Anker speaker bluetooth connection. Anker Soundcore 3 review: Portable speaker…

This Anker Soundcore 3 portable Bluetooth speaker delivers a big sound at a bargain price

Tom’s Guide Verdict

Anker’s Soundcore 3 is big on sound and battery life, but lightweight enough to be easily portable, and at just 51, is something of a bargain.

Pros

• Surprisingly big sound
• Good battery life
• Waterproof
• Useful Soundcore app and EQ modes

Cons

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Colors: Black; blue; red; silver Size: 6.75 x 2.25 x 2.25 inches Weight: 13 ounces Water resistance: IPX7 rated Battery life: 24 hours

The Anker Soundcore 3 has almost everything you could wish for from a portable Bluetooth speaker, and is a real bargain too. Benefitting from several upgrades over the Soundcore 2, the 3 is lightweight enough to be easily portable, and its impressive 24-hour battery life means you can enjoy music and podcasts for a usefully long time between recharges.

Water resistance has been upgraded to the IPX7 standard, which makes it a great companion at the pool or in the bathroom. What’s more, PartyCast enables listeners to sync playback from one Soundcore to up to 100 others.

Is this enough to make the Soundcore 3 one of our best Bluetooth speakers? Read our full Anker Soundcore 3 review to find out how it performs as a standalone speaker at home and how it stands up to life on the road.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Price and availability

Pricing for the Anker Soundcore 3 starts at 51 (£56) for the black finish, while blue, red and silver finishes cost 56 (£63). All color options are available directly through Anker’s website or via online retailers including Amazon and Walmart.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Design

Measuring 6.75 x 2.25 x 2.25 inches and weighing in at 13 ounces, the Soundcore 3 is roughly the same size as the Sonos Roam but just a couple of ounces lighter. Like the Roam, the compact speaker is easy to toss into a bag and take with you. A carry strap is supplied to loop through the fixing hook at one end of the cabinet. This gives a useful degree of extra security with the strap wrapped around your hand for transporting the speaker from room to room or around the garden.

In terms of how the Soundcore 3 looks, the rectangular shape is perhaps more utilitarian than some of the portable Bluetooth speaker designs featured in our best Bluetooth speakers guide. But it has nicely rounded edges and a rubberized finish that looks like it will adequately protect the Soundcore 3 from any knocks or scrapes while on the road. The finish is nicely tactile and the only downside I can see is that the black version reviewed here marked very easily, and showed up fingerprints within seconds of being unboxed. A quick wipe over with a damp, lint-free cloth cleans these off nicely, though.

The Soundcore 3 is rated at IPX7 for waterproofing, which means it’s protected from water ingress even if submerged in up to 3 feet of water (around 1 meter) for 30 minutes, making it perfectly suitable for poolside parties or bathroom playback.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Setup and controls

The raised buttons on the surface of the Soundcore 3 are a delight to use and provide a good amount of tactile feedback. From left to right, functionality is as follows: power on/off; decrease volume; playback control; increase volume; Bluetooth pairing.

The Soundcore control app is freely available to download via the iOS App Store or Google Play for Android devices, and provides access to playback controls, EQ settings and zoomable PDF of the detailed instructions. An instruction booklet is supplied, but the print is likely to be too small to read for many. A USB-C charging cable is also included, but there’s no plug-in wall adaptor in the box.

With the Soundcore app downloaded and the speaker paired to my iPhone, the app set about downloading a firmware update for a bug fix that was needed. The update took about 10 minutes to complete and the Soundcore 3 automatically restarted; the Bluetooth connection to my phone was also maintained.

The app provides four preset EQ modes, including one designated Signature Sound, plus the flexibility to tailor the sound to your own preference. There’s also the ability to set an auto-power off time.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Sound quality

Anker rates the power output of the built-in amplifier at 2 x 16W, and the Soundcore 3 packs plenty of sonic punch. The Signature Sound EQ setting gave the best sonic balance and the little device drives the forward-firing speakers with ease to deliver a far bigger sound than its diminutive dimensions might suggest.

Just visible behind the mesh speaker grille on the front of the cabinet are two circular drivers to handle stereo left and right high frequencies. These silver-colored drivers feature titanium cones, which is a rigid material found in popular speaker designs for the way it drives soundwaves forwards. Soundcore claims to be capable of delivering high frequencies up to 40kHz — this is a bold statement indeed, given this is beyond twice that of human hearing capabilities.

