Philips AS141 Fidelio Android Dock – the best mid range dock is only $69 now

If you want a budget, but big performance dock for your Android device, then the Philips AS141 Fidelio Android Dock is it. This dock started out two years ago as a premium Android dock costing $130, but now it has been reduced to the bargain price of only $69 plus $9.95 delivery from Dick Smith Online.

Here is my review of the Philips AS141 from August 2013:

A dock is a device for charging your phone securely, whilst also having further features such as speakers, alarm clock and radio.

Searching for a good Android dock can be a frustrating experience. When you walk into a retailer you see row upon row of iOS docks in all manner of sizes and prices. When you get to the Android section, you see tens of none.

You can see why this is when you look at the port placement on Android phones. The micro USB port on some phones could be on the bottom of the device, on the side somewhere, or on the top. Plus some ports are arranged backwards!

With the Fidelio line of Android docks, Philips have overcome this challenge by producing a clever sliding micro USB connector with an adapter for phones with ports on the side. The connector can also be swiveled around 180 degrees.

There is a Philips app called DockStudio available in the Play Store, which turns your phone into a remote control for the Fidelio AS141. This app is a bit clunky, so I use it just to initially automatically sync the time with my phone, and use my phone to set the dual alarms, FM radio stations and my preferred equaliser settings.

The dock will work fine without the app as standard Bluetooth streaming speakers, and your phone will still control the Fidelio AS141 via the volume rockers and your phones music/radio apps.

The features of the Philips Fidelio AS141 are dual alarm clock, Bluetooth stereo speakers, FM radio. It also has a standard 3.5mm plug for connecting another phone, MP3 player or iOS device.

The sound performance of the Fidelio AS141 is excellent. The stereo speakers are crisp, clear and loud. There appears to be two back firing bass speakers on the rear of the dock. It is quite heavy, leading me to assume that the twin 10 watt speakers (20 watt in total) are powered. There also appears to be a built in back up battery, though no mention is made of this in any brochures or information booklets. If you unplug the device to move it, it remembers the time and all of the settings, which is a nice touch.

I use the Fidelio AS141 dock as a charger and alarm clock, to stream music via Bluetooth from my phone, play online radio stations via TuneIn Radio, and it is also great for games and movies.

Initially I had a small amount of trouble connecting via Bluetooth. It would sometimes need a bit of tinkering to get both devices to recognise each other. However, with the Android 4.3 upgrade for my Nexus, connecting has been fast and seamless.

Overall, the Philips Fidelio AS141 Android Dock is an elegant and slim, yet surprisingly powerful dock that produces excellent sound.

So, if you are looking for an alarm/excellent bluetooth speakers/charging dock for your phone, then the $69 Philips AS141 is the best value going around right now, and you had better jump on the Dick Smith run out offer before they are all gone.

Do you have a Philips Fidelio Dock? What do you think of them? Let us know in the comments!