Portronics Auto One review: Neat multi

Jan 27, 2024

A lot of us are still stuck with relatively older audio systems in our car that lack some modern features like Bluetooth connectivity. Some don't even have a USB port for music playback. For that matter, the preinstalled music players in some of the newer cars aren't too feature-rich either. One of the options is to replace the audio player with a newer one, but that's not a cost-effective solution. The other option is to use one of the Bluetooth receivers. Then some may want a car charger to charge their phone on the go or a hands-free calling device. The problem being all these devices plug into the power socket of the car, and generally, there's just one of those. In that case, you need to plug one device out and then connect the other, thus losing out on some functionality. What if there was a single device that could take care of all the above needs? Enter Portronics Auto One. Time to know more about it and what it can do for you.

Portronics Auto One is a multi-utility device for your car that serves as a Bluetooth receiver, a USB media player and a fast charger for certain devices that support Quick Charge 3.0 (QC 3.0). It can also be used for receiving calls once it is plugged into your car stereo as it has a sizable display to check the caller details and a built-in microphone to transmit your voice. The device plugs into your car's auxiliary power socket, commonly known as a lighter port; yes, that circular thing which has been there forever. It has a manual volume control knob and adjustments for bass and treble that are useful in tweaking the sound output. It has a 1.8-inch color display that's fairly bright, and though the quality is not comparable to your phone screen, it gets the job done. It displays a multitude of information like volume level, connection status, FM channel used, call details, playback information or simply multi-band equalizers during audio playback. It has two USB ports, one of which can provide up to 23W of power for fast-charging QC 3.0-compliant devices. The other port can be used for music playback by plugging in a USB flash drive. You also get a TF card slot for playing audio from a microSD card. And lastly, there's an AUX output to connect this device to the AUX port of your car stereo. An AUX cable is bundled in the package. That's quite a bunch of useful features for one compact device!

The Portronics Auto One is a lightweight and compact gadget that easily fits in your palm. Despite its all-plastic construction, the build quality is pretty decent. It has an elongated power connector that one can rotate by 180 degrees so that you can get an optimal angle to view the screen. The power socket in cars is found in unusual spots and this flexibility is a welcome addition. The Auto One fits snugly into the socket and stays in place even during bumpy rides. Setting this device up is a straightforward process if your car stereo has a functional AUX input. Once the Auto One is plugged into the power socket and switched on, you need to find it in the list of Bluetooth devices on your phone or tablet and pair them. Then use an AUX cable to connect it to your car stereo and you are good to go. In case your stereo does not have an AUX input or it's damaged or you simply do not want a cable running between the two devices, there is another way to get the two to talk to each other wirelessly—through FM radio. That's correct! You need to set an FM transmission frequency on the Auto One, and then use the FM tuner in your car stereo to tune in to that frequency and receive the audio. Avoid setting a frequency that coincides with existing FM radio channels so that you do not get a scrambled signal. Though this sounds cool, ideally opt for the AUX cable if there's an option as the quality of the audio is noticeably better. Post the setup, you can simply play whatever you wish to on your phone or tablet and route the output to your car system through Auto One.

Though the Auto One uses the basic SBC codec over Bluetooth 5.0, the sound quality is pretty good. The bass felt a little lower than what my car system generally delivers but it certainly isn't deficient. You do get bass and treble adjustments to tweak the output. In my case, I had already pushed the bass to full. As I mentioned earlier, using an AUX cable provides better sound quality in comparison to the FM option. Playing audio through the USB port or the card slot is a straightforward process. Just plug it in and it starts playing the audio. You can jump tracks from the device and see the track details on the Auto One display. A couple more buttons like a dedicated play/pause button and an option to browse through the content of the card or the drive without playing it could have been helpful. The sound quality is crisp and clear if the source files are of good quality. Receiving calls on this device generally works well, with the person on the line being heard on the car speakers while your voice is transmitted from the Auto One microphone. While the mic is reasonably sensitive, you need to be louder than usual for the other person to hear you clearly as the device will be a fair distance away from you in most cars. I don't mean to be preachy, but it's best to avoid calls while driving. And lastly, we come to the USB charging port. The port is capable of delivering up to 23W of output for certain QC 3.0-compliant devices. So it can fast-charge the devices with that specific power rating. The rest of the devices draw standard 10W power at 5V/2A. Though not fast, you can still charge most Android and Apple devices with Auto One. You will need to purchase a relevant charging cable separately though.

The Portronics Auto One is priced at Rs. 1,499 and can be purchased for a couple of hundreds lower on various e-commerce platforms. You get a one year warranty against manufacturing defects. For that price, it would be a useful addition to your car, if you are looking for a Bluetooth streamer, car charger, media player or all of the above. If it's just a Bluetooth streamer that you are interested in, then you can find one from the same company for half the price. But as a consolidated all-in-one solution, the Auto One is a neat option. Rating: 4/5