Anker Soundcore Upgraded Bluetooth Speaker with IPX5 Waterproof, Stereo Sound, 24H Playtime, Portable Wireless Speaker for iPhone, Samsung and More (Black)

James SchoepfUnited States

There is nothing better than sitting on the beach with a cold beer ...

Since this is the first real review I’m doing I’m not really sure where to start. I’ve been wanting a Bluetooth speaker for a while now. With a trip to the beach coming up I decided it was time to pull the trigger. There is nothing better than sitting on the beach with a cold beer and listening to good music. I am the type of person who likes good sound quality and that is going to be the number one thing I look for before I consider aesthetics or brand. There is an exception here – budget. When I first came across the Anker SoundCore on Amazon I was skeptical mostly because of the $35 price point. The next speaker I consider was the JBL Clip 2. The JBL did satisfy a requirement I had which was to be waterproof. However I decided that sacrificing this to save a little cash. Another deciding factor was the reviews that I read on Amazon. While one reviewer (krwhome) did a comparison of the JBL Flip 3 speaker to the Anker. Their initial observation was higher sound quality with the JBL (as I would expect). However after further testing they edited the review to state that the Bluetooth range on the SoundCore was superior. This is a bonus for me so I went with the Anker. Full disclosure – I have not been able to test this claim so I’m taking their word for it. I have been using it for several days without a recharge simply cutting it off when not in used. Very impressed with the battery life so far. Initial Thoughts: The packaging is very nice. Everything has its place and no space is wasted. There is just enough room for the speaker and charging cable with a small manual (who needs those things anyway?). The design of the speaker is very satisfying. I like how simple and sleek it is. The logo on the front is a really cool touch to me. It literally takes up a large portion of the front but still manages to not be overstated or obnoxious. If anything it really adds something to the look in my opinion. Some things I did not notice when shopping for the speaker are that it has a 3.5mm aux plug on the side as well as a microphone. For me this is a nice surprise since I wasn’t expecting it. I never really thought of using it for making calls or using the Google Assistant but that definitely makes it even more useful! The buttons on the top are responsive. I do like that they are the same color so it doesn’t take away from the sleek look but my initial impression was that this may make them harder to distinguish after a few beers. After handling the speaker it has a very dense sturdy feel. Overall my initial impression of the Anker SoundCore is very positive. Testing & Use: Right out of the box pairing with my Samsung S8 was very quick and simple. Right when it powered on the blue LED on the front was flashing. Almost immediately it showed up on the phone and paired right up. The LED is solid once paired. First thing I did was fired up Amazon Unlimited Music and listened to the new Imagine Dragons album in an effort to test the range and see how good the lows are. The highs sound great and overall sound quality is very good. The lows do leave a little to be desired in my opinion. Though I wouldn’t really hold it against the speaker due to its size and price point. The lows are At the time of this review I see a new model (Anker SoundCore 2) has been released and it advertises better base and 66ft Bluetooth range. The price is only a little higher at $45.99 it would be worth a try but I’m still very happy with the original SoundCore. The call quality was decent on both calls I made in testing. I don’t really have a baseline here but compared to the speakerphone on my S8 it is similar. Callers reported a little better microphone quality from the S8 as I would expect. However they had no complaints when talking through the SoundCore. Testing outdoors on the patio by the pool as well as on the beach was very impressive. The volume is plenty for several people to enjoy and adjusting is easy thanks to the large pronounced buttons on the top. One thing to keep in mind is the fact that it is not waterproof or water resistant. So if you’re taking this to the pool or beach as I am keep it safe! The battery life thus far has been fantastic. I’ve listened for several hours at a time and not had it go dead on me. They advertise 24 hour battery life. I have not put this to the test but have no reason to doubt it is obtainable at a reasonable volume. I don’t have a lot of negatives for the SoundCore. If the volume is up to maximum and you press the volume up button it has a very loud beep to let you know you’re as high as you can go. It is in my opinion an obnoxious beep but I understand it’s purpose and don’t see a point in docking points for that. The very first time I connected to the SoundCore I was testing the and went a couple rooms over to see how well it would pick up. Once I got 25 or 30 feet away it began to break up some but bear in mind this was through several walls as well. The thing that initially concerned me was that it did not reconnect once I came back into range. Instead the blue LED was back to flashing but when I selected the devices in my S8 Bluetooth menu it never would connect. Since then I have re-paired with the device and gotten out of range several times and it reconnected just like it should. I’ve tried several scenarios and been unable to reproduce the problem at all. To sum it all up I’m sitting here listening to some music with my lady writing this review and I am very happy with my purchase. If you’re budget-conscious and want a quality Bluetooth speaker you can’t go wrong with the Anker SoundCore.

Sasha BelleUnited States

Best speaker to listen to David Hasselhoff - hands down!!!!

