Do you spend time outdoors at the beach, pool, lake, walking, or hiking and need to take your music with you? Bluetooth speakers are one of the most popular electronic devices, but finding a good portable speaker that can withstand the elements is difficult; and often requires a tradeoff between features, durability, size, and water resistance. Bluetooth speakers on their own are easy to find and come in a variety of price points, but with that wide-spread availability, comes a large difference in quality as well. If you are seeking a quality speaker with the Bose reputation then the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II may be the speaker for you.
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II not only carries the ‘Bose’ name but it is the long-awaited updated version of the super popular, original SoundLink speaker with a few cosmetic fixes that also give it a more durable feel. However, like any other product, the SoundLink II does have its pros and cons. Improving on the original design, the SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is Bose’s first water-resistant Bluetooth speaker in addition to its compact size, but its eight-hour battery life could leave you searching for a chance to recharge on longer outings.
Design
While the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is an updated version of the original SoundLink, it maintains the looks of the original model. But the similarity just stops there. Internally, it’s packed with a list of improvements. One of those updated features is the rubberized coating that replaced the hard plastic outer shell and rubberized trim of the original. The rubberized coating is soft to the touch making it more comfortable to hold and making it feel tough enough to stand being outside. It also gives the appearance that it can be dropped and still come out blasting away with your tunes. It is relatively lightweight as well, coming in at just over a pound and making it very portable. Unfortunately, while such a coating can lend a premium feel to a product, it can also attract an excessive amount of dust, lint, and hair from the environment at times, but the IPX4 water resistance makes it easy to clean with just a damp cloth.
Like the original SoundLink, the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is available in a choice of colors to match your décor or gear. Whether you want a neutral color such as the Polar White or Soft Black or you want to add a bright pop of color with the Aquatic Blue or Coral Red you should be able to find a color to fit you best.
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II’s control buttons are all on the top of the speaker for easy accessibility and you have a good variety to work with as well. From the standard power, volume, playback controls, and Bluetooth pairing buttons to the Input mode and Multi-function buttons it is easy to learn to control your speaker for the optimum sound in a variety of settings. Almost as a bonus, you will find a 3.5mm headphone jack next to the charging port so you can connect older devices that do not use Bluetooth. There is also a mic so you can use the speaker to make or receive calls once it is paired with your phone as well, this is a new feature of the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II.
The key point of the design of the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is simplicity, it was designed to be a speaker and that is what you get. With two speaker grilles, front and back, that are designed to allow a minimum of moisture to seep through but you do not need to worry about that, as long as it is not dropped into a liquid, the water-resistant feature will keep you listening all day long even through a rainstorm.
Connectivity
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II has multipoint Bluetooth, which means you can pair two devices simultaneously. Simplifying the device pairing is the fact that the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II also has NFC capabilities, so any device that can be paired by touch can pair easily with the speaker. The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II also has the capability of remembering up to eight devices it has been paired with so sharing it with devices or other family members is a simple matter. If a ninth one is added, it will automatically drop the least recently used one. You can even connect your Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II to your Amazon Echo Dot to connect to Alexa Voice Service for instant access to all your available features.
Simplifying the process of pairing multiple devices, the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II includes voice prompts in over a dozen languages to help direct the user through the Bluetooth pairing and connection processes. In addition, the user can use the voice prompts to recognize a connected source by name, making it easier to select one device over another. However, while Bose recommends keeping the voice prompt feature active, it can be disabled either be pressing both volume buttons simultaneously or through the available iOS and Android apps.
Once paired with your phone, the pause button will pause the sound coming from your phone as well instead of just the speaker’s playback so you will not miss any of your music. You can also talk into the speaker itself to carry on the call and once the call is over, the music will resume automatically. It is also helpful to note that the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II only works through Bluetooth, not Wi-Fi or any other connection. You can also use the speaker to play the audio for a video you are watching on your tablet, although in this circumstance closer is better, the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II should be within 6ft of the device and if the device is using a Wi-Fi network in the area, you may experience some problems with the sound during playback as well.
Functionality
In addition to the new mic allowing the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II to work with voice calls over your phone, the multi-function button lets you control those calls. The multi-function button will also allow you to activate Siri or your Google Assistant on a paired device. So, you can simply reach to the speaker if it is closer and then ask your voice assistant to look up any needed information. The multi-function button is just as versatile during audio playback as well, allowing you to play, pause, and move forward or backwards through your tracks.
There is also an app available for both iOS and Android systems that allows you to rename the speaker for your Bluetooth pairing, disable the voice prompts, and track your remaining battery life. The app also gives you quick access to your list of paired devices so you can move seamlessly from one to the other with a swipe. The app also allows you to download software updates for your Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II and schedule them so there is no interruption to your music when an update becomes available.
Unfortunately, there is no AC adapter included with the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II, but its micro-USB charging port makes it easy to share a charger with most other devices using the included cord or any USB device capable of charging another.
Durability
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is even more durable than the original version. Bose itself describes the speaker as “ready for life”. It can take a fall, have water or other liquids splashed on it, and the new rubberized coating is even UV-tested so that it will not fade but always be as bright and colorful as the day you bought it. So, you can rest easy taking your Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II to a party or get together outdoors, if it gets knocked down, you can pick it up and keep going.
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II has an IPX4 rating meaning it is splash proof from any angle making it safe from the rain, but not from accidental submersions. They have also redesigned the entire speaker in order to ensure a near flawless seal between the elements on the outside and the important electronic components on the inside. Bose has also upgraded the drivers so they can resist any liquid that may find its way in through the speaker grills while delivering great sound their company is known for.
Battery Life
Next to water resistance, the next most important feature of a portable device is probably its battery life and recharging time. Of course, the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II’s battery life will vary with both usage and volume but generally, you can expect about eight hours of life when playing music at the midpoint of its volume control. Recharging, using the enclosed cord and a source of at least 1-amp should only take about 3 hours. It is also helpful to note that the Bluetooth link is only stable up to about 30ft away and can be affected by obstacles, so if you have your phone clipped to your hip and wander through the crowd, your music playback could suffer or even disconnect. For its size, it has excellent sound quality although it will give you the immersive experience Bose is known for better in a small room rather than a large room. The upgraded drivers are also designed to keep vibration to a minimum.
Sound Quality
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II has two speaker grilles, front and back with the back grille specifically improving bass frequencies so that it can send out the deep tones you are looking for although Bose recommends placing the back speaker near but not against a wall to get the best bass sound. If you prefer soft rock, jazz, classical music or other similar genres, you will not be disappointed with the performance of this compact speaker. The same upgraded drivers that allow it to withstand moisture through the speaker grills, allow it to come through with some amazing sound and its construction projects that sound so that it seems to emanate from everywhere. This may get even better in the future as Bose states that they plan to add a stereo pairing feature with a future update.
Our Verdict
The Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is clearly a premium, portable speaker. Its water resistance and light weight makes it the perfect speaker for a day out at the beach, park, or other event, if you do not go past its eight-hour battery life. Often making the choice for a portable speaker leads to a tradeoff of the features you must have versus the ones you wish to have and this one is no different.
As far as Bose products go, it is one of the most affordable and gives you the chance to experience their quality at an entry level price. As with many products this second generation is an improvement on the original, there are some good upgrades in it but if you already have the original SoundLink, moving to the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II may not be worth it. However, if you are newly in the market for a Bluetooth speaker or have a less expensive one that just does not have the sound quality or durability you are looking for, then the Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker II is the one for you.