A few weeks ago Anker sent me their new Soundcore Mini 2 waterproof Bluetooth Speaker to review. Below is my real world review.
The new Soundcore Mini 2 Waterproof Pocket Bluetooth Speaker arrived and came in Anker’s standard blue and white box. The only difference is Soundcore is their own line. The package says “Soundcore by Anker”.
After opening up the box I found it to be nicely secured in the box and the cable and the paperwork hidden below the speaker.
After pulling the Soundcore Mini 2 out of the box I noticed that it was solid and had some weight to it. It wasn’t a lot of weight but enough to know its made well. The aluminum is painted a nice matte black and the ports and buttons are covered in rubber that seals the unit up tight.
I powered up the speaker and paired my LG G4 to the speaker with ease. I found that the speaker was mostly charged so I tested out the speaker with a variety music genres. I was instantly impressed with the quality of sound and how loud the music got on the speaker!
Over the next couple of weeks I paired the Soundcore Mini 2 to my laptop and listened to iTunes for hours. I set the music between 60% and 80%. I listened to a mixture of country, rock, metal and rap. I found everything sounded good. But if there was a lot of base, the speaker was lacking in base.
I also tried watching a movie but it didn’t sound right sound was off. You really need the second speaker to sound right. I really need to get a second one to test the wireless stereo capabilities. But YouTube Videos such as trailers and music videos sound good.
As to the waterproof capabilities, I have not completed any submersion tests. But all the buttons and ports have a tight rubber cover of them and it designed to be submerged. There are several YouTube videos out there showing the speaker being dumped into water. It comes out just fine.
Finally I tested the microphone. It works well. I used Google Assistant with a handful of commands and it works great. Just don’t have the music running.
I haven’t used the speaker phone feature yet and may not use it. I normally do not use speaker phones features but if I get the chance I will update the review with my experience.
As to the playback time…
I’ve done continuous play back tests for about 5 hours and it didn’t use much of the battery. As for longer tests, I don’t have the time to site around for 15 hours and listen to music or pod casts. If I leave it running all day I won’t know when it shuts off.
So I decided to run real life playback tests. I ran the device almost daily for several hours. I kept track of the hours used. So far I have over 15 hours of playback and I have about 30% charge left. The device ran mostly at 60 to 80% volume.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I love the Anker Soundcore Mini 2 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker. Its loud and the music sounds great for a mono speaker. But this speaker is not a pocket speaker. Its to large and heavy to fit in a pants pocket or jacket pocket. But it will fit nicely in a travel bag or go bag.
What I don’t like is the sticky bottom. It collects dust and fur. I keep the plastic cover that came with it on it. This limits the amount of debris that get on the bottom of it. I would prefer not to have that feature. Maybe just a non slick rubber surface.
It doesn’t come with an Aux cable. But the Bluetooth sounds great and had almost no connection issues even 50+ feet and through several interior walls. If you prefer to use an aux cable and need a good cable, check out Anker’s line of Aux cables. they sound great and are designed to last.
The OEM Micro-USB is a premium basic cable. Better than a cheap budget cable but not as good as their top tier cables. You really do not need one a premium cable.
Ports are protected by deep inset area that is covered by a rubber cover that fits tightly into the area keeping water out.
It doesn’t come with a case but it would be nice if a case or a sleeve was included. I would suggest getting a case if you plan to take it with you on your travels. Here are a few options to choose from. Check the size of the case. These cases are made for the Anker Soundcore Mini and they slightly smaller than the newer ones.
This is a great speaker and sounds good. My friend has the original Mini and he says they are slightly different in design and size. He loves the new look. I had hoped to meet up with him so we could compare the two but we won’t have time to meet up for a few weeks. If I can I will do a mini review of the two. If you are needing a pocket or travel sized speaker this is the one for you.
To see the complete review and more photos check out my review on my personal blog.
