The previously revealed next-generation Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Speaker is now available for purchase. This launch lands on the same day its next-gen QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen buds officially go up for sale – here’s our hands-on review – and shortly after the debut of its brand new next-gen flagship QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Bose has been a leader in the portable Bluetooth speaker for quite a while now. They are not the most affordable models out there, nor are they filled with flashing lights and high-tech accoutrements, they are just rock solid, fantastic-sounding speakers made to do just that – play music at the best possible quality.
In my experience, its SoundLink Micro lineup has exemplified this to near-perfection – there’s really not another speaker in this sort of micro format that outperforms Bose in the sound quality department that I have tested out. This is of course a mostly subjective thing, but to my ears, Bose is where it’s at.
The introduction of the Plus and next-gen Micro to the SoundLink portfolio completes the family of Bluetooth speakers with a range of options offering different blends of audio performance and portability. And while each speaker fulfills a different need, any two speakers from the current SoundLink family — the Micro (2nd Gen), the Flex (2nd Gen), the Plus, and the Max — can be paired together for amplified audio. Stereo Mode enables one speaker to act as the left channel, and the other as the right (requires both speakers to be the same model) or Party Mode, where both speakers play synced audio.
The next-gen model falls a similar philosophy as the new QuietComfort buds and headphones – they were already great so not a whole lot more is needed. This is both a good and a bad thing for me really. On one hand, they already sounded and looked great, but on the other, there’s not a whole lot to write home about here.
They new 2nd gen Micro looks mostly the same and doesn’t come along all too many standout new features.
Bose says the new Micros is “back and better-than-ever” with “packing tension-cutting sound and impressive bass” while being engineered for “louder-than-it-looks audio.” It also lands with upgraded “charge, portability, and advanced Bluetooth Core 5.4”, adjustable EQ via the Bose app, IP67 protection against water and dust, and double the battery power at 12 hours.
In other words, yeah, mostly the same, just with much better battery life, according to the brand. It has clearly been upgraded to some degree on what are arguably the most important features – audio quality and durability – and, while there’s not a whole lot to get excited about here, we are, nonetheless, almost certainly looking at one of, if not, the best sounding speaker in its weight class.
The Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Speaker (2nd Gen) comes in black or Blue Dusk and retails for $129 shipped.
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