Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT review

Skullcandy is most known for making headphones and earbuds on the more affordable end of things. But the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT represents a bit of a departure, as it’s a ruggedized Bluetooth speaker. Is it any good? Let’s take a listen.

Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT: $39.99 USD / $54.99CAD /£34.99 / €39.99

The Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT is an inexpensive Bluetooth speaker with a very chunky, water-resistant design. It’s meant to appeal to those on a budget, and are looking for a Bluetooth speaker to be used outdoors. As it is Skullcandy’s cheapest, smallest speaker: don’t be surprised that there isn’t much in the way of extra features. For those looking to fit their aesthetic, the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT comes in either black, Blue Blaze, Light Grey, or Astro Dust (reddish salmon) colorways.

For charging, it uses an uncovered USB-C port, and an LED array to show battery levels. Additionally, the speaker uses the Bluetooth-mandated common codec SBC, so there’s no higher-bitrate audio available. This speaker was built to be a pure entry-level option, with no complications.

What I like about the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT

Probably the best thing about the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT is that you’re getting exactly what is advertised on the box: a cheap, water-resistant speaker that is fairly light for what it is. That means there are no bells and whistles or hidden extras you need to worry about. What you see is what you get. In this light, it’s no surprise that the speaker works like any other entry-level portable. You will have to pair it to your phone or other source device manually, but for those not completely spoiled by fast pair, this won’t be a hindrance, just something you deal with if the speaker doesn’t pair automatically upon powering on.

Controlling the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT is accomplished through the chunky buttons on the top and rear of the unit. These include play/pause, volume up/down, power, and pairing. If you often run out of battery with your portable speakers, a battery indicator LED array on the back can be toggled by either plugging your speaker in or hitting a button on the unit. There aren’t really many surprises — good or bad — with the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT. It’s just a speaker that plays audio, and sometimes that’s all you really need.

The sound quality isn’t amazing, but the speaker will work with just about anything with Bluetooth owing to its straightforward implementation of Bluetooth 5.3. There’s no 3.5mm port, but since it’s much easier to protect a speaker with as few compromises to the seal as possible, the lack of an aux port is more of a feature than a bug.

If you’re hoping for using multiple speakers in an array, the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT supports Skullcandy’s Multi-Link feature by using some strange inputs. Connect your first speaker to your phone, and make sure your other speaker is disconnected from any source (and powered on). Then tap the power button three times on both speakers. The blue LED indicates the right channel, and the amber LED indicates the left. It’s a neat feature, but it does mean you’re committed to buying two of these if you want it.

What I don’t like about the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT

Of course, what makes the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT straightforward and uncomplicated is also what gets in the way of a better time with the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT. Though nobody really buys a sub-$50 wireless speaker with any realistic hope of high-end features like voice assistants or lights, the lack of features is still something that you should be aware of.

For example, at the time of publishing, the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT is currently incompatible with the Skullcandy app. That means no firmware updates, extra features, or software enhancements. What you see is what you get.

Additionally, though there is a rating for water ingress protection, there is no rating for dust or other foreign object damage. Is your speaker fine to take to the beach? What about a construction site? There’s no way to know how much it can handle without flying blind. Try not to get sand on it, as it’s unclear how this will affect the speaker. We will say that the USB-C port is unprotected from foreign objects, and that is likely the main point of failure long-term.

Finally, new users of the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT may get a little confused about which way is “forward.” It may seem like a nitpicky gripe, but it is important that you get this right, as speakers can’t just have their driver firing into the ground. The back of the speaker is the panel with the LEDs and buttons on it, and the top of the speaker is the playback controls. As long as the playback controls are on the top you should be golden, but there’s no other visual cue.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive, tough speaker, you could do a lot worse than the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT. However, other options on the market offer a bit of a step up for those looking for more in the sound quality department. For example, the Sony SRS-XB100 ($58 at Amazon) may cost about $20 more at MSRP, but it’s also got better sound quality, ingress protection rating against dust, and battery life. But if you’re hard up for cash, $20 is a lot more than it sounds. Sometimes you just need something that works for the least money possible.

To the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT’s credit, if you already have Skullcandy speakers, it can be used in conjunction with them as a satellite with the Multi-Link feature. However, without firmware updates or other software compatibility, that’s the end of the list regarding compelling features. This is simply a basic, mostly waterproof speaker that should last you through some casual abuse.

I’d recommend the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT mainly to those who need to save money and aren’t looking to buy anything fancy. Cheap Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen nowadays, and there’s such a variety in the waterproof portable segment that you would probably be better served with something that is a little more portable, given the fact that this speaker’s main selling point is its water resistance. If I were to suggest an alternative, I would pick the JBL Clip 4 ($59 at Amazon) over the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT because of its sound quality, much better portability, and similar durability. The ability to clip the speaker to various things is also a bigger plus than it sounds like, as that means it really can go just about anywhere — while the Skullcandy Terrain Mini XT is quite clunky in comparison.