Vappeby is a new IKEA speaker with IP68, long battery life and very low price

IKEA is no stranger to audio devices, with several types of speakers on offer, from garden speakers to room speakers to Symfonisk smart speakers made in partnership with SONOS. But the company seems to be finding new designs and ways to create cheaper models. The new speaker in the Vappeby range is small, about the size of a bar of soap, has a lanyard you can hang it on and costs just $15.

The $15 Vappeby speaker is a very interesting product that will soon be on offer at IKEA. It will certainly compete with the cheap portable speakers on the electronics market where you usually find low-quality Chinese models. The Vappeby however promises to deliver a good user experience despite the affordable price.

“The fundamental goal of this new product was to offer quality sound in a versatile product that you can use anywhere.”, says Stjepan Begic, product design developer at IKEA, as quoted by Engadget.

At $15, the Vappeby offers more advantages than similarly priced models on the market

The speaker comes in three colors: yellow, black, or red and gets 80 hours of battery life on a single charge with the volume at 50%. Charging is via a USB-C jack, but a charger isn’t included in the package. You’ll have to use the one from your phone or laptop.

What’s more, the speaker is waterproof to IP67 standard, so it can even be submerged in water up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. It will certainly withstand splashing water or accidentally spilling a glass of liquid. Incidentally, official pictures show the speaker hanging in the bathroom, making it a good solution for listening to music in the shower.

The Vappeby speaker even allows you to connect to another identical speaker for simultaneous stereo sound playback. Scheduled for release in April, it’s likely to be the kind of product you grab off the shelf in IKEA on impulse as you drive your cart full of other products past.

This is the second speaker in the Vappeby range. Previously, IKEA announced and launched the “mushroom” speaker, which also served as a garden lamp, offered IP65 water resistance and promised 360 sound. A feature exclusive to the older model, however, is Spotify Tap compatibility, being able to automatically start playlists from the Spotify mobile app at the touch of a button.