Review: Bose Soundlink Plus Bluetooth Speaker

With so many Bluetooth speakers out there, and more arriving almost daily, it can be easy to underestimate one that dwells in the middle ground. Sandwiched between the packable Soundlink Flex and the beefy Soundlink Max (9/10, WIRED Recommends), Bose’s new midsize Soundlink Plus (no, these aren’t streaming services) carves out its own niche thanks largely to winning sound with equal parts nuance and bravado.

Like its siblings, the Plus looks and feels like a premium speaker with an accordingly premium price; it’s dressed to the nines, especially fetching in the Citrus Yellow color I reviewed, but bears commensurate dust- and waterproofing for good defense against the elements. Medium build notwithstanding, this is still a hefty package, but if you’re after a good compromise between boombox might and breezy portability, the Soundlink Plus abides.

Premium Protection

There’s style in the Sound Plus’s minimalism, with a sleek yet strong powder-coated steel grille, supple touch keys along