Anker doesn’t specify the material used in the racetrack-shaped mid-driver placed at the center of the speaker to take care of mid and low frequencies. It works in tandem with a passive radiator at the rear of the cabinet, and the combo pumps out low frequencies to remarkably impressive effect.

To see just how well the Soundcore 3 handles low frequencies, I stream Dave Ansel Collins’ Double Barrel from Spotify. The vocal at the beginning of the track has more gravitas than I anticipated, and even when the piano and double bass kick in, I found myself enjoying the performance from this little speaker more than I expected.

Anker’s BassUp technology works to pump up the bass. The delivery sounds a bit ragged with the reggae beat, and I can almost hear the little speakers reaching the limit of their excursion as they push out the big bass sounds, but it’s impressive all the same.

Percussion and drums on Kate Bush’s Watching You Without Me really stand out and have plenty of oomph even at low volume levels. Kate’s voice sounds remarkably clear throughout and seems to sore out of the little speaker without any sense of unbalance or distortion. The Soundcore even manages to handle the broken and slightly unsettling vocal effect towards the end of the recording.

Bass output is less impressive with classical music, and although I was initially impressed by the warmth and depth on display during the opening to Hans Zimmer’s Time from the movie Inception, the louder the orchestra got the more the Soundcore struggled to produce the soundtrack without sounding confused and muddled.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Connectivity

The Anker can’t connect to your home Wi-Fi network, but at the price this really isn’t any kind of criticism. Voice commands can be given to your Smart playback device in the usual manner once you’ve established a Bluetooth connection, and I was able to select tracks and stream playback through third-party music apps like Spotify using Siri voice commands via my iPhone 12 Pro.

Unlike the UE Megaboom 3, which supports multiple DJs at once, the Soundcore only allows one source to be connected at a time. You can connect several Soundcore devices together at once, however. In fact, Anker claims you can link over 100 Soundcore speakers together wirelessly through PartyCast and sync music to each. Sadly, I didn’t have another Soundcore model to hand to try this feature out.

Soundcore hasn’t specified the Bluetooth 5.0 range, but connectivity remained stable even when streaming from other rooms around the house.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Battery life

Battery life is rated at 24 hours, so the Soundcore 3 has a useful amount of play time, making this one of the best portable speakers I’ve experienced in this regard. In practice, it managed to play in the background while I worked for at least a couple of days before needing a recharge. This is a much better result than we’ve experienced with the Sonos Roam and even better than the UE Megaboom 3, which both rank at the top of our best Bluetooth speakers guide.

The time for a full charge is specified at between 3.5 and 4 hours; a USB-C charging cable is provided but you’ll need a 5V/2A wall charger. The power light flashes red once the battery is running low and a steady red when charging. The unit turns off once the battery is fully charged.

Anker Soundcore 3 review: Verdict

The Anker Soundcore 3 really is a better all round performer than I expected — I was blown away by how well this low-cost Bluetooth speaker sounds.

The solid build, industry-beating battery life and better-than-average sound delivery are quite remarkable given the speaker’s size. SharePlay sounds like a handy feature for those wanting to sync multiple Soundcore speakers for an even bigger sound, and ultimately this kind of flexibility and performance gives the Soundcore 3 the edge over many Bluetooth options at the price.

As a former editor of the U.K.’s Hi-Fi Choice magazine, Lee is passionate about all kinds of audio tech and has been providing sound advice to enable consumers to make informed buying decisions since he joined Which? magazine as a product tester in the 1990s. Lee covers all things audio for Tom’s Guide, including headphones, wireless speakers and soundbars and loves to connect and share the mindfulness benefits that listening to music in the very best quality can bring.

Anker Soundcore Flare 2 Speaker Review

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker available at a budget-friendly price. It’s a small and lightweight device that lets you bring your favorite tunes with you on the go, and its IPX7 rating for water resistance adds some protection against the elements. The light rings around the top and bottom of the speaker are customizable, so you can set the mood wherever you go. In the Soundcore app, you can customize its sound to your liking using its graphic EQ and preset modes, including BassUp for added bass.

Our Verdict

The Anker Flare 2 is fair for music. Out of the box, it offers a balanced sound, especially in the mids, where voices and lead instruments are reproduced. As a result, it’s suitable for listening to lots of different genres. You can even use its graphic EQ and presets to customize its sound. That said, given its small size, this device can’t bring much rumble in the low-bass, and it doesn’t get as loud as other models on the market.

