Technology can advance quite rapidly, but the Bluetooth speaker that still travels with me was the same one I used for four years until last week. It has finally been replaced by the Tribit StormBox Micro 3.

To be honest, the changes are quite modest and most people who own the original may not feel the need to upgrade, but if you are trying to choose between the older and the newest versions, these changes might be noteworthy – especially with early bird pricing...

As I mentioned in my original review, no one is going to confuse a $65 Bluetooth speaker with a hi-fi system. However, both the volume and sound quality are much better than they have any right to be, given the size and price. This is the speaker I toss into my bag for listening to music in my hotel room or Airbnb apartment while traveling.

Visually, it is almost indistinguishable from its predecessor. It features a black mesh design with large, raised buttons for volume up, volume down, and play/pause. It is about four inches square and less than two inches thick, weighing as much as a can of soda.

The speaker has an extendable rubber strap for attaching it to things like bike handlebars and backpack straps. When I mentioned this topic before, some commenters objected to the idea, stating that bike-mounted speakers cause noise pollution. I can agree with that when there are other people around, but I love listening to music while riding my bike on quiet roads by myself.

The speaker has a second hidden function: you can use it as a USB-C power bank to charge your iPhone.

This update is a modest one. So, what do you get between the Micro 3 and the Micro 2?

First of all, the sound output has increased by 30%, rising from 10W to 13W. I don’t find this particularly significant because I personally have never used the speaker at more than 50% volume, but I can see it being useful in some situations.

Not only has the sound power been increased. The new 4800 mAh battery doubles the playback time from 12 hours to 24 hours.

Water resistance has been upgraded from IP67 to IP68. I have never had an issue using the speaker in the rain, but this provides an extra assurance. It is also drop-resistant from a height of 1.22M.

Bluetooth has been upgraded to 6.0, offering a range of over 140 feet. It is hard to see a practical need for such a distance, but the newer the Bluetooth version, the more solid the connection is likely to be.

Finally, we come to what I see as the biggest upgrade: the connection strap is now supported by a magnetic connection. For example, you can stick it to your refrigerator. This isn’t a huge deal, but it increases the versatility of the speaker.

For other aspects, you can check out the review of its predecessor.

The Micro 2 was sold for $60, but it was often found at lower prices. The Micro 3 will be sold for $65, but you can get it now for just $45.49 with early bird pricing between now and Sunday. A good deal at full price, but definitely a great opportunity at early bird pricing.

The $45.49 early bird pricing is valid until April 12 using the code MICRO3EDM on Amazon.