The speaker uses Bluetooth 5.0 and has USB-C charging, with the port and a 3.5mm audio input hidden under a rubber gasket that keeps moisture from entering. I’m away from the office and don’t have quite as many speakers on hand for comparison purposes, but the Motion Plus sounds substantially better than the old UE Boom 2, JBL Flip 5 and Sony’s new SRS-XB23, all of which currently or originally retailed for $100. A lot of these mini Bluetooth speakers can impress you with how loud they can play for their small size, but they still seem constrained; they have their limitations.
But it’s a good compromise if you’re looking for something more affordable that’s a clear level up soundwise from popular mini Bluetooth speakers from Ultimate Ears, JBL, Sony and all the generic sub-$60 models on Amazon (the Motion Plus easily bested the Earfun Go and Tribit Stormbox, both of which are good values at $50).
Anker SoundCore 2 review
The SoundCore 2 is curvy around the edges, reminding us of a swish pencil case, and is available in blue and red as well as the black of our review sample. There’s a built-in mic for talking to Siri, Google Assistant or for making hands-free calls, plus a 20m Bluetooth range.
Once run-in (yes, that’s worth doing even at this end of the audio scale), this little curvy cuboid is initially quite fun – there’s plenty going on through the midrange and it’s well-balanced. Lethal Bizzle’s Fester Skank doesn’t come across as thin or insubstantial through the midrange as we tap our feet along quite happily.
However, despite the apparently bass-enhancing BassUp technology, the two-way design (each driver is powered by 6W of amplification) doesn’t offer much in the way of bass depth. Dynamics are also an issue; Lethal’s bolshy tone is present, but the detail required to fully deliver his emotional skittishness isn’t quite there.
There’s a diminished space between notes – an absence of the kind of layers that would allow our ears to celebrate nuances between vocals and instruments.
Anker Soundcore 2 Review
Unlike the previous model, it supports True Wireless Stereo (TWS), so you can pair two Upgraded Soundcore 2 speakers together to create a stereo pair.
Anker Soundcore Review
Speakers have been around for quite a long time and, in some very crude creations were actually portable. That is a new invention created by Jaap Haartson, an engineer at Ericsson in Denmark.
Assisted by Tord Wingren and Sven Mattisson, they effectively became the inventors of Bluetooth.
However, it may surprise you to know that in terms of speed of data transfer, Bluetooth is still a distant second to the old infrared technology. In fact, Dresden engineer, Frank Deicke, has recently developed an infra-red system with a transfer rate of 1 Gbps. Anker is a Chinese company that was established in 2011 by Steven Yang, who had been a software engineer at Google.
Today it is based in Shenzhen, Guangdong, and is a world brand leader in technologies related to battery charges for phones and other devices. In this short period of time, they have become a respected manufacturer and have offices all over the world. These are to provide great sound with a strong build quality at a competitive price.
It is made from plastic with a soft rubber-coated material covering on all sides except the front.
At twelve ounces, it is lightweight, but it’s got a rugged feel to it, helped by the rubber coating. It might be unfair to remark on that as Anker makes no claims about water-resistant qualities.
It is fitted with a micro-USB port for battery charging and a 3,5mm socket for headphones. Anker knows all about building batteries and chargers, being one of the world’s leading lights. Inside providing the sound are two 3 watt speakers with a bass port.
On the top of the unit are the control buttons and on the front, an LED light.
Personally, we prefer that to speakers that are trying to make contact with aliens by having flashing lights. Controls do not extend to operating music selections on the device you happen to be using.
Considering this speaker is very much a budget range, product connectivity is very good. Connections are easy, and it pairs up quickly and keeps a strong signal up to the limits of its range.
You can use it with iPhone, and Android phones and tablets and most other Bluetooth enabled devices. When discussing the sound performance of this speaker, we must keep in mind the price point. If you maintain a realistic approach to the quality of the sound, you won’t be disappointed. We have already mentioned the bass port and the dual drivers installed with a tuned DSP.
Harmonic distortion is low, which gives a decent level of clarity. The bass port does help to give a clear deep sound.
As we said, don’t expect a three-figure costing speaker, and you won’t be disappointed. Cons The lack of waterproofing makes the JBL Flip a tempting alternative.
The lack of waterproofing makes the JBL Flip a tempting alternative. The Anker Soundcore has certainly been an interesting speaker to spend time looking at.
We think not, and the Anker Soundcore is certainly one of the best speakers on the market if you are on a tight budget.
Anker Soundcore Review
The Soundcore is a small black rectangle made of soft plastic all the way around, save for the front of the speaker which is covered in a grille. The grille has the Anker name on it in white and is one of two places where you’ll find branding on this speaker, the other on the back.
I’m not a big fan of a company sticking their name on every inch of their products but Anker does it in a simple way that doesn’t take away from the overall aesthetic of the speaker. The buttons up top blend into the smooth plastic and decent but could use some extra click. That said, it is slightly off center because of the driver placement on the inside of the grille and even though that might not be a big deal for most people it irked me every time I looked at it. It’s clear that Anker wanted to keep a low key design that wouldn’t draw too much attention if you have it on your desk or a table. Once you get to the fringes of about 40 feet it does begin to stutter and skip if there are walls, but if there aren’t any then the connection holds strong. On the side of the speaker is also an AUX input for anyone who uses a source device that isn’t Bluetooth compatible.
The deep bass kicks in ‘Trouble’ by TV on the Radio were displayed nicely and it doesn’t feel like you’re missing out on any of the song.
The percussion elements in ‘River’ by Leon Bridges were slightly piercing but, like a lot of speakers, lowering the volume one or to clicks basically solves this issue.
Anker SoundCore 2 review
The Anker SoundCore 2 offers a ton of features for the price like water resistance, great battery life and a rugged body. The Anker SoundCore 2 offers a ton of features for the price like water resistance, great battery life and a rugged body. Take, for example, the Anker SoundCore 2, an affordable, durable Bluetooth speaker that proves you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get robust-sounding audio.
For around $50 (£46, about AU$63), the SoundCore 2 gives you a staggering 24 hours of battery life, a ruggedized and water resistant body, and much better sound than your phone’s speaker.
Anker won’t win any accolades for the SoundCore 2’s design; it’s a generic-looking black bar with power, playback, pairing and volume controls on the top. The body of the Anker SoundCore 2 is coated in a grippy matte black rubber, which is nice to the touch but quickly shows fingerprints.
In terms of size, the Anker SoundCore 2 measures in at 165mm x 54mm x 45mm, which makes it small enough to toss into a bag without fear of it breaking and not too large that it takes up a ton of space. The speaker sounds plenty loud listening in a quiet room but once it has to compete with ambient noises, you’ll quickly find the SoundCore 2’s volume limit.
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