Packaging, delivery etc. I think it’s not of much interest.
What is innovative about the Flare?
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The “design”.
This speaker is designed for a 360 degree sound.
The function keys are located on the top and at the backside,
tactile to find and illuminated.
The dark-grey textile coating is nice.
The “light organ” is installed in the lowest part of the speaker.Everything well-thought-out.
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The “light organ”
I must confess that I have turned off these light effects.
But for young people this may be a great gag.
It is possible to set different modes.
I played around a bit, but then disabled it.
There is an application for the Flare. (MS, MAC OS, Android)
Here you find a few settings:
An equalizer, different settings for the light effects, etc.
BUT :
The equalizer there does not make much sense.
ANKER should offer a really reasonable equalizer with about 10 adjustable frequencies.
Also the adjustments for the “light organ” are not as much useful.
ANKER needs to improve this application really a lot. -
“Stereo effect”
If you own 2 Flare speakers, you can “couple” them together
In this way, a proper stereo effect can be generated
(Not tested, since I have only one Flare)
Comparison of PRO + and Flare:
The Pro + is bigger and heavier than the Flare.
The Pro + is a little more expensive than the Flare
The Pro + is splash-proof (IPX4), the flare is waterproofed (IPX7)
You can pair 2 Flare and achieve a proper stereo effect.
The Flare can not be used as a power bank.
The Flare has no NFC function.
The Flare “smells” a little at the beginning. Hope this will vanish soon. 
Battery life is huge on both speakers.
The processing of both loudspeakers is perfect according to the design.
Now to the most important thing of a speaker!
It is neither the waterproofing nor the light show.
It is the “sound”:
In any case you should use a good equalizer.
That from the application is not good enough.
You should use one with about 10 adjustable frequencies.
This is the only way to adjust the sound according to your individual hearing .
The Pro + has a more powerful bass than the Flare.
I weakened the bass of the Pro + somewhat at 60 and 120 Hz.
Regarding the Flare, I only raised the bass in this frequency range a little bit,
I love full basses and if you do so, you will have nothing to complain about the Flare.
This also explains that some users are not satisfied with the basses of the Flare.
But even without equalizer, the speaker has really a full sound.
With the 360 degree radiation of the Flare you can set the speaker up very well in the middle of the room.
Conclusion:
I can fully recommend the Flare and the Pro + depending on the conditions of use.
The Flare especially for those who like outside and / or
the beach (waterproofed IPX7) etc.
Both a true hit for the party!
Sorry for spelling and grammatical mistakes,
but English in not my mother tongue, as you know.
Franz
