Bose Soundlink Mini 2 Als Soundbar

TechRadar Verdict

Pros

+
Excellent audio quality
+
Beautiful pattern
+
Compact
+
7 hours of battery life

Cons

-
Relatively expensive
-
Proprietary charger (non-MicroUSB)
-
Doesn't double every bit a speakerphone

Following on the success of last year's SoundLink Bluetooth Mobile Speaker 2, Bose did the next logical thing. Go modest. Coming in at a svelte 1.v pounds, the SoundLink Mini, while diminutive, manages to chugalug out some of the best sounding audio nosotros've ever heard from a device this size.

From a pattern perspective in that location'due south not much we didn't like most the SoundLink Mini. Made entirely of brushed aluminum the diminutive speaker manages to straddle the fence between retro and mod.

While other manufacturers are opting for crazy colors the SoundLink Mini would look cool in pretty much any surround. Additionally, being made almost entirely of aluminum the SoundLink Mini feels relatively heavy. While "heavy" is usually something nosotros eschew in a portable device, in the instance of the SoundLink Mini information technology makes the speaker experience nice and solid.

Nosotros easily paired the SoundLink Mini to several devices including an HTC One, Samsung Ativ Due south, an iPhone five and the Nokia Lumia 1020. The SoundLink Mini is designed to call up connections to upward to six devices, and so in one case we paired a device, we had no problem making a connection subsequently.

The controls on the SoundLink Mini are super elementary. The controls are all on the acme and are rubberized. In that location yous'll find the volume up and down buttons, the power button also as the mute button and two more for Bluetooth and an auxiliary button for employ with devices that don't avowal Bluetooth support.

According to Bose, the speaker boasts a range of about 30 feet equally well an auxiliary port that lets y'all connect non-Bluetooth devices. In our tests we were able to maintain a connexion to the speaker when we left the audio source in a house and walked outside. Of form, the downside to this is that you won't exist able to control the music. So while this "works" we don't really encounter the point.

We played a diverseness of music and everything from R&B and hip hop, replete with all of the deep bass that you'd wait, to acoustic music from the likes of Ray LaMontagne and Damien Rice, all sounded well-baked and clear. Kudos aside however, when information technology comes to audio performance you can never really go by simple physics. While the SoundLink Mini is able to get plenty loud the fact remains that while the mids and highs were excellent, achieving truly amazing bass requires that you lot move a lot of air, and while Bose has washed a skilful job of that considering the size of the device, it can't compete with larger speakers.

The SoundLink Mini sports a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and, according to Bose, users can expect up to vii of hours of continuous play. In our tests nosotros had no trouble achieving this kind of battery life.

Bose offers two charging methods with the SoundLink Mini. In that location'due south a stylish charging cradle that'south not bad for when you're at domicile. If you're on the become, a wall charger that plugs into the charging cradle can also plug into the speaker itself. The affair is, the current trend with truly portable Bluetooth speakers is their ability to be charged via a MicroUSB port. The great thing about this is that nearly every phone, save the iPhone, uses MicroUSB so in the case of the SoundLink Mini yous'll have notwithstanding another charging solution to carry around. On the plus side the SoundLink Mini can be fully charged in around 3 hours.

With the SoundLink Mini, Bose created a very stylish piece of gear. The guts are encased in a single piece of aluminum and while this looks and feels great, we worry most scratches. To that end, Bose is offering a plethora of protection options for the SoundLink Mini including a variety of soft covers that come in several covers as well every bit a nifty conveying case. Await to pay around $25 for the soft covers and $45 for the conveying case.

We liked

Boasting excellent sound quality and a cute design, there wasn't much we didn't similar about the SoundLink Mini. Add to that Bose pedigree, seven solid hours of music playback and anyone who picks this speaker upwardly volition no doubt exist pleased with their purchase.

We disliked

At that place isn't much to dislike about the SoundLink Mini. Its major drawback is its size. Considering of how small-scale it is, don't look the kind of bass response you would from a larger speaker. That said, it'south still far superior to the Beats Pill or even the BoomBot King nosotros reviewed earlier. Additionally, the brushed aluminum while great to expect at is susceptible to scratches and scrapes. We highly recommended dropping an extra $25 for one of the soft cases.

Verdict

If at that place's one thing Bose is known for it's quality audio products. And to that end the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker upholds that tradition. Sure the Bluetooth portable speaker scene is crowded with the likes of Jambox, Monster and Beats, only anyone who's interested in portable audio would be remiss to not give the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker a serious listen.

Editor-in-main (US)

Wil (Twitter, Google+) is a technology editor and journalist who has written for a multifariousness of outlets over the last 16 years, including CNET, Calculator Gaming Globe and Incite. Wil as well spent two years as the on-air gadget contributor on G4TV'south live daily show, Attack of the Show. Before joining TechRadar, Wil was the editor-in-chief of @GAMER, The Official Games Magazine of Best Buy.