Anker SoundCore Boost Review – Best Budget Bluetooth Speakers 🔊
Amidst all these new companies coming up with their Bluetooth speakers, I discovered (surprisingly) Anker – (a company known for it’s excellence in Powerbanks globally) – bringing out some really good speakers for a cheap price tag (sub $100 budget 🙂 )
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Overview
I’ve been using JBL Micro 2 for a while and it was working really good, I had no issues, except for the fact it was wired.
Don’t get me wrong, I love wired devices (all of my headphones are wired), but the wire of Micro 2 was on verge of dying.
Let’s not rant about that piece of device 🙂
I finally decided to get into wireless Bluetooth speakers, few hours of research and I find out Anker has created some really good speakers at a price tag of just $80. I SHALL TEST THEM.
Technical Specifications
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
|---|---|
| Weight | 585g/20.6oz |
| Dimensions | 8 x 2.8 x 2.7 in/204 x 72 x 69mm |
| Frequency Response | 70Hz—20KHz |
| Impedance | 4Ω |
| Battery Capacity | 5200mAh |
| Audio Output | 20W – 10W x 2 |
| Range | 20m/66ft |
| Driver (full range) | 1.75〞x 2 |
| Waterproof Rating | IPX 5 |
Design
SoundCore Boost has a really good build quality in my opinion.
Anker SoundCore Boost is designed in a rectangular bar with curved edges which is pretty easy to hold.
It weighs around 500 grams which is pretty light considering how loud these can go! (Louder than obnoxious people for sure)
Front and back panel has a mesh (frills) texture. All of the other parts have a rubberized/matte finish with 5 big buttons on the top to control the speaker : Power/Bluetooth pairing, Volume Up and Down, BassUP.
Double press on Play button skips to the next song. They can also be used with a smartphone for answering, rejecting and ending calls.
Sound Quality
This speaker definitely packs in more sound than it’s size. It delivers 20W of powerful, crisp audio via dual high-performance drivers, and twin passive subwoofers.
The speaker is mono-directional, that is, it blasts out sound (only) from the front.
Highs
Highs are impressive for most of the part. One can hear most of highs without facing any screeching or noise. Though they get lost if you’re playing something Bass heavy at a high volume – stating the obvious.
Mids
Mids are good, except for the fact they get muffled up sometimes when the volume is on highest.
Lows and Bass
All of it is unaltered. What I mean by that is there’s no change in the Lows & Bass of the song, they give a natural feel to it. And this is something most speakers lack due to the sound alterations they’ve built in.
Instrumental
Instrumental on this speaker turned out to be a bummer for me. Even on High volumes, you can listen to most of the instruments way too clear. One can not expect something this good at a price like this.
BassUP
While I was researching for this speaker, BassUP sounded like a marketing gimmick to lure the Bass fans into their bus of customers.
I wouldn’t have used it, until I tested it out for fun and it changed my preferences.
I love the BassUP feature. It makes the Bass subtler and pleasant for your ears.
Where to Buy SoundCore Boost?
Adding Up – Other Important Stuff
SoundCore Boost lasted for over 10 hours on an average. It might differ for others considering the type of music and volume they’re played on.
I believe the BassUP does affect the battery and you might get somewhere near 9-10 hours of battery life in one go.
One can obviously use AUX to connect with the speaker, unfortunately, Anker doesn’t provide one in the box.
The speaker has Bluetooth 4.2 which has quite a good range, Anker states it to be 66fts. which I feel is approximately what I experienced. Pairing through Bluetooth has always been quick.
If you have NFC chipset on your device, then pairing becomes way too faster and convenient. Kudos to Anker for putting it in a budget speaker.
Anker SoundCore Boost comes with a massive 5200mAh battery inside, which also acts as a charging brick. Yes, you can charge your device from the speaker while blasting out Stairway to Heaven.
Talking about Warranty, Anker provides an 18-month warranty which is, well, 6 months more than what other brands offer.
The speaker is said to have an IPX5 rating, that is, it is Splash resistant. Well I don’t want to experiment if it actually is water resistant or not, and I hope you won’t as well 🙂
