The front top view of the Sony SRS XB23 speaker.

Sony SRS XB23 Charging Indicator

The Sony SRS XB23 Charging Indicator is a small LED on the button panel, just beneath the Power button.  This tells charge status. E.g. Whether it’s draining or charging, or whether it’s critically low or not when discharging.  But it neither reads out charging progress, nor precisely how full the speaker is. But it does blink orange when the XB23 hits close-to-dead. So in this post, we explain how to read this Charging Indicator.

Note that to get a more precise reading of charge percentage, see below.

Sony SRS XB23 Charging Indicator: How to Read the Light

1. When the Lamp is Dark 

The Charging Indicator lamp is OFF in the following scenarios:

    1. When you power down the XB23 with no charger connected.
    2. When the charger IS present but the battery is full.
    3. And finally, this light is OFF when the speaker ON, but the speaker is not low. This light is dark as long as the speaker does not yet need charging.
Picture of the Sony SRS XB23 showing a dark charging indicator lamp.
The Sony SRS XB23 showing a dark charging indicator lamp.

2. The Sony SRS XB23 Charging Indicator Lamp Flashes Orange

With the charger unplugged, the XB23 powered ON, and the battery very low, this LED starts flashing orange.  This means that the speaker will shorty switch off due to a dying speaker. So you should put it on the charge soon to avoid play interruption.

3. This Light Also Works as a Charging Indicator

This orange LED also lights steadily (no blinking) as the XB23 recharges, as we see in the next picture.  On this speaker, the light glowing is the only visual way of telling that charging is happening.  But it does not show how far along the recharging is, until the light actually turns OFF.

Picture of the charging indicator light glowing orange.
The charging indicator lamp glowing orange.

Also note that this light should never blink on and off while charging the speaker.  If it does, then either your charger is not working, or your USB cable is defective. Or perhaps there’s some issue in the speaker itself.

4. When the Light Goes Dark While Charging, Then the Charge is Full

As speaker charging progresses, the light keeps glowing orange.  But after a few hours, charging finishes. Then this lamp goes dark to show this.  It is dark whether the speaker itself is ON or OFF. Note that the light will go dark too, if you disconnect the charger before charging completes.

5. The Sony SRS XB23 Charging Indicator Is Not a Charge Remaining Meter

When unplugged from the charger, this light becomes the charge-left indicator.  Well sort of.  Thus if it is dark when the speaker is ON, then the XB23 has some amount of play time remaining. However you cannot tell how much just by reading the charging indicator lamp. But if it flashes, then you can gather that the speaker is about dead.

Reading Charge Percentage

However, on this speaker, you can get a more precise reading on the percentage of charge remaining.

The -BATT- button on the Sony SRS XB23.
The Sony SRS XB23 -BATT- button.

Just press and release the BATT button on the side button panel. This makes the speaker announce the remaining power percent value in a female voice.

Other Sony SRS XB23 Posts

    1. Sony SRS XB23 Watts RMS
    2. How to Pair
    3. Technical Specs
    4. How to Check the Battery

References

    1. Official Sony SRS XB23 Support Page
    2. Where to Buy the Sony SRS XB23