The glowing -CHARGE- lamp on the Sony SRS XB33 speaker.

How to Tell if Sony SRS XB33 is Charging

How to tell if Sony SRS XB33 portable Bluetooth speaker is charging?  This extra bass speaker has an orange LED light on the top button panel, just below and to the left of the Power button, as shown in the following picture.  This light that Sony labels as the CHARGE light flashes orange when the battery is nearly dead. So it tells battery level (to a small degree).  When the speaker is not on the charge and this lamp blinks, it means to CHARGE the speaker because the battery will soon go dead.  But also, to see if the XB33 is charging,  check out this lamp as well.  We explain how to read it next.

How to Tell if the Sony SRS XB33 is Charging

Connect your XB33 to USB Power

Of course, you can be absolutely certain that the unit is NOT charging with no charger cord connected to it.

Check that the  CHARGE LED is Glowing Solid Orange

When the speaker is OFF, you can tell if the Sony SRS XB33 is charging if this light glows steady orange.  This lamp continuously glows while charging, when the speaker is either ON, paired or not, or, OFF. Furthermore, when no charger is connected, this light blinks when the battery has about run out of juice. Otherwise, it is OFF.

If the SRS XB33 CHARGE lamp flashes when the power cord is attached, then the speaker is likely NOT charging.  So you should check that your USB cable, adapter charger, and power source are in working order.  Try a new adapter or a known good cord.  You want this light glowing steadily to know for sure that the XB33 is charging.

The glowing -CHARGE- lamp on the Sony SRS XB33 speaker. How to Tell if Sony SRS XB33 is Charging.
Sony SRS XB33 speaker -CHARGE- light lit up.

Check Speaker Temperature

Additionally, the the XB33 may warm slightly in the rear port area as the speaker charges. Moreover, most charger adapters you power it with will also heat a bit.  This warming is a great sign to tell you if the XB33 is indeed charging. If there is some warmth, then the speaker probably is charging.  But if there is no heat, then it may not be charging, although there may not be as much speaker heating if you’re using a lower current charger.





Have the XB33 Tell you Battery Full Percentage as it Charges

As speaker charging advances toward finish, the CHARGE LED continues glowing.  But unlike some of the higher grade wireless speakers, the 33 gives no visual reading of just how far along its recharging is, just that the charging is still in progress.

But you can hear how charging is moving along by pressing the BATT button, also located in the rear port panel. Pressing this button causes the XB33 to speak the current percentage of charge in the battery, in a female voice.

Picture of the battery percent full announcement button.
The battery percent full announcement button.

So as time passes during charging, you can press this button now and then to see if the battery percentage full number is getting higher.  If the percentage number announced increases over time, then this is another great indicator the the speaker is charging. If it does not increase after a half hour or so, then it is likely that the unit is NOT charging.

When the CHARGE LED Goes OFF, Charging is Finished

The battery charge cycle is finished when the CHARGE LED goes dark, as we see in the next picture.

Picture of The dark -CHARGE- light on the Sony SRS XB33 speaker.
The dark -CHARGE- lamp on the Sony SRS XB33 speaker.

Even with the charger cord still supplying power, and when the XB33 is OFF or ON, the CHARGE lamp stops glowing when the battery inside is full. We see this in the last picture above.  The speaker indeed no longer recharges when the battery reaches full charge condition and this light shuts off. If this light shuts off after several hours, then this is another hint that the XB33 was indeed charging while the light was ON. If the lamp never goes out, then the speaker may not be charging.

Related Posts to How to Tell if Sony SRS XB33 is Charging

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    2. Tell if the Sony SRS XB43 Speaker is Charging
    3. How to Tell if Sony SRS XB13 is Charging
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    5. How to Tell if Wonderboom 2 is Charging

Other Posts About the Sony SRS XB33

    1. How to Put Sony SRS XB33 in Pairing Mode
    2. Pairing the Sony SRS XB33 Wireless Speaker
    3. How to Make Sony SRS XB33 Discoverable
    4. Hard Resetting the Sony SRS XB33 BT Speaker
    5. How to Check Sony SRS XB33 Battery Life

References for How to Tell if Sony SRS XB33 is Charging

    1. Sony SRS XB33 Portable Speaker  Product Page at Sony.com

Revision History

    • 2021-09-26: First posted.