The Anker Flare 2 isn’t designed for use with videos and movies, but if you want to use it to watch content on a paired smartphone, it can get the job done. Dialogue is reproduced clearly, though there isn’t much bass to bring action-packed scenes to life. There’s also relatively high latency with iOS and Android devices, meaning you’re likely to notice lip-synching issues in videos.

The Anker Flare 2 is satisfactory for podcasts. Dialogue is reproduced clearly right out of the box, so you can easily follow along with your favorite shows. Given its portable design, you can bring it with you from room to room as you listen. You can stream podcasts right from your phone over Bluetooth, and while you can only pair it to one device at a time, its range is great, so it stays connected even if your phone is further away.

The Anker Flare 2 uses the voice assistant from your paired smartphone, but it doesn’t have any built-in support. Also, as part of our methodology, we use recorded voice prompts to test the speaker. However, this speaker didn’t respond to the commands, even when there wasn’t any ambient noise present. It responded to a normal speaking voice, but this isn’t part of our testing process.

The Anker Flare 2 is decent for outdoor use. This portable Bluetooth speaker has a sturdy design that’s capable of withstanding some light exposure to the elements. It’s rated IPX7 for water resistance, which is handy if you plan to use it near water. It’s lightweight and easy to bring with you to the park or your backyard. It doesn’t get as loud as some of the other speakers we’ve tested, so you’ll want to stay close by to enjoy your favorite tunes.

• 6.9 Music
• 6.0 Videos/Movies
• 7.3 Podcasts
• 4.4 Voice Assistant
• 7.2 Outdoors
• Updated Jan 17, 2023: Updated review text for accuracy and clarity. No changes in test results.
• Updated Aug 04, 2021: We updated the test results for ‘EQ’ to ‘Graphic Presets’, and for ‘Bluetooth Version’ to ‘5.0’.
• Updated Jan 25, 2021: Review published.
• Updated Jan 20, 2021: Early access published.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

The Anker Flare 2 comes in ‘Black’ and ‘Blue’ color variants. We tested the ‘Black’ model, and you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect the other color variants to perform similarly.

If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions, and we’ll update our review.

Compared To Other Speakers

The Anker Flare 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker with customizable colored lights. Like many small speakers, it struggles to reproduce low-bass, even with the BassUp feature turned on. It doesn’t get very loud. However, it has an amazing soundstage performance that can immerse you in your audio, and its companion app offers a graphic EQ and presets so you can customize its sound to your liking.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is slightly better than the JBL Flip 6. With its ‘Bass Up’ feature enabled, the Anker can produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more immersive-sounding soundstage. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn’t very good. However, the JBL is smaller and better-built, making it easier to bring outdoors with you. Its out-of-the-box sound profile is a bit better balanced, and it can get slightly louder than the Anker. You can also pair it to up to two devices at a time, which is handy when you need to quickly switch between audio sources.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Flip 5. The Anker has a better soundstage performance, and its graphic EQ and presets give you more ability to customize its sound. Also, the Anker supports voice assistants from your smartphone, though it doesn’t offer the most impressive performance.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore 3 overall. The Flare 2 is better-built and has amazing directivity, so your audio sounds clear from most angles. You can also connect it to another speaker to create a stereo pair. That said, the Soundcore 3 is slightly smaller and comes with a carrying strap, which makes it easy to take it with you when you’re on the move. It also has a slightly larger Bluetooth range so your paired device can stay connected even if it’s far away from the speaker.

You may prefer either the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the JBL Charge 5, depending on your listening habits. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box that can produce a slightly more extended low-bass than the Anker. It’s better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance and can also get a bit louder. That said, the Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and offers a wider-sounding soundstage, thanks to its 360-degree design.

The Anker Soundcore Motion is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Motion is better suited to outdoor use since its battery lasts longer and it can get louder than the Flare. While the Flare has a more open soundstage thanks to its 360-design, it has more latency with iOS and Android devices, although some apps compensate differently for this.

