Summer is the time to relax in the fresh air, and if you want to spend this time listening to your favorite playlist, you need portable speakers. It is good that the market is very saturated with such devices, there is plenty to choose from. An inexpensive speaker called Aria came to us for review. This is Hator’s first attempt at making this form factor, so let’s see what it’s capable of.

Hator Aria design

The Hator Aria offers a fairly familiar design that can be seen in some big-name competitors. The speaker has a cylindrical shape, the body is made of plastic, and the main part of the device is covered with fabric. Available in two colors: black and blue.

There are five keys to control the device: power on, volume change and track switching (+/-), play/pause, and Bluetooth connection, which can also switch equalizer modes.

Below, on the plastic part of the case, there is a USB-C port and a speaker indicator. Passive low-frequency drivers are located on the sides. Two rubber feet are also provided so that the device can be more reliably placed on a horizontal surface.

Hator Aria is protected against moisture according to the IPX7 class. This means that it should withstand even short-term submersion under water. A USB-A – USB-C charging cable is included with the speaker.

Sound and connectivity options

The two-channel sound reproduction system provides quite good sound, considering the form factor of the device. The high-frequency and low-frequency speakers have dimensions of 30 mm and 45 mm and a power of 10 W and 20 W.

A Bluetooth 5.3 module is provided for connecting sound sources. The connection process is quick – it is enough to press the corresponding button on the speaker for a couple of seconds, after which you need to select Hator Aria from the list of available devices on your smartphone or computer. In addition, you can combine two Hator Arias thanks to the TWS Pair-to-play function. Declared sound delay in Bluetooth mode is <180ms, while watching movies there were no problems with asynchronous playback.

In general, the speaker left a pleasant impression of the sound quality. It feels like the developers made sure that you don’t feel a lack of low frequencies. There is even a special equalizer mode that increases the amount of bass (turned on by double-pressing the Bluetooth connection button). However, in my opinion, the standard mode is quite enough. There is also plenty of volume reserve, so it is a good option to take with you on a vacation in nature.

Battery life and charging Hator Aria

The developer claims that the battery with a capacity of 5200 mAh should be enough for 16 hours of operation. In practice, this indicator will most likely be a little less, but in general, the battery life is at a good level. Charging with a power of 18 W takes place through the USB-C port, the speaker can be charged to 100% in about 2.5 hours. But you cannot use Hator Aria as a power bank.

Software

During testing, the speaker behaved strangely several times, refusing to turn off. We reached out to the manufacturer to ask if this was a problem specifically with the test sample or if it was more widespread. It turned out that there really was a certain bug in this batch of Hator Aria, however, the company has already completely upgraded its firmware, so everything should work stably. The only thing I would like to have is a proprietary application for the speaker with the ability to receive over-the-air software updates and other settings.