======= Summary ======= The JBL Link 10 is a great-sounding portable Wifi & Bluetooth speaker. The well-integrated Google Assistant makes the JBL Link 10 - when compared to non-Google Assistant models - more flexible, useful, and powerful. ======= Design ======= The JBL Link 10 is a hefty (for its size) speaker that feels well-built and sturdy. It feels solid and good in the hands. Its height is a bit shorter than a regular 16 oz (500 ml) water bottle and as fat as one of those extra big beer cans. The fabric main body offers good grip and is easy to quickly pick up and carry around. I found the layout of all the buttons to be very intuitive and easy to figure out. When the Link 10 is facing toward you with its JBL Logo visible, one can see at a quick glance its power status. If the speaker is On and connected to your home Wifi, you'll see a Wifi logo underneath the JBL badge lit up with white LED lighting. On the top of the speaker are 5 buttons - a Google Assitant button, Volume Down, Volume Up, Play/Pause, and Bluetooth. On the backside of the speaker, you'll find 2 more buttons - Power On/Off and Mute. The Mute button also acts as a Factory Reset button if you hold it down for about 15 seconds. All the way on the bottom on the backside is the microUSB charging port hidden behind a rubber flap. All in all, I found the JBL Link 10 to be well-designed, intuitive to figure out and use, and with no ergonomic issues. The IPX7 waterproof addition is a delightful bonus. ======= Connectivity ======= The Link 10 was VERY easy to setup and get started. Power on the speaker, open the Google Home app on your phone, and follow the onscreen instructions. That's really it, it is that simple. It is also great that the Link 10 supports both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wifi connection speeds. If you want to connect the Link 10 to your phone via Bluetooth, all you need to do is press the Bluetooth button on top of the speaker and pair to it from your phone. You just have to do this once. There is one thing to note about connection priority. If the speaker was turned off and turned back on later, the Link 10 will automatically connect to your home Wifi but it will not automatically reconnect to your phone via Bluetooth. To connect to the Link 10 via BT, you have to do it manually from your phone's BT setting screen (on my Samsung Galaxy S8+). If there is one thing connection-wise that I wish the Link 10 offered, it is for Bluetooth calling. The Link 10 will play your phone's media and music content but it will not allow you to make phone calls on it. With that said, I give the Link 10 a Ten out of Ten for ease of setup and reliability of the connection options. ======= Sound Performance ======= Before I began to play any music on the speaker, I had lower expectations due to the Link 10's small size and its two 8W power output. I was pleasantly surprised. JBL did an excellent job tuning the speaker for clear sound, fidelity, coverage, and bass. All the music I played - alternative, pop, hip hop, vocals - sounded great and to my personal satisfaction. Of course I heard better sound and bass from other portable speakers but they were all more expensive than the $150 JBL Link 10. At its price point, the Link 10 offers great sound and I sincerely believe most people will be happy and content. Besides the great music playback quality, the Link 10 also offers crisp and clear verbal audio communications when using the Google Assistant function. I chose the Female Google Assistant voice and she sounds very clear and articulate. I never had any problems understanding her or having to have her repeat herself. JBL's far-field voice recognition feature also worked very well. With the speaker playing some music very loudly, I thought for sure that it wouldn't be able to hear me say "Hey, Google" from across the room. But it did and executed upon my command seamlessly. I was truly impressed. As for battery endurance, I'm content with its 4000 mah battery size and the ~5 hours of playback. ======= So, is it any good? ======= Yes, the JBL Link 10 is a great speaker~! Even without the Google Assistant, I'd still recommend it for its great sound quality and fidelity. With Google Assistant built-in, it is even a better buy and a more compelling choice. The smarts offered by Google is very convenient and truly useful. I wish the "assistant" in my car was as smart and useful as the Google Assistant in the JBL Link 10.