I've used IKEA's $10 Bluetooth speaker, and it has some tricks up its sleeve

There's no doubt that when I visited the IKEA suite at CES to check out its new smart home and audio additions, the new smart version of the Varmblixt donut lamp stole my attention in a pretty big way. That said, though, once I'd got my fill of the gorgeous light, a much smaller new device really caught my eye, too: the Kallsup.

This new Bluetooth speaker underlines how IKEA's taking the fight to the rest of the smart home world, with solid sound at a frankly ludicrous price. In the US it'll cost just $10 when it goes on sale in April, while in the EU it's an even more impressive €5 – we're waiting on UK pricing, but perhaps the number will match that at £5.

It's as simple a speaker as you'll find out there, too, not least thanks to its cuboid shape, sitting on four tiny feet so that it has stability on a surface. You'll be able to pick it up in white, pink or green versions, but they're all identical in terms of size and shape.

They'll also all be able to be grouped into much larger groups if you pick up multiple – up to 100 at once, in fact, for a major boost to the volume on offer. That said, this still won't equate to enormous bass, since each speaker individually is pretty lightweight in that area.

There are two buttons to speak of on top of the speaker; one initiates Bluetooth pairing, and the other plays or pauses your audio. Volume will have to be handled on your paired device, along with basically any other change or setting, and that means there's no power switch, intriguingly. It'll power off automatically when you leave it idle.

It charges by USB-C, although that crazy low price means there's no cable in the box, not that I think many people will find that an issue. Sound-wise, there's no pretending this is high-fidelity, but for the cost I think it's very solid. It's not noticeably tinny at normal volumes, which already makes it miles better than many no-brand options out there on Amazon and other sites.

I think the real charm of the Kallsup isn't its sound quality, though. It's all about that funky, poppy design and the ludicrous value it offers. If you're heading to an IKEA at some point soon, aiming to pick up some new smart home essentials like the Alpstuga sensor then it might be well worth grabbing a Kallsup speaker or two to take home with you. At this price, it's not much of a risk.