With music systems and CD players phasing out, Blueooth speakers took their place. Goes without saying that portable wireless speakers are popular in India. However, the budget ones are quite boring. Most of these speakers are just bland piece of plastic. In order to spice things up, some premium brands add fancy light show or lamp capabilities to their speakers. But, most of these are quite expensive. This is where domestic brand Zebronics' Zeb Atom kicks-in to offer this combination on budget.

 

The Zeb Atom is an affordable speaker that costs under 1.5k. So, I never had high hopes in terms of the build quality. But the device holds its own thanks to its durable plastic with matte finish. Its grille pattern looks good. It does remind you of the good-old tealight holders.

 

 

At the bottom, you get speaker, ports, and controls. The Atom has four buttons with proper tactile feedback. The rubber flap that conceals a micro USB port is quite sloppy though. The device has a dedicated toggle switch for the light.

Lamp
The Zeb Atom comes to life in lamp mode. It has a nice warm light that immitates a candle flame. It is pleasing to the eye and can be used as a night light. Zebronics claims that this electronic candle houses 60 LEDs. However, there's no way to control the pace of the flicker. I find it to be moving faster compared to a real candle.

 

 

To play the music, you can either hook up your phone via Bluetooth or slide in a microSD card. For the latter, you get basic controls for changing tracks and setting volume. At 3W output, the speakers sound tinny. Although there are two outlets, the Atom produces flat mono sound. The in-built battery latss for over a couple of hours of music playback.

 

Overall, for under Rs 1,500, the Zeb Atom is a good deal if you are looking for a night lamp. Just don't expect too much from the speaker.