable carry style.
Also, the controls are too minimal. In general, I think a couple of buttons are essential for speakers: at least volume and Bluetooth pairing. It’s fine to have the playback controls as part of a multifunction button, as this one does, but by removing a pairing button or on-device volume adjustment, the whole thing feels a lot less functional. I much prefer controls on the JBL, Soundcore and Tozo rivals.
It has a reasonably rugged build, with an IP65 rating, which means it’s fully dust-tight but not quite the most waterproof speaker you can buy.
Its rating means it’ll withstand the beach because sand and dirt can’t get inside, but it can only survive splashes and low-pressure water jets from any angle, not complete submersion. It’s worth knowing that some speakers can be dropped in a pool, float and be rinsed under high-pressure taps. This one is durable, but those rated IP67 or IP68 are even better.
Features
- Connects via Bluetooth 6.0 and supports stereo pairing
- Impressive battery life
This is as basic as it gets for a mini speaker; it uses Bluetooth 6.0 for connectivity, and you hold down that multifunction button to get it into pairing mode and connected. It’s all straightforward, and I had no problems with it. The chimes and alerts it makes are a bit… loud and alarming, but it’s otherwise simple to get going. There’s no companion app, so no changing the sound, updating the firmware or any of that jazz.
Codec support is just the standard SBC, but it does have the ability to be stereo-paired with another Move M1, if you’ve got two of them to hand.
I’m inclined to believe Majority’s impressive battery life estimates. The brand says the M1 will last for 70 hours of playback, and I tested this out by leaving an Apple Music playlist going at 50% volume for four hours.
In that span of time, its battery level reported on my phone (which goes down in 10% increments) didn’t budge at all, suggesting you’ll get a lot of playtime out of this tiny speaker. Of course, that’s contingent on the volume – play music at 70% or 100%, and the battery will drain much faster.
Sound Quality
- Sounds lacks weight and presence
- Generally fine for podcasts
- Gets distorted if you increase the volume
Even if this speaker wins a few points by being tiny and portable, it loses several by offering a disappointing sound experience. I used it in direct comparison to a wide range of other ultra-portables – including the Bose SoundLink Micro Gen 2, JBL Go, Soundcore Select 4 Go and Tozo PE1 – and this is unfortunately the least impressive of the bunch.
The Move M1 offers a fairly thin and uninspiring sound – if you’re hoping it can be a little party speaker, I don’t think it has enough oomph to the bass. I tested the low-end with The Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up and it all sounds a bit squashed and compressed.
I don’t want to only dwell on negatives. For relaxing, vocal-led tracks, it can sound fine. I found it did a good job with the delicacy and presence of Tom Odell’s Another Love. It’ll also be adequate for podcasts and spoken content. It would’ve been helpful if there was a companion app to connect to and adjust an equaliser, but Majority doesn’t offer this at all.
I did also find that it isn’t a speaker that can be played loud. Distortion and tinniness become evident surprisingly quickly. There’s a harshness to female vocals at higher volumes that just makes this a bit of an unpleasant listen, too, something I noticed while playing Gabrielle Aplin’s Alive.
Should you buy it?
You want a little speaker with a long battery life
This is definitely one of the most compact speakers I’ve used, with a barely-there weight and portable form factor, and its long battery life is impressive compared to its competition.
You want the best value ultra-portable speaker
There’s a lot of competition for small, budget speakers. Rivals like the Soundcore Select 4 Go and Tozo PE1 cost about the same but offer better control, companion apps, more engaging sound and stronger waterproofing.
Final Thoughts
If your priorities are a light weight and great value price, the Majority Move M1 feels like it ticks both boxes, but that’s only if you ignore similarly priced and better speakers on the market, such as the Soundcore Select 4 Go, Tozo PE1 and JBL Go 4.
Those rivals offer the same small size as the Majority, but they improve on it by offering better onboard control buttons, better ruggedness and waterproofing, stronger straps, apps for sound control and firmware updates, and more dynamic and entertaining sound by default, too.
What the Majority Move M1 does have going for it is an excellent battery life to go along with its compact size. I don’t think I’ve seen anything else in this weight class offering such an extensive claimed battery life, so that could be a genuine selling point if you want it for long hikes or weekend trips where you’ll be away from a charger the whole time.
How We Test
We test every wireless speaker we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find.
We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Tested for two weeks
- Tested with real world use
FAQs
The Move M1 comes with an IP65 rating. IP stands for ingress protection and the first number relates to its dustproofing (a maximum of 6), with the second indicating its water-resistance (a maximum of 9). The Move 1’s rating means it’s fully dust-sealed with the top possible rating, but that it’s “water-resistant” rather than “waterproof”; like a lot of outdoor equipment, it’s protected against water jets, but not against immersion in water.
The speaker has a 2,600mAh battery that will take around 3-4 hours to fully recharge when connected to a 5V/1A USB plug.
Full Specs
| Majority Move 1 Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Majority |
| IP rating | IP65 |
| Battery Hours | 70 |
| Size (Dimensions) | 100 x 100 x 44 MM |
| Weight | 220 G |
| ASIN | B0FDL2TGGT |
| Release Date | 2026 |
| Audio (Power output) | 12 W |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 6.0 |
| Colours | Black |
| Frequency Range | – Hz |
| Speaker Type | Portable Speaker |
| UK RRP | £29.95 |
| USA RRP | TBC |
