1

Philips AS860 review

Philips AS860
Price(3.5/5):
Design(5/5):
Features(5/5):
Overall Score:4.5
Advantages Disadvantages
  • NFC one touch start technology
  • Bluetooth aptX® wireless music playback
  • Beautiful design
  • Two 3 inch (7.6 cm) loudspeakers
  • It is a bit heavy with 4.4 pound (2kg) mass

Review

(Philips AS860 Docking station is currently unavailable to purchase on amazon.com. We will certainly inform everyone, when this Android dock will be available.)

Philips AS860 is the second generation of Philips Android speaker docking stations and this is the most powerful and feature rich model from the first two of this second line of devices. Philips has created a speaker dock that is easy to use, packet with convenient technology and ready to be used with any Android Smartphone or tablet.

Design

philips as860 android speaker dockAS860 is one of the most technologically advanced Android docking stations available on the market with a really great design that is full of surprises but will look great in almost any work/home environment. This docking station has the dimensions of 14 inches x 6.5 inches x 7.7 inches (358 mm x 166 mm x 196 mm) and is made from plastic and metal so it weighs 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and that means it is not that small or light compared with other similar dock-stations. But this weight and size is acceptable because you get a metal outer structure with that plastic cover around the dock and that means this docking station will be strong and capable of working for years to come. Just like the AS130 Philips docking station this has the same design with black plastic outer shell but a metallic top and bottom panels that makes it feel and look professional and discrete. But unlike that smaller dock this is much more powerful and looks better with those two speakers that can be seen trough that dotted plastic casing.

Design wise this dock has a rectangular shape with rounded edges and two horizontal lines spanning around the sides of this device. At the front you can see those two beautiful speakers and of course there is a Logo branding this dock a real Philips product! At the top the metallic panel is completely flat except that groove in the middle where your Smartphone or tablet will sit. All the buttons are under this panel and are touch sensitive so there are no ugly bumps and buttons.

Looking at the top at the front edge to the right side you can see volume control buttons but on the left side there is an NFC logo that I will explain in a minute. At the middle there is that groove where your docked Android device will sit but at the middle of this groove there is that amazing FlexiDock that allows you to connect any Android device.

FlexiDock

FlexiDock is a Philips patented feature that allows you to connect any Android Smartphone no matter where your charging port is located. This docking mechanism is designed to be adjustable and you can slide it from one side to the other as well as rise it up or down with that wheel based adjuster that is located behind this mechanism. You are also able to rotate that micro USB connector 360 degrees to accommodate devices which have this charging port rotated 180 degrees but it can also sit at 90 degrees and accommodate many other devices not just Android powered Smartphone’s and Tablets. Between the FlexiDock and that adjuster wheel there is also a retractable holding arm that is made from see trough glass and that will support your device so it’s charging port won’t have to bear all the weight.

Sound

Philips markets AS860 docking station as one of the best speaker docks and they have the right to do so because this device is capable of giving off up to 20 Watts of sound with those two 3 inch (7.6 cm) full range woofer drivers. These two loudspeakers are manufactured with the latest sound technologies including a Bass Reflex system that utilizes two bass-pipes that resonate air inside them to create a more rich and powerful deep low wavelength sound that has more “umpf”. These two fairly small speakers will create a really great stereo sound and will make you think how can two small speakers in a device this small create that kind of sound.

Philips AS860 speakers

The sound quality is increased even more with a digital sound processing system that is also included in that small form factor design. This system is able to much better differentiate many sound tones and gives you crisper and better sounding music playback as well as deeper and more powerful tones as well as great silence level beneath them with no distortions whatsoever.

Features

  • Bluetooth – This docking station is also manufactured with a built in Bluetooth connector that allows you to stream music from any Bluetooth enabled Smartphone or device but is specially designed for latest Android Smartphone’s. The system used in this dock is Bluetooth®-aptX® music streaming and compression algorithm that utilizes better sound transportation and compression mechanisms and gives you a better wireless sound unlike the conventional SBC codec systems that usually feel cheap and can’t give you that desired real world feel and crisp but loud sound.
  • NFC – Philips AS860 is one of the first Android docking stations that utilizes the NFC technology that allows you to automatically turn on the dock, pair it with your device and begin streaming with just a tap of your phone. Philips has devised an amazing system that allows you to tap your NFC powered Android Smartphone on that NFC logo on the left of this dock and it will automatically turn on and start playing music from your phone without any additional input from you.
  • Philips Bluetooth Android app – Philips has also created an Android application that can be found in the App Store that allows you to seamlessly connect your Android phone with any Philips Bluetooth enabled device including this docking station. This App allows you to connect and start playing your music trough this dock with one touch and also set up multiple pre-set connections with other Philips devices and charge the device with ease.
  • 3.5 mm AUX-IN jack – Philips has also created a fall back music playback port in the form of a 3.5 mm auxiliary plug-in jack that allows you to play music from phones and devices that are not Bluetooth enabled as well as from your PC or Mac.
  • External USB port – At the back there is also an USB port that allows you to charge up any additional Smartphone’s or tablets and can be very convenient if you have two mobile phones or multiple devices that need charging.

Philips AS860 android docking station

Conclusion

All in all this is a very powerful device to have as it can act as a great music playing device but will also charge up your phone but NFC and Bluetooth technologies make this one of the best speaker-docks on the market.

Erick Hodge

Erick Hodge

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *