I recently had the chance to get my hands on Anker’s Soundcore Mini 2 to test out and review. Thanks to @AnkerOfficial for the opportunity. I decided to give myself plenty of time to put this speaker through its paces, and I must say I’m very impressed.
The speaker it self comes in the now traditional blue and white branded box, containing the speaker, a micro USB cable and all the relevant paperwork. With a matte black aluminium top section and tough black rubber base, the speaker has what can only be described as a sleek look. With 2 LED lights to indicate both power and Bluetooth connection placed at opposing end of the 5 buttons - Power/volume down/play/volume up/Bluetooth.
Given that the price point is £39.99 (at time of review) it is on pair with the Soundcore 2, which packs more punch with 2 x 6W drivers and longer battery life, it’s smaller form factor means thats its much more portable for everyday use. That being said this little speaker with its 6W driver and 15hr battery life is certainly punching above its weight (207g). Charging time took just over 2hrs from flat - was a nice surprise to see that it came with 70% battery right from the box so I didn’t have to wait to test it out.
The sound quality is very crisp and there is a nice kick of bass. Unlike a lot of small portable speakers I found that I did not need to have the volume turned up to the max setting, hovering around 70% was more than ample - even when used outdoors. With the built in mic it’s also capable of hands free calls, which I found to be ok although I did sometimes find myself having to raise my voice so the other person could hear me this may have been down to their connection and not the fault of the mic
Turning the speaker on or off is matched by a pleasing sound effect, as too when it connects via Bluetooth to another device. Bluetooth 4.2 means that you are able to maintain a strong connection upto 66ft away. Testing this at home I never had an issue and was able to freely move around house and not drop connection at all. It was in work environment that I really put the connection to the test. With really thick walls, it was inevitable that the distance would be effected and this meant that although the connection failed about 30ft away it was still impressive.
The speaker comes with an IPX7 rating meaning that it’s waterproof - capable of being submerged in water upto 1m for 30mins, and also dust proof. Testing the waterproof capabilities of devices is always strange as you never know what’s gonna happen. I was a bit worried as the rubber bung covering the power and aux slots would sometimes work it’s way loose while listening to music. With this pressed firmly in place I was surprised to see that the speaker didn’t sink at all, instead floated - bobbling upside down under water, while still projecting the sound relatively clearly though muffled. Quick shake and patted with a towel was all it took to get rid of any residual water from speaker holes.
The speaker also offers the ability of having wireless stereo pairing for a better listening experience, but without a second mini 2 I was unable to test at this time.
To sum up my review I would say that if you are looking for a small portable speaker to carry around in a rucksack or travel case then look no further than the Soundcore mini 2. But … for the price point I can’t help but feel that it’s slightly overpriced when compared to the Soundcore 2.
it was more signature.
