I’m in a constant water bottle-based war. No, I’m not wading into the plight of Yeti versus Owala, or hunting down rare Ramblers; I’m just trying to stay hydrated. And while I’m especially concerned with my water intake during the current heat wave, hydration is a topic that’s always been jumping up and down on my priority list.
Enter the Icewater 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle, which lights up on an automatic, hourly cadence to remind you to hydrate. It’s also got a Bluetooth speaker built into that bottom portion. As for the third feature? Well, that’s the water bottle — or at least I think it is. I don’t think the “dancing light” functionality that lets your lights pulse to the beat is much to talk about.
This bottle is only $20 on Amazon right now, but is it worth it? Here’s what I think after using one for three days.
Bright and bold hues glow from this water bottle on an hourly cadence to remind you to keep hydrated — and it also functions as a Bluetooth speaker.
How I found the Icewater 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle
I’ve found many tools to aid me in my personal fight to hydrate, from a comically large 116-ounce water bottle that I hadn’t touched in months before this assignment to basic CamelBak and KleenKanteen bottles I’ve picked up along the way. I even have multiple reminders on my phone that tell me to “drink and refill water.” But, still, I’m never quite hitting my goals.
So I was eager to call in the Icewater 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle, as the solutions to some of life’s smaller problems are often hiding in plain sight behind a no-name brands and $20 price tags. Only when I unpacked the bottle from its slightly large Amazon box did I notice that its design meant its vessel is slightly smaller than what I’m used to — because the base that contains its lighting and Bluetooth speaker takes up about a quarter of its overall size. None of this room is used to purify your water, as this isn’t a filtered bottle.
After about half an hour of charging via the Micro USB port hidden behind a flap on the base, the charging indicator light went away and I was ready to hydrate. The Icewater bottle’s glowing reminder works as you’d expect, rotating between different intensities of blue, purple and a neon shade of green currently associated with Brit pop star Charli XCX’s new album “Brat.” At full blast, the bottle glows with enough brightness to make sure I see it if I’m in the same vicinity, and it rotates between the hues (every hour on the hour) long enough for me to notice even when I’m locked in.
Of course, I had to test this water bottle’s other functionality: It’s also a Bluetooth speaker. Unfortunately, even at full volume, tracks from my workout playlist such as Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control,” Rob Zombie’s “Dragula” and Charli XCX’s?“Superlove” failed to break a sweat on the speaker. The music just sounds small, so much so that I quickly forgot to use this feature so I could preserve battery life for the glowing lights. Speaking of which, the Icewater Bottle lasted about three days on a single charge for me, which I thought was good enough, though I was a bit annoyed to track down its Micro USB cable.
Why the Icewater 3-in-1 Smart Water Bottle is a score
In the world of glowing water bottles — and this is a crowded field — the Icewater stands out by being the most affordable. But unlike the Hidrate Spark water bottles, this vessel doesn’t have an app for tracking your water intake. But I’d still rather buy this bottle, as it’s about a quarter of the Hidrate’s regular price and the whole bottle (not just the base) glows.
I’m going to continue to use the Icewater bottle to help stay hydrated, but I see it as more of a weapon in an arsenal than a silver bullet to solve the problem. Its visual nature requires lines of sight, and I’m not going to pretend I’ll never forget to turn it on or leave it in another room. But for now? And for $20? I’m going to keep it charged to help myself stay hydrated, and I’ve already recommended one friend do the same.