The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 3 is better than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 overall. The Ultimate Ears is better built and has a significantly longer battery life of over 22 hours from a single charge. It gets a touch louder with much less compression present at max volume. It’s also smaller and more portable. If you like having control over your speaker’s sound profile, the Flare 2 comes with a graphic EQ and presets to tweak its sound to your liking. Since it’s larger, it also produces a deeper bass. It even supports voice assistants through your smartphone.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom, though they have different strengths. The Flare 2 has significantly better directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, resulting in a more natural-sounding soundstage. It’s also smaller, making it more portable. That said, the Boom can get much louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.

The Anker Soundcore Motion X600 is better than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Motion X600 is a more premium speaker with better sound quality, and it offers some additional enhancement features, such as its Spatial Audio tool. It gets louder, too, so it’s more suitable for listening in larger spaces. It doesn’t have RGB lights like the Flare 2, though, and its soundstage isn’t quite as expansive since it lacks a 360-degree design.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore 2 overall. WIth its Default EQ and BassUp feature enabled, The Flare 2 has a somewhat better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than that of the Soundcore 2. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. It’s also more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. That said, the Soundcore 2 has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the JBL GO 3. The Anker has a more balanced sound profile, and its graphic EQ and presets offer more sound customization options. Its soundstage is better, its battery life is longer, and it supports voice assistants. However, the JBL is better built.

The Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 and the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 are similar speakers, though they have different strengths. The Ultimate Ears can get a bit louder with significantly less compression present at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner at louder volumes. It’s better-built, and has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage. That said, the Anker has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn’t great.

The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 is a better speaker for most uses than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Ultimate Ears is better-built with a longer battery life. Also, it gets louder, and it has less compression when played at max volume. However, the Anker supports voice assistants, and it also has a graphic EQ and presets for sound customization.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 4. The Anker has a somewhat better-balanced sound profile with its BassUp feature enabled and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. It has excellent directivity resulting in a wide and natural-sounding soundstage. You can customize its sound to your liking, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. That said, the JBL has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a slightly better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB23. With its default settings and BassUp feature enabled, the Anker has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has excellent directivity, resulting in a more open and natural-sounding soundstage. That said, the Sony is better-built, and can be paired to up to two devices at once, which can come in handy when you need to quickly switch between audio sources.

You may prefer either the Bose SoundLink Revolve II or the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, depending on your listening habits. The Anker is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured on its companion app. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. That said, the Bose can be paired to two devices at once, which can help you swap between audio sources quickly. It also does a better job at letting your paired voice assistant hear you from far and in noisy settings.

The Bose SoundLink Revolve is a better speaker for most uses than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Bose is better-built, and its battery life is longer. Also, it has a more neutral, balanced default sound profile. However, the Anker has a better soundstage, and its graphic EQ and presets offer more sound customization options.

Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the Sonos Roam. The Sonos is better built with a better voice assistant performance. However, the Anker has a better soundstage performance, longer battery life, and more sound customization options.

You may prefer either the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the Sony SRS-XB33 depending on your listening habits. The Anker offers a wider-sounding soundstage thanks to its 360-degree design and has a slightly better-balanced sound profile with its Default EQ and BassUp features enabled. That said, the Sony is better built and can be paired to up to two devices at once, which is handy when you need to quickly switch between audio sources. It also has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can vary depending on your usage.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the OontZ Angle 3. The Anker is better-built, and it supports voice assistants, unlike the OontZ. Its default sound profile is more neutral and its graphic EQ and presets offer more sound customization options. Also, it has a better soundstage. However, the OontZ gets louder, and it has less compression at max volume. Also, its battery life is longer.

The Bang Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Bang Olufsen has Alexa built-in and understands voice commands very easily, while the Anker struggles to understand you. The Bang Olufsen is better built, comes with a carrying strap, and is advertised as dustproof. However, the Anker’s battery lasts longer, and it can play stereo content without downmixing it into mono.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a slightly better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB43 overall. The Anker has excellent directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, so its soundstage is perceived as more open and natural-sounding. It also offers a better-balanced sound profile with its BassUp feature enabled, and can produce a more extended low-bass. That said, the Sony can get louder than the Anker. Also, it has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Theater Solutions B83GR, with a more balanced sound profile. The Anker has a graphic EQ and presets, which are handy if you want to customize its sound. It also supports voice assistants and has an amazing soundstage. However, the B83GR may be better suited for those who prefer a louder speaker with fewer compression artifacts at max volume.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Limitless Innovations TikiTunes. The Anker is better-built with a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box, and it also has a graphic EQ and presets to help you customize its sound. Unlike the TikiTunes, it can play stereo content without downmixing it, and it supports voice assistants from your paired smartphone. That said, the TikiTunes has longer battery life.

