I spent $16 on a small waterproof Ikea speaker and the battery life is honestly ridiculous

I’ve been on the lookout for a shower-friendly waterproof Bluetooth speaker for a few years, but never really made the plunge. In my previous rentals, I had a bath with a shower curtain, which made it easy to prop up my phone on the nearby vanity to play podcasts while I got ready in the morning. Paying for a standalone speaker seemed like a luxurious upgrade then, not a necessity.

But after moving to my new home a year ago, I missed this setup. My glass-enclosed shower blocks most of the sound coming from my phone; even with the Pixel 10 Pro XL’s louder speaker and the trick of using corners to amplify sound, I couldn’t hear it clearly in the shower. So I started looking for options from Soundcore, JBL, Tribit, Bose, and others, and eventually made an impulse buy in the unlikeliest of places: the IKEA home electronics section.

Specs weren’t the first thing that caught my eye with the Vappeby portable speaker. It was the mindboggling cheap €10 price — it’s a bit more expensive in the US, at $15.99. I assumed the price tag comes with terrible specs, but not really. This speaker is IP67-rated, so it is completely dust-resistant and can withstand immersion in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. In other words, it seemed perfect for my shower experiment. It charges over USB-C, too, which means I don’t have to bother with special cables. There’s a built-in hook to attach it to my shower bar, and it offers a stereo mode, where you can link up two of these together for a louder and better distributed sound.

Most importantly, it has a really, really, really long battery life. IKEA says it can last up to 80 hours on 50% volume, which is insane. Every other speaker I was looking at was rated for 12, 18, 20, or 25 hours of battery life at best. The fact that I could charge this one and get anywhere above 50 hours of playback seemed like the ideal solution for my forgetful, lazy instincts.

After questioning my sanity over wanting a Bluetooth speaker from Ikea of all places, I stood in front of the Vappeby display section and watched a few video reviews to see if it was worth the terrifying €10 investment. When I decided that it seemed to tick all the boxes for me, I made the financial plunge and put it in my cart.

It’s been a little less than a year since I bought the Vappeby speaker, and I don’t have any buyer’s remorse. Perhaps the only question on my mind is why I didn’t wait for the black, white, or stunning blue versions to come back into stock, and got the only option available then — light pink. I won’t pretend this is my favorite shade of pink.

I use the speaker for about 30 minutes every morning when I shower and get ready. It’s hooked right under the shower head, so it has received its fair share of water and steam without showing any sign of wear, tear, or malfunction. The single button that does the triple job of pairing, on/off, and play/pause is still as clicky as it was on day one.

Crucially, though, I have charged the Vappeby a grand total of two times since I got it. Twice in a whole year! The battery just goes on and on, to a point where I almost forgot that this thing is battery-powered. Even when the battery is low, it can keep going for several days before it dies, giving me more chances to remember to unhook it and charge it before that happens. I’ve been keeping an eye on other brands like JBL, Soundcore, and Tribit, but everything I see from them is still in the 20-25-hour battery life range, which would be such a downgrade from this unkillable battery life experience.

Volume gets very loud in the shower; I often have to set my phone to 60-70% volume because any louder and I’d feel like the sound was booming inside the enclosure. I’ve also been careful to limit direct water sprays to the front grille because that tends to affect the volume and clarity until the speaker dries up. As for the sound quality, it’s good enough for my morning podcast routine and the rare song or two when I’m in the mood for music. The bass is nonexistent, though.

My SoundGuys colleagues Harley and Dave already did a quick review of the portable Vappeby speaker (around the tenth minute in the video above). They joked that it “looks like a Fisher-Price speaker” or a “My baby’s first Bluetooth speaker,” but I’m willing to forgive them the disrespect for this absolute gem because they said, “that’s not terrible for a little speaker,” “better clarity,” “the synths are coming through,” and “I’ve heard worse.” High praise from the best audio experts out there.

You get it, though, right? This isn’t the speaker you buy for your outdoor parties or even for any slightly large room. It’s better suited for a small space. The single button is also a bit limiting, especially if you’d rather control the volume from the speaker. I’ve gotten used to setting the volume on my phone before starting my shower, but ideally, I would’ve liked volume buttons on the speaker to make any adjustments on the spot. I also wish it had Bluetooth Multipoint so my husband could pair his Pixel as well. 

For a waterproof bathroom or shower speaker that does the job and lasts forever on a charge, though? The Vappeby portable speaker is an absolute steal and a monster at that price — especially if you can get it in Europe for €10.