You want a review? Here's a review! Talk about a damn good speaker for the price. You can't beat this value. I actually hear bass! I've had my speaker for a wee lil bit over 2 years now. So trust this is a proper review. If a reviewer got it, and it was broken immediately or shortly thereafter, yes, that says something about overall quality, but unfortunately, no matter the product lemons occur. Those reviews are totally helpful, but you have to weigh them against other reviews that may be more positive. And no, I'm not being paid for this review. I just feel that the more information provided on a product the best for all - consumers, manufacturers, and sellers. That being said...let's get down to the nitty gritty. Price - done and done, son. You can beat this price. Even without looking at quality, <$30 for a portable speaker is damn proper. Usually, at this price, I'm thinking, "How much treble am I gonna have?" Yes "treble" bc for most low end speakers that's all you get - treble, and then, bass that is the equivalent to a soft unsatisfied grunt. Charge - The charge does last a long time. However, I can now tell that the time between charges is shorter now. And in the past 2 months I've noticed that I can have it charging, not in use for a long time, but the blue light that indicates that the speaker is fully charged never goes on. This did bother me when it first started happening, but I now see that I still have a lot of play/usage time despite not having the blue light fully charged special.. Definitely 12+ hrs. I cannot say exactly how much use time I get. I don't keep the speaker in use for more than 5ish+ hrs most days. But I do notice the frequency of charge. And now, after 2 years and many, many, many days leaving the speaker on, not plugged in, not in use (for days), I will have to charge it once during the weekend. That's the time I use it the most and when it might be in use for 8+ hrs. Personally, it's not a bother since I can charge and use the speaker at the same time. However, if you're going on a weekend camping trip, especially if you've had the speaker for a while, definitely take a power source or an additional speaker. I'm planning on getting another for that same reason - one for home and one for travel. Sound Quality - As I mentioned earlier, for a portable speaker, the bass is quite decent, as is the volume. I've had house parties using only this speaker and it was perfect. Now, I do only have a 2/1 apt, but on the balcony and even on the yard (if strategically placed) all guests were able to hear the music. Yet, it's not too loud to cause a disturbance. We've been hanging out till 6-7am, with the speaker on the balcony, without any complaints. Volume: Distubance = on point! Set-up/Use - The set up is über simple. And you can easily disconnect and pair the speaker to another device. As more an more devices become simpler to pair, this is not as an important feature, but still one to note. KIS - keep it simple. Not so short summary that is longer than the review - Hands down this is the best speaker for your money and better than many other higher priced speakers out there. I almost bought a Beats Pill, but decided against it after comparing price and reviews to Anker's portable speaker. And I decided, quite definitively, yes, Anker's portable speaker is worth it. For a fraction of the price for Beats I encourage you to try it out. Especially make the leap if you are looking for a travel speaker. Because when you travel, things never go as planned and inevitably something goes to crap like - your trip itinerary, your luggage, shady hostels inspired by or the inspiration of an Eli Roth flick, lost chonies (look it up bc the "p" word is gross, girls wear those, and I'm a grown woman and I wear chonies/chones), lost passports, lost virginities (the plural includes one virginity for multiple individuals or multiple virginities per one individual - like if you grew a second hymen or are a born again virgin), lost souls (it happens), or even the loss of dignity. But through all of that, what really blows is the loss of a hundreds of dollars speaker that you purchased mainly for your travel. If you get the Anker Soundcore, will you be protected from the aforementioned b.s.? Not in the slightest. But will you loathe yourself less when your bad ass portable speaker with 24hr charge is lost? Yes bc you didn't spend a few Benjamins on it.So now you can get a replacement. Or better yet, go ahead and buy 2 now and save yourself the hassle (but indulge in the Hasselhoff). Moral of the story. Stop reading reviews right meow and get this speaker. It's good, it's a fraction of the cost of comparable speakers, the charge lasts forever (if your forever was 24 hrs or less), you can charge it and still use it, and does this look like a face that would lie to you? Exactly! Also you can use the speaker, connected to your Alexa decide to play music by the Hoff, without a hassle (you see why I did there). Epilogue: On a side note, I'm currently debating getting this model (which I've had for two years, just reminding you in case you forgot or were distracted by to sweet tunage of the Hoff playing in your mind since you ahvent bought this speaker yet -Shame, shame, SHAME!), or the updated version. I've been pretty darn pleased with the older model. So that should also tell you something - the older model is so dope that I don't even know if I need the newer version.

AtticusUnited States

One of the best I've had.

