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Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
- Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer
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8.8/ 10
SCORE
Soundcore by Anker Motion Boom Plus
Pros
- Well-designed mini boombox-style Bluetooth speaker that plays loud and delivers very good sound for its size
- Upgraded dual 3.5-inch woofers and newly added dual 1-inch tweeters
- Strong battery life (up to 20 hours)
- Charges via USB-C, can charge other devices via USB-A
- IP67 waterproof and dust-resistant
Cons
- More expensive than its predecessor
2022
Anker's original Soundcore Motion Boom speaker is still a decent value at less than $100. But the new-for-2022 Motion Boom Plus is significantly improved, particularly in terms of sound quality. It's easily one of the best Bluetooth speakers released in 2022 and earns a CNET Editors' Choice Award for its attractive design and strong performance at a good price. The list price is $180 (£190, which converts to roughly AU$340) but it's often available for less.
Weighing 5.29 pounds, almost a pound more than the Motion Boom, it's equipped with upgraded dual 3.5-inch woofers and newly added dual 1-inch tweeters, delivering up to 80 watts of audio output (60 for the woofers and 20 for the tweeters). Battery life is rated for 20 hours at moderate volume levels. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, it's IP67 waterproof and dust-proof.
I was impressed with the sound quality, which measures up well against a few more expensive -- and some larger -- models onCNET's list of the best Bluetooth speakers. You can tweak the sound profile (with EQ settings) and upgrade the speaker's firmware with Anker's Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android. I tended to go with the bass boost engaged -- there's a button on the speaker to activate it -- and found that the speaker delivers full sound with good clarity in the mids and highs, and good bass definition. For its size, the speaker can put out a lot of sound and mostly manages to avoid distorting at higher volumes. (I tended to keep the volume in the 50 to 75% range.)
Read more: Best Bluetooth Boom Boxes
If you're sitting within a few feet of the speaker, there's a bit of stereo separation. But if you really want to up the sound quality, you can wirelessly pair two Soundcore Motion Boom Plus speakers to create a real stereo pair. The speaker also links up with other Soundcore PartyCast speakers (most recent Soundcore speakers are PartyCast-enabled) for synchronized music and bigger sound to cover a larger space.
The speaker charges via USB-C but only comes with a cable, so you'll have to provide your own power adapter. Like the earlier Motion Boom, this speaker has a USB-A charge out port that can charge your mobile devices should they need some juice. If you do charge a device, however, you'll have less battery life for audio playback.
There are several larger boombox-style Bluetooth speakers available.Tribit's Stormbox Blast ($170) is also a good value, for example. It plays a little louder, delivers more powerful bass and has built-in light show. But the Motion Boom Plus is more compact and I thought it sounded more tonally pleasant, with a bit more clarity.
While it lists for $180, it's been on sale for as low as $125 and usually sells for less than $140 -- and it's a great value when it's on sale.
