Pros
- Excellent value
- Fairly compact yet delivers impressive sound
- Waterproof and floats
- USB-out port
- LED lighting
- Good battery life
Cons
- No dust-resistance rating
Anker has many Bluetooth speakers in its Soundcore line, and most of them are good values. But the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 stands out a little more from the rest for being a relatively compact mini boom box speaker that delivers impressive sound for its size at a moderate price ($130 with a $30-off coupon at Amazon right now). That's why it's earned a CNET Editors' Choice award for 2024.
Read more: Best Bluetooth Speakers for 2024
I liked the original Soundcore Motion Boom, which made our list of the best Bluetooth speakers and was one of the better mini boom box Bluetooth speaker values over the last few years, selling for around $80. The 3.75-pound Boom 2 is priced a little higher but sounds substantially better, with more than double the power rating of the original, so it not only plays louder but kicks out more bass and offers better clarity at higher volumes (it's equipped with two tweeters and one subwoofer). It also has a couple of built-in LED lights to help create that party vibe.
The Soundcore Boom 2 comes in a black, green and blue.
The speaker's design isn't terribly sleek or eye-catching -- you can chose between a few color options -- but it's attractive enough and seems pretty durable, though it doesn't have a dust-resistance rating. The Boom 2 is fully waterproof (IPX7-rated) and floats should it fall into a body of water. Additionally, there's a USB-out port to charge your devices.
Battery life is also good. The speaker's rated for up to 24 hours of playback at moderate volume levels (it charges via USB-C, which is good) and you can tweak the sound and customize the lighting with the Soundcore app for iOS and Android. Battery life does dip if you engage the bass boost or activate the LED lighting.
Here it is in blue.
From a sound standpoint, there's not too much that competes with the Boom 2 for the price. There are smaller, slightly more expensive speakers like the Bose SoundLink Flex that sound very good for their size. But the Boom 2 puts out bigger sound with more bass. Compared to the much more expensive Bose SoundLink Max, the Bose offers better tonal balance and sounds a little more natural -- it's clearly the better designed and sounding speaker but costs well over three times as much.
I do think it competes just fine with likable speakers like the JBL Charge 5, which is arguably more durable but also costs significantly more at $180. I also like Ultimate Ears' Everboom speaker, but it costs $250. The long and short of it is you can find more premium Bluetooth speakers that have somewhat better designs and a little better sound, but the Boom 2 delivers top bang for your buck.
The back of the Boom 2. A gasket covers the USB-C charging port and USB-out port.
If you're looking for even more powerful sound, Anker makes the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus. A bigger speaker, it puts out more sound with similar features to the Boom 2. However, it costs around $220, and I don't think it sounds twice as good as the Boom 2 (more like 25 to 30% better). Still, it's also a good value.