The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the iFox iF012 overall. The Anker offers a better-balanced sound profile with its BassUp feature turned on and has a graphic EQ and presets you can use to customize its sound profile to your liking. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. That said, the iFox has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. It also comes with a removable suction cup and carabiner hook, which some users may prefer.

Anker Soundcore Mini review: Super portable sound

Let’s face it, mini speakers aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be.

There are a handful of products out there that have delivered surprising value for their size, like the UE Wonderboom, or the Bose Soundlink Mini. However, most of the time, downgrading size also means compromising on everything from sound quality to performance.

That’s not the case for the Anker Soundcore Mini.

By all rights, this tiny speaker, retailing at less than 25, should be nothing more than a novelty sound system that you can take with you when you travel. It has no right being as brilliant as it is.

Though it’s one of the smallest speakers we’ve ever seen, the Anker Soundcore mini blew us away with its functionality, connectivity, and volume.

Interested? Check out our full Anker Soundcore Mini review below.

Anker Soundcore Mini review: Design and size

At its heart, the Anker Soundcore Mini is the definition of a pleasant surprise. Despite a ridiculously low price tag, it comes with access to both Bluetooth connectivity and aux input, as well as the option to play your music via MicroSD.

There’s a microphone embedded for hands-free calling, and a built-in FM radio, just to catch you off guard.

In terms of design, the device looks a bit like a crushed can, just smoother. The squat shape barely takes up the full palm of your hand, and you’ll easily lose it in your backpack.

Just like many Anker products, the metal outer reminds you that you haven’t just bought another piece of plastic junk.

The downside is that the painted aluminium is likely to scratch easily, but if that really bothers you, all you need to do is take better care of it.

The look and feel of this product goes far beyond anything that you would expect for around 20.

The sound comes out of the top, so you can put the Anker Soundcore Mini wherever you like, and access great volume. There’s even rubber feet on the bottom to keep it stable.

Don’t like the black version? No problem, Anker also offers the Soundcore Mini in gold, pink, or silver too.

Anker Soundcore Mini Specs:

• Size: 6.9 x 6.9 x 6.9
• Weight: 200g
• Bluetooth, aux-in and SD cart
• 5W audio driver
• 15 hours of battery life
• 66ft transmission range
• FM radio
• In-built microphone

Anker Soundcore Mini review: Features

For a price that just edges over 20, we wouldn’t expect the Anker Soundcore Mini to do much. Essentially, we expected a device that sounded okay, and made it easy to take music with us to the park.

However, this little device comes with a bunch of extra features too.

The ultra-portable Anker Soundcore Mini comes with an extensive playtime of up to 15 hours on a full charge – which is more than enough for any party session.

You can play your own music via Bluetooth, aux cable, or an SD card, and there’s a microphone, so you can take hands-free calls too.

There’s a powerful 5W driver to give you some extra volume output, and a 66 ft Bluetooth range. On top of all that, you also get an FM radio built-in.

One downside is that the Bluetooth chip isn’t as great as it could be (we’ll come back to that in a second). Additionally, we were a little disappointed that the Anker Soundcore Mini doesn’t come with the same waterproofing as products like the Soundcore Motion.

For around 20-25 (depending on the season), features include:

• 5 Watt sound output
• 15 hours of battery life
• Micro SD support
• Microphone built-in
• Bluetooth 4.0
• Aux connection
• FM radio
• Simple and portable design
• Quick charging
• 18-month warranty
• 66ft range

Anker Soundcore Mini review: Connectivity

The Bluetooth connectivity in the Anker SoundCore mini isn’t the best. It’s the thing that let us down most when we were conducting this review.

Finding a connection and keeping it is notoriously difficult, to the point where we gave up and used the aux input a few times.

Another thing to note is that the Anker comes with FM radio built-in. This is a nice extra connectivity touch. You plug the MicroUSB cable into the device so it can act as an antenna, then you press the play button until you start scanning for stations.

The only problem? There’s no screen on this thing, so you have absolutely no idea which station you’re listening to. Finding the right channel if you want to listen to Radio 4 or BBC1 isn’t easy.

