Portable audio has evolved beyond simply being compact and easy to carry; it now aims to enrich people’s everyday experiences. From rooftop gatherings and beach days to home workouts, meditation sessions and music by the campsite, portable speakers have become part of more personal and diverse moments than ever before.

On-the-go audio is as much about setting the mood, bringing people together and fitting effortlessly into a daily routine as it is about the music itself. With this understanding, the design team studied how people truly bring music into their lives. These insights became the foundation for the latest LG xboom by will.i.am speakers, engineered to connect deeply with users.

Design Inspired by Everyday Life
The LG xboom by will.i.am speaker designs address the question: How do people actually use portable speakers and how do they bring real value to everyday life? Through the extensive study and observation of user interactions and behaviors, the team analyzed how speakers are carried and positioned, and how they integrate into various settings and environments. Their answers formed the xboom design philosophy.

Three core values guided every design decision, ensuring that every xboom speaker is practical, emotionally engaging and effortlessly blends into various environments: Purposeful Innovation, Emotional Warmth and Contextual Harmony.

“Purposeful Innovation” embraces human-centered design with ergonomic handles, adjustable straps and customizable lighting designed for real-life convenience. Whether carrying the speaker to a party or relaxing at home, these details make it easy and comfortable to use everywhere. This commitment is reflected by the handles, straps and form factors across the xboom lineup, offering secure, comfortable handling and flexible, intuitive use for a seamless and versatile listening experience on the go.

To go beyond functionality, the design team injected “Emotional Warmth” into the designs, including charming lighting effects with adaptable intensity and mood-setting colors that deepen the listener’s emotional engagement. The speakers’ clean, symmetrical lines and balanced form factor provide a sense of visual stability and comfort, helping users feel secure and relaxed in a variety of settings.

“Contextual Harmony” introduces elements intentionally crafted to enable the speakers’ seamless integration into diverse surroundings while engaging listeners with an experience that feels connected and attuned to every moment. Whether it’s an energetic gathering or quiet personal moment, xboom speakers enhance the mood and empower people to enjoy music their way.

The Story Behind Each Design
Built for live performances and gatherings, the Stage 301 delivers powerful sound and a sturdy design, ideal for musicians and music lovers who require style and substance. Combining engineering with expressive design, it captivates audiences with a compelling mix of power and style.

For the Stage 301, the team explored various form factors, proportions, placements and internal layouts to project sound clearly and confidently during busking gigs, karaoke sessions and live performances. Every detail of its shape has been crafted to bring sound into spaces where audio presence and performance truly matter. They also drew insights from commercial performance speakers, considering their appearance and practical aspects to optimize sound and usability in real-world situations.

A key element of the design is the handle, which allows the speaker to tilt naturally when laid down for more effective sound projection. It can also be mounted on a tripod to suit different spaces and performance setups. The handle fits comfortably in the user’s palm and fingers, distributing weight evenly to minimize strain and ensure a secure hold. This ergonomic grip ensures stability while moving across a stage or when mounted on a tripod.

The Stage 301’s uniqueness comes from the design inspiration from the sports car exhausts – a symbol of power and performance. Seeking to capture that same purposeful energy, the design team focused on the point where the body’s edges converge. By accentuating this space, they achieved both structural strength and visual tension to enhance the overall design. This approach gives the speaker an athletic, muscular stance that conveys strength, power and dynamism. Through careful refinement, the team preserves the speaker’s bold character while ensuring a seamless and elegant visual flow.

The LG xboom by will.i.am Bounce’s beautifully symmetrical design looks refined from every angle, adding sophistication to a wide range of spaces. The design team explored how the speaker would look and feel in various indoor and outdoor settings, ensuring it could blend effortlessly into diverse environments. They refined its shape and size, balancing smooth, rounded lines with perfect symmetry to create something that feels stable and comfortable to use, appreciate and enjoy.

Purposefully, the Bounce’s two feet have a larger surface area to provide stable, secure contact with most surfaces – a detail that boosts stability during different usage. The design team wanted these feet to do more than support; they wanted to create a subtle visual link to the speaker’s acoustic elements. For this reason, the circular feet were made identical in size to the passive radiators, and aligned vertically, creating a column-like connection that highlights the Bounce’s balanced, symmetrical form.

With the Bounce’s passive radiators, the design team wanted listeners to not only hear but also see and feel sound. After experimenting with countless placements alongside engineers, they identified its top position as the most effective for delivering powerful bass, creating an impact users can both feel and see from above as the speaker’s deep vibrations come to life.

While exploring different strap adjustments and carry options, the design team uncovered opportunities for users to engage with Bounce in more creative and personal ways. They designed a versatile strap that can be worn over the shoulder, held in the hand or used to slip a hand between the speaker and strap for a more secure grip. To achieve this, they carefully refined the strap’s length and material for a design that supports a comfortable grip, reduces hand fatigue, stays secure when moving around and adapts to the length of the journey.

Another highlight of the latest xboom speakers is lighting, which uses colors and movement that match the mood, setting and pulse of the music. Believing that lighting should do more than look good, the design team explored how it could visually capture the energy and vibe of the music. Through countless trials with color transitions, speed variations and movement patterns, they designed horizontal lights that flow with the volume, rhythm, beat and tone, making it easier to feel and connect with it.

The fact that LG xboom by will.i.am Grab can be taken practically anywhere with ease, is no accident. The design team noticed that single-strap speakers can be unstable and difficult to carry. That insight sparked a simple idea: What if they added a second strap? This wouldn’t be just a functional fix, it would also let users carry and interact with the speaker in more creative and practical ways. Whether looped around a backpack or slung over a shoulder, the Grab becomes an extension of one’s lifestyle. What’s more, its adjustable straps and compact form let users slip their hand through comfortably, providing a secure grip that reduces fatigue. This design also allows fingers to easily reach and operate the buttons on top, making control simple without changing how it’s held.

The Grab’s design process involved extensive simulations and hands-on testing of various shapes and sizes, including rectangular and angular forms, to find the ideal balance between comfort and practicality. The team assessed how it felt in hand, how smoothly it rolled and how well it fit into the cup holders of cars, scooters and bicycles. With every detail refined to enhance usability and versatility, the cylindrical form was determined to feel the most natural, balanced and suited for everyday use.

The design team wanted the speaker to look as dynamic as it sounds. The Grab features passive radiators on both ends accented by a vibrating “X,” inspired by the xboom branding, visually representing the speaker’s vibrant, energetic audio performance.

Award-Winning Design Excellence
LG’s focus on the user experience and thoughtful approach to the xboom speakers’ design have earned global recognition, including the prestigious iF Design Award and Red Dot Design Award. The iF Design Award praised Grab’s functional design that allows it to be carried by hand or wrist, mounted on a bicycle or car or securely hung, making outdoor use more convenient and listening experiences more active. The Red Dot Design Award honored the Grab, Bounce and Stage 301 for stunning designs that are both user-centric and powerful performance-wise.

Sound That Goes Deeper Into Life
LG xboom by will.i.am redefines the speaker category as lifestyle companions that bring more joy, energy and entertainment into everyday life. The xboom design DNA continues to evolve with people’s desires and needs, seamlessly blending human-centered innovation, emotional warmth and contextual harmony.

Whether crafting a memorable performance, relaxing at home or adventuring out with friends, the xboom speakers elevate each moment, transforming them into design statements that resonate on a deeper level.

To join the ongoing journey and evolution of LG xboom by will.i.am, visit www.lg.com/us/xboom for the latest updates and insights.

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