The other two people that I live with both work on Fridays, so I use that time to deep clean, do my laundry, do meal prep for the week, do light work on my laptop, etc and I love listening to my music while moving around my house doing these. My phone speaker is kind of trash and my computer speaker, somehow, is even worse than my phone, so I decided to buy a speaker. Buy this speaker. If you're considering buying it, don't worry about anything else and buy this speaker. Pros: 1) Very fast when it comes to connecting. Even when connecting it for the first time, it's very quick to sync with my phone and laptop and is able to switch the audio with minimal delay. In addition, it's fast to boot up and shut down. 2) The sound. Excellent. Usually with most speakers that cost less than 50 dollars would give you that gross disjointed, rattling sound when you turn them on full blast, but this speaker doesn't. It's quite loud as well; I'm able to hear it from all the way across my house and even a little bit outside when on full blast (though my walls are kind of thin and I don't blast my music enough for a public disturbance.) As expected, it sounds best on a low-mid volume, but it doesn't make much of any difference to the audio quality when it's on full volume. I could listen to Video Game OST's and Rock music all day on this thing. 3) Overall design. The size is good for its power, not too big, not too small. The design is simple and minimalistic, and I like that the buttons are textured. The rectangular shape isn't my cup of tea, but I usually put it on my desk or on my kitchen counter and go on with about my day so it's something you can get over quickly. It's light and easy to move around as well. I've dropped it a few times on accident on hard tile floors, and it hasn't broken or damaged anything either. 4) Battery life. I've only used it for maybe 2-4 hours every now and then since I bought it and I haven't had to charge it yet. It came to me fully charged and it's really nice that I don't have to charge it every two hours like other speakers. Cons: 1) Bass. The bass itself is great, though I mean more like, wall-rattling, bring-this-to-a-friends-house bass. This isn't that kind of speaker. Now, it would be nice for a little private outing with some buds at a picnic or watching a movie outside and such, but don't bring this to a house party and expect a mosh pit, ya know? It's loud, but not like that. Personally, I don't mind the bass so this is for other people to consider. 2) No fast-forwards/rewind option. Speaker has a power button, volume up and down button, play/pause button, and a bluetooth button but that's kind of it. A little inconvenient when I'm a bit away from my phone and want to change/rewind the song. Would really like if you could press the play button twice or three times to fast-forward at the least, but that's all. TLDR; This is a great speaker for a decent price. If you're cheap and have second thoughts about the price, this speaker is very much worth it. Great sound that is able to get loud without messing with the audio quality, excellent battery life, and fast when syncing. Not the best speaker for a house party if that's your kind of thing. Overall, 9.5/10.

Eric SimardCanada

Critique sur les enceintes Anker SoundCore et Anker SoundCore Sport IPX7 (RÉDIGÉ EN FRANÇAIS POUR LES CONSOMMATEURS CANADIEN).

Critique sur les enceintes Anker SoundCore et Anker SoundCore Sport IPX7 (RÉDIGÉ EN FRANÇAIS POUR LES CONSOMMATEURS CANADIEN). Bonjour, il y a peu de commentaires rédigés en Français sur les enceintes acoustiques Anker SoundCore et le Anker SoundCore Sport IPX7. Alors, étant informaticien de profession et après avoir utilisé de nombreux appareils Bluetooth sur le marché, je vous fais part de mon évaluation qui sera sans doute orienter plusieurs d’entre-vous : Actuellement, la référence de ce genre d’appareil est le manufacturier Bose (SoudLink et SoudLink Mini II). Tout consommateur qui procède à une évaluation poussée devrait donc utiliser ce point de référence. Voici donc mes critères d’évaluation sur les enceintes Anker SoundCore et le Anker SoundCore Sport IPX7 (sur une cote de 1 à 10) : 1- Aspect de la présentation : l’emballage des Soundcore est originale, présente bien le produit et se démarque par le fait qu’elle est classique et affiche très bien la marque du produit. De plus, le déballage s’effectue à merveille et la boite reste intact (sans bris) puisque le risque de déchirement à l’ouverture est minime. Note : 10/10. 2- Les matériaux utilisés : le caoutchouc est fin au touché en plus de protéger les enceintes acoustiques contre les éraflures et les chocs. De plus, ce type de matériel transporte très bien le son. 3- Rendu du son (aigu et grave). Les 2 appareils ont une qualité de son exceptionnel à savoir que la distorsion est minimalisé, et ce, même à un niveau de volume élevé et maximal. Note : 10/10. 4- Capacité du volume : Encore sur ce point, les 2 appareils sont impressionnantes car pour leur densité (grosseur), elles sont en mesure de produire des sons très élevés et précis, et ce, même dans des environnements extérieurs (par exemple : piscine, plage et parc). Note : 10/10. 5- Autonomie : Avec une autonomie atteignant les 24 heures et des poussières Anker est le leader incontestable de ce domaine. Note : 10/10. 6- Performance du main-libre pour le téléphone : Je n’ai eu aucun problème à utiliser la fonction et peu importe l’emplacement. Pour ceux qui critiquent ce point, vérifier la capacité de connexion de votre téléphone, tablette ou autre. Note : 10/10 7- Performance du Bluetooth : La connexion est très rapide, efficace et stable. Vous pouvez utiliser les appareils dans un large rayon sans risque pour la qualité sonore. 50 pieds sans problème. Note : 10/10 Conclusion : Je vous conseille fortement d’oublier le manufacturier Bose et autres concurrents de Anker puisque les enceintes acoustiques Anker sont d’une qualité exceptionnelle et dépassent toutes les attentes que l’on peut espérer pour ce type de produit. Un son riche et fidèle digne de mention ‘haut de gamme’. N’hésitez-pas à acheter les enceintes Anker puisqu’elles offrent une grande autonomie et la technologie est d’un haut niveau de raffinement que je qualifie de ‘leader’ planétaire.