Still, for an extra feature that seems to be thrown in for good measure, the FM radio option is a nice extra touch. We just wish that Anker had thought the feature through a little more.

On the plus side, you do get the option to play music from an SD card too – which is something you don’t find with many Bluetooth speakers of a similar price.

Anker Soundcore Mini review: Performance

Even the extra features like FM radio and SD card functionality wouldn’t save the Anker Soundcore Mini if it sounded just as tinny as terrible as most mini speakers. However, that doesn’t seem to be a problem.

Anker has gone above and beyond to deliver excellence in a small package with the Mini.

The active driver and passive radiator included in this product help to amplify the bass of the main driver, avoid the scratchy sound of older speakers, and deliver some serious volume.

This is probably one of the smallest speakers that we’ve ever seen that still manages to be a joy to listen to.

You don’t get the same Soundcore App that you might access with more expensive Anker models – but that’s to be expected. The downside is that you can’t adjust the EQ because of this.

On the plus side, you do get a surprising level of depth and volume as standard with the Anker Soundcore Mini. The excellent bass and treble is a pleasant surprise in a sea of low-cost speakers that don’t deliver much.

Ultimately, the Anker Soundcore Mini is a great surprise.

The quality of the audio, the functionality of the speaker, and even its durability are all impressive when you consider the price that you’re going to pay.

Sure, you don’t get the amazing Bluetooth connection of the Motion or the waterproofing that you get with other Soundcore products, but for around £20, we really can’t grumble.

If you want an ultra-portable, ultra-cheap speaker that delights at every turn, this is the product for you.

Look no further than the Soundcore Flare 2 for an affordable Bluetooth speaker

We’re big fans of Anker for its powerful batteries and accessories, but it also has a foothold in the portable speaker space. The Soundcore Flare 2 (79.99 on Amazon.com) is a portable Bluetooth speaker with a customizable sound experience and music-driven lights.

If you’re one of those “TLDR” people, here’s the bottom line: The Flare 2 provides quality sound from every angle with its 360-degree design. Plus, you can sync the Flare 2 with more than 100 other speakers — but for this review, we’re sticking to two for a stereo pair. And, thanks to its waterproofing, rain, spills and even shallow submersion into water will not stop the Flare 2.

Pleasing design

Bluetooth speakers come in many shapes and sizes. In the case of the Soundcore Flare 2, Anker went with a cylindrical design, featuring vibrant LED rings on the top and bottom. The speaker’s body is wider at the bottom and tapers toward the middle. It’s wrapped in a dark fabric that’s both visually and physically pleasing.

The top and bottom of the device are embedded with hard rubber rings that light up when you turn on the speaker. These produce rainbow light by default, but a number of options are available in the app (for Android and iOS). These lights change color and flash based on the beat. On the top surface of the Flare 2 are the on-device controls. These buttons — which are thin outlines that don’t protrude much from the surface and don’t differ in color from the surface’s color — are very difficult to see in low light.

controls and the USB-C charging port are embedded in the fabric on the lower front side. This port is protected by a thick rubber flap to keep it watertight. Above that is the Bass Boost button, which looks like a chevron. Bass Boost is on by default and has the effect that the name implies (it boosts the bass). Just above this is the Bluetooth button, which comes into play when you pair your phone or any Bluetooth-capable device with the Flare 2 or with other Flare 2s.

Pairing up

After turning on the Flare 2, hold down the Bluetooth button for three seconds to enter pairing mode. It should then blink white and play a series of tones. Once this starts, it should show up as a pairable device in your Bluetooth settings. Upon successful pairing, a different, shorter series of tones will play.

Pairing the Flare 2 with another Flare 2 is equally simple. With however many you plan to sync, hold each of their Bluetooth buttons in any order. You don’t have to hold them all at once — pairing mode lasts long enough that you can hold them one after another. We found that if our phone was paired with both speakers, syncing didn’t work. In other words, make sure your device is only paired with the initial Flare 2.

We recommend trying the app for a more customized experience.

The Soundcore app

The Soundcore app allows you to control the Flare 2, mix up the sound experience and adjust the lights to your liking. It’s available for iOS and Android as a free app, but you will need to have an active Soundcore account to use it. Luckily, you can set one up for free.

Once in, you’ll have to connect to the speaker and might even have to download a software update for it. VoIP appears to interfere with this connection process, though, so make sure you hang up FaceTime first. But don’t worry, if you’ve already connected before the call began, then you’re in the clear.

