Pros & Cons
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- Powerful bass response
- Cool LED lighting effects with vibrating radiators
- Clear speakerphone quality
- Customizable in-app EQ
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- Plastic exterior looks a little cheap
- No onboard light controls
Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Specs
| Bluetooth | |
| Built-In Voice Assistant | None |
| Channels | Stereo |
| Physical Connections | USB |
| Physical Connections | USB-C |
| Portable | |
| Speakerphone | |
| Water-Resistant |
The $129.99 Anker Soundcore Boom 2 carries over many of the features that made the $99.99 Motion Boom a success. It has a similar floating, waterproof build and a big bass sound, to which it adds louder maximum volume and fun LED lighting. It's a fantastic option for nighttime pool parties, though we would have liked a higher-quality build. The $129.95 JBL Flip 6 is even more portable and durable, but the Boom 2 is a better option if you want a Bluetooth speaker with louder sound and a light show. If you're willing to spend more, you should also consider the Sony SRS-XG300 ($349.99, though commonly available for around $200), an Editors' Choice winner that matches the Flip 6 in durability, offers enjoyable lighting effects, and produces even deeper lows than the Boom 2.
Design: Pool-Ready and Easy to Carry
Available in Adventure Green, Explorer Blue, or Phantom Black (the version I tested), the Soundcore Boom 2 measures roughly 7.3 by 11.7 by 4.0 inches (HWD) and weighs 3.7 pounds. It features two striped LED panels on either end that double as passive bass radiators. A built-in handle stretches across the top for easy portability. The main enclosure has a plastic exterior that looks and feels slightly underwhelming. Many competing outdoor speakers, including the Flip 6, have a more refined matte silicon material instead. For reference, the Flip 6 is also considerably smaller and lighter (7.0 by 2.6 by 2.8 inches, 1.2 pounds). The Sony SRS-XG300, meanwhile, is twice the size and weight at 12.5 by 5.4 by 5.4 inches and 6.6 pounds.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)A perforated plastic grille on the front protects the 2.1 speaker system. Two 15-watt (W) tweeters and a central 50W woofer deliver a combined output of 80W. Although the latter component is not large or capable enough to be a true subwoofer, this is still an impressive setup for a portable speaker. Just note that if you disable the Bass Up mode, the total output drops to 60W. In either case, the passive radiators on the ends vibrate enthusiastically to match tracks with deep bass. The three drivers cover a frequency range of 45Hz to 20kHz. In terms of connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.3 and just the default SBC codec.
The control panel houses an array of physical buttons, including power, Bluetooth, minus (volume down), play/pause, plus (volume up), TWS (to connect another Boom 2 speaker to form a stereo pair or up to 100 other Soundcore PartyCast-enabled speakers), and Bass Up. The play/pause button also answers or ends calls, navigates tracks (press twice for forward, three times for backward), and summons your device's voice assistant (press and hold). The controls are intuitive and responsive, though I wish there was a button to toggle or otherwise control the LED lights.
On the back, a snap-shut cover protects a USB-C port for the included USB-C-to-USB-C charging cable and a USB-A port for charging other devices. Feet on the bottom help with grip and prevent deep vibrations from moving the speaker around on hard surfaces.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)An IPX7 rating means you can submerge the speaker at depths of up to a meter for 30 minutes (as long as the rear hatch is sealed). Bluetooth won't work underwater, but the advantage of this rating is that heavy rain, poolside splashes, and rinses in the sink don't pose a risk. As mentioned, the Soundcore Boom 2 even floats, so it's more than safe for use around a pool. The IP67-rated JBL Flip 6 is also dustproof for comparison, making it more suitable for camping and trips to the beach.
Anker estimates that the Soundcore Boom 2 can last roughly 24 hours per charge, assuming you stick to volume levels of 50%, disable the Bass Up feature, and turn off the lights. Using those extras will drain the battery much faster. It takes roughly 5.5 hours to charge the speaker from empty. You can expect up to 12 hours of power from the Flip 6, so the Boom 2 has the advantage here.
App Experience
The Soundcore app is available for Android and iOS. It shows a battery life readout for the speaker at the top of its main page, along with a volume slider and a playback button further down. You can also toggle the Bass Up feature from this main page.
(Credit: Anker)Scroll down to reach the Equalizer tile, which lets you select between multiple presets, such as Balanced, Soundcore Signature (the default), Treble Boost, and Voice. Here, you can also create a custom EQ curve with 9 bands ranging from 80Hz to 13kHz.
Tap the Light section at the bottom to customize the LEDs. You should be able to switch between various modes such as Color Flow, Flame Energy, Flash (the default), Fireworks, Lightning, and Wave, as well as choose an accompanying color, though I had trouble doing so in testing. Mostly, the speaker just flashed in a wave-like rhythm and radiated a pale blue/white hue.
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Finally, in the Settings menu, you can toggle speaker prompts, change the button brightness, adjust the auto-power-off parameters, and access the user manual. This is also where you can perform firmware updates.
Bright Lights, Plentiful Bass
I wasn't able to test all the lighting features due to the prerelease version of the app I had during my evaluation period, but I can attest that the LEDs sync to the beat and that the vibrating passive bass radiators create a cool blurring effect.
To evaluate audio quality, I set the speaker to the default Soundcore signature EQ mode and turned on Bass Up mode. Disabling the latter can save you some battery life as mentioned, though the speaker certainly sounds worse with it off. Overall, the sound signature is vibrant, if heavily sculpted.
On tracks with intense deep bass content, like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” the speaker delivers a serious sense of thump for its size. The drivers manage to avoid distortion and sound full at top volumes, while the side panel radiators vibrate almost like cartoonish heartbeats.
(Credit: Tim Gideon)Despite Anker's claims of an internal subwoofer, I don't expect a speaker in this price range to reproduce the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.” The woofer dials up some serious depth, but the sub-bass content is far too deep for it to replicate. You might be able to hear a hint of it if you dial back the volume dramatically, though you ultimately need to spend much more on a better speaker to hear these notes fully. Otherwise, the drum loop gets some extra depth and the various vocals come across with plenty of higher-frequency clarity.
The drums on Bill Callahan’s “Drover,” a track with far less deep bass, sound overly thunderous, but they never quite overtake the balance of the mix. The acoustic strums and percussive hits are bright, while Callahan’s baritone vocals get enough low-mid richness and high-mid detail to keep the lows in check.
On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene from John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the speaker occasionally brings the lower-register instrumentation too far forward in the mix, though this allows for some patches of additional, unexpected depth. Regardless, the higher-register brass, strings, and vocals retain the spotlight.
The speakerphone mic offers excellent intelligibility. I had no trouble understanding every word from a test recording on my iPhone thanks to the robust signal. Some portable speakers leave this feature off, so I'm glad to have it here.
A Modern Boombox Worth Its Price
The Anker Soundcore Boom 2 packs a serious bass punch for its size and price, and we like its adjustable sound signature and LED lighting effects. If you're in the market for a light-up speaker that you can safely take out on your boat or use by your pool, the Boom 2 offers a good blend of power and personality. If you want something durable enough to take to the beach, the less powerful JBL Flip 6 is a better choice. And if you're able to spend more, the Sony SRS-XG300 offers the best blend of durability and power, earning it our Editors' Choice award.