Fugoo Sport 2.0 review

The Fugoo Sport 2.0 arrives a full six years after the original, and the wireless speaker world has changed a lot since then. When the Fugoo first released, it impressed with better-than-average sound, ruggedness and an incredible 40-hour battery life; while few speakers today match that stamina, many come close, and many more have caught up on waterproofing and sound quality.

Fugoo ignored most of the trends with its Sport 2.0 release, which releases alongside its Fugoo Style 2.0 and Fugoo Tough 2.0 stablemates. It’s not a smart speaker, for instance, and it doesn’t even come with an app. The price is lower and the sound is a little better — but Fugoo took away some significant battery life along with it. Does that make the new model worth it against today’s competition? Keep reading our Fugoo Sport 2.0 review to find out.

• Check out the best Bluetooth speakers
• Our picks for cheap Bluetooth speakers

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Design

The Fugoo Sport 2.0 looks awfully similar to the Sport 1.0; this 7.5 x 3 x 2.5-inch speaker is the same size as the previous model. It weighs about 2 ounces less, however, and despite this still feels nice and sturdy, with hard plastic on the edges and bottom to withstand drops. A black mesh covers the five drivers packed inside. 

On top are three buttons: plus and minus symbols for controlling the volume, and a circular action button that performs a variety of duties depending how long you hold it and whether you combine it with the volume buttons. For example, clicking the action button plays or pauses a track; holding it while pressing volume up skips forward; and a long hold on the action button engages the voice assistant on your phone.

On the left side behind a flap, you’ll find a microUSB port for charging (many recent Bluetooth speakers have, notably, made the move to USB-C) and a 3.5mm auxiliary input. The right side has the power button and Bluetooth pairing button, along with an LED power indicator that blinks to show the battery level. 

The Sport 2.0 ditches the accessories you used to be able to add to Fugoo speakers, such as a bike mount or strap. This accessory support was another thing that set the original Fugoo line apart from the crowd, so it’s sad to see it get cut. 

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Performance

For its price, the Sport 2.0 produces solid sound. And, thanks to those five drivers, it spreads that sound widely, with clean vocals and crisp treble. It sounds slightly more full and lively than the original Fugoo, and while the Sport 2.0 can’t match the bass that the slightly more expensive UE Wonderboom 2 pushes out, it’s better than the less expensive Anker SoundCore 2. Not bad, considering the latter tops our list of the best cheap Bluetooth speakers.

Taylor Swift’s voice sounded full on “Willow,” though the guitar and bass weren’t very rich. Bad Bunny and Rosalia’s voices were prominent in “La Noche de Anoche,” but the Sport 2.0 couldn’t create a satisfying rumble from the bass line. Similarly on Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit’s “What’ve I Done to Help,” the vocals were full and the strummed guitar was crisp, but the bass was once again lacking.  

The Sport 2.0 gets impressively loud, clocking over 90 decibels at max volume — though it did get distorted at that level. By comparison, the Wonderboom 2 registered over 100 decibels, but 90 is plenty for most situations. 

Fugoo includes a speakerphone in the unit, and calls on it sounded clear, as did my voice to the people I spoke with. 

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Ruggedness

With an IP67 rating, the Sport 2.0 can withstand almost anything you throw at it. It’s waterproof up to 1 meter and is completely protected from dust ingress. 

Granted, IP67 is the same level of protection that the original Fugoo Sport offered — as well as the Wonderboom 2 — but that’s more enough to take into the shower or leave out in the rain. It had no trouble playing after being dunked in a bowl of water, either. 

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Battery life

The biggest disappointment with the Sport 2.0 is the battery life. The original Fugoo had a revolutionary 40-hour battery life when most other Bluetooth speakers were struggling to reach 20, but Fugoo says the Sport 2.0 will only play for 10 hours on a full charge.

Luckily, in reality it does better than that: after about 10 hours of use at low and moderate volume, the battery indicator still said I had half a charge left. Still, even 15 hours is a huge step back.

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Wireless and setup

The Sport 2.0 paired easily with my phone and reconnected quickly each time I started it up. It provided a strong wireless connection, even at 50 feet indoors. 

Fugoo doesn’t have an app you can use to set up and control the speaker. It relies on voice cues; you’ll hear those when you turn it on or off, for example. You can adjust the volume of the prompts, though the only non-volume adjustment you can make to the sound is enabling Loud mode, which adds a little more bass to the mix. 

You can also pair the Sport 2.0 with another Fugoo 2.0 speaker in a wireless stereo configuration, for an even wider soundstage.

Fugoo Sport 2.0 review: Verdict

While it doesn’t represent much of a upgrade from the last version, and in one very important way is a downgrade, the Fugoo Sport 2.0 remains a solid wireless speaker — and with the new, lower price it becomes very appealing. You won’t find many speakers under $100 that can produce audio as full or as crisp.

While the loss of hours of power takes some of the glow off the Sport 2.0, and it lags in overall features, if you just want a rugged, affordable portable speaker then this speaker is worth a listen.