The app has three tabs: equalizer, light effect and a home screen. From the home screen, you can control the Flare 2’s volume and power it off. The button on the top left takes you back to where you can see your connected devices or connect a new device. The one on the top right brings up advanced options, such as how long the speaker should wait before going to sleep.

Swiping to the right or selecting the bottom left button will reveal a list of equalizer presets as well as a switch to toggle Bass Boost. From the get-go, default is selected, but there are also voice, chill and flat, which you can use for different sound situations. Those of you who are sound-savvy can play around with these settings in the custom option.

Swiping left on the home screen or tapping the button on the bottom right shows you the Light Effect page. From here, you can toggle the light rings on your Flare 2, or select from several options. The default is a beat-driven rainbow, but you can select options like circle beam, which makes a color of your choice rotate around the rings. Plus, there’s an option for party games called “Who’s Next?” When you select this and press Start, it’ll point around the speaker randomly until it stops at one spot, kind of like spin the bottle.

Booming sound

When we started playing music on the Flare 2, we enjoyed what we heard. The music wasn’t as crisp as it could have been, but the quality was high nonetheless.

We found that, compared to the Wonderboom 2 for example, the Flare 2 fell just short. During songs like “Pedestrian at Best” by Courtney Barnett, some of the subtler notes were lost under the guitar, and the voice quality wasn’t ideal. Switching the equalizer to the voice preset helped compensate by bringing out the vocals in higher quality. The Chill setting was nice for calmer numbers, like Dave Brubeck’s “Strange Meadowlark.” Volume extremities felt evened out, but weren’t totally flattened like you’d experience from the flat preset. As a result, the speakers could put out music with a calmer vibe rather than one befitting a dance party.

We were most impressed with the bass. Drums and deeper beats came out clearly and strongly, enough to hear from two stories away. To make another comparison to the Wonderboom 2, the Flare 2 beats it in this category. This thing isn’t going to shake your house, but the bass resonates well for a speaker of its size.

You won’t complain about the volume either, but your neighbors might. The Flare 2 puts out competitive volume for a Bluetooth speaker, instantly filling the room with the beat. And that 360-degree sound distributes the music well both indoors and out.

We also enjoyed pairing up the speaker with a second Flare 2. Listening with more than one source is a whole different auditory experience. And though the sound occasionally hitched during pairing, this only lasted a few seconds and never happened after the process was complete.

Once you’ve jammed to multiple speakers, you won’t want to go back to one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that they play in stereo; the speakers just produce the music from more than one source.

It’s enjoyable to watch the lights on the Flare 2. In their default mode, they flash off in response to louder beats during music. They don’t tend to sync with the beat, but the light show is still a lot of fun.

It would be nice to have a setting that keeps the rainbow solid even during music, but that’s a minor complaint. Setting the lights to other presets and customizing them is also fun. Bouncing Beats is, for example, more dynamic, sending the lights back and forth around the ring instead of flashing.

Pretty portable

The Flare 2 is small enough to toss in a backpack, and the charging cord is easy to take along, too. And while it isn’t the lightest accessory, it won’t weigh you down. This weight, combined with the stable shape, makes it easy to position in a room and will keep it upright during a party. The light rings make it impossible to miss, but can be turned off if they don’t fit the atmosphere you’re going for.

As for outdoor occasions, the Flare 2 is a great bet. Not only can you pair several for wider coverage, but the impressive volume and bass help out. The Flare 2 is waterproof, even capable of being submerged in shallow water and coming out fine, so don’t fret spills or rain.

When it comes to battery life, our testing showed that the Flare 2 maxes out at the expected 12 hours without Bass Boost on. With Bass Boost, it reaches around seven hours. Though these aren’t the greatest figures, even seven hours should get you through a party or two.

Bottom line

Anker’s Soundcore Flare 2 checks all the boxes we look for in a Bluetooth speaker. It sounds good, has great volume and bass, and has decent battery life. And while these aren’t the best, we still had a great time with this speaker, especially when paired with another Flare 2. The biggest drawback is the lack of stereo when they’re paired. Overall, though, you’re getting a good value.

Note: The price above reflects the retailer’s listed price at the time of publication.

Note: The above reflect the retailers’ listed price at the time of publication.

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