Gingo Kitty Speaker review: Style over substance

There is certainly no shortage of portable Bluetooth speakers on the market, with the seemingly endless options ranging from budget-friendly to pricey, higher-end models. But, most are pretty boring in terms of design — they all tend to follow the same formula of a roughly cylindrical shape. The Gingo Kitty Speaker, as the name suggests, offers something different.

This tiny, affordable speaker comes in a cute cat shape, which surely adds personality to your shelves or desk. I’ve been testing it out for a few weeks now, and while other Bluetooth speakers at similar prices may offer better sound quality, none can quite match its cuteness factor.

Price, availability, and specs

The Gingo Kitty Speaker comes in five colors: blue, gray, pink, purple, or white. You can buy a single kitty, or opt for two for double the sound. It’s available from Amazon for roughly $25 for a single speaker (depending on the color) or around $30 for a set (again, depending on color). It’s also available from Walmart for $12 for a pair.

What I liked about the Gingo Kitty Speaker

A cute design with easy pairing

There’s no denying that the Gingo Kitty Speaker is a cute Bluetooth speaker — its minimalistic cat shape is simply adorable. Plus, it is tiny, which just adds even more points to the charm. Its small size also means it takes up next to no room on my desk, which I appreciate a lot when it comes to the warzone that becomes my workspace throughout the day. Since it’s so small and lightweight, you could easily toss it in a jacket pocket or purse, allowing you to bring it wherever you want a speaker.

A light at the base of the tail lights up to tell you when the speaker is on, which means there’s no guesswork involved. A single button on the bottom of the speaker controls the power and pairing modes. It uses Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity, and the pairing is fast and simple. The name of the device in my Bluetooth settings is Kitty Speaker, so it’s also very obvious which device you want to pair with. It promises connectivity up to 66 feet, and I’ve had no issues walking around my apartment with my phone while the speaker is in the other room.

The speaker functions on its own, but you can also become a true cat person and pair two Kitty Speakers for a surround sound experience or to have the same audio playing in different rooms of your home for a seamless walk-through sequence. I only have one, so I couldn’t test this, but the flexibility to do so is nice. Despite its diminutive size, the speaker packs a punch in terms of volume. Even the lowest volume level is plenty for me in my quiet home. It gets really loud, which is useful if you have lots of other ambient noise you are trying to drown out.

What I didn’t like about the Gingo Kitty Speaker

Poor connection and sound quality aren’t cute

While there’s plenty of volume on the Gingo Kitty Speaker, the sound quality is lacking. Of course, for a speaker like this, that’s not surprising. It is better than I would have anticipated at low volumes, but the sound gets harsh and rather painful when you turn it up. There’s no bass whatsoever, and the highs are very sharp, especially at those high volumes. Audio detail is extremely lacking as well.

I’ve also had some issues with the connection. While the Bluetooth range is strong, I’ve experienced lots of crackling audio, even when it’s right next to my phone or computer. That crackling seems to only last for the first few minutes of turning the speaker on and does improve after a bit, but it isn’t ideal. Finally, the Kitty Speaker charges via Micro-USB, which most companies have largely phased out. It comes with a cable, but you’re less likely to have a Micro-USB on you when out and about than a USB-C cable, so it’s not very convenient.

While the Gingo Kitty Speaker features a microphone, the call quality is quite bad. I talked to my parents with the speaker, and they said that I sounded really quiet even though I was sitting within a foot of it. They also said it was breaking up a lot, and it was generally hard to hear me. Their audio came through relatively clear and plenty loud, though.

Finally, Gingo promises 40 hours of battery life for the speaker, though I have my doubts, especially if you use it for calls. I listened to music for an hour in one session, and it didn’t drop much. But when I took a call, it suddenly went from 60% to 30% in less than a minute. There’s also a very loud announcement that the battery is low, starting at 30% — which seems premature — and it continues to loudly proclaim “low battery” every 10 seconds or so. It essentially means you can’t play the speaker below 30% battery without constant interruptions.

Should you buy the Gingo Kitty Speaker?

If you’re looking for a playful speaker for a kid’s room, then sure, this cat speaker would be a fun buy. It’s a cute, fun design that would look right at home next to their toys. Even cat-loving adults looking for a speaker with a bit more personality would enjoy this tiny thing.

However, if you care about sound quality at all, you’d be better off with a different device. By spending just slightly more, you can get a speaker with richer sound and more bass. It won’t offer the cuteness factor, but you’ll have a better listening experience.

Gingo Kitty Speaker

The Gingo Kitty Speaker is a Bluetooth speaker in the shape of a cat. Its tiny design makes it highly portable, and while the sound quality is lacking, it packs a lot of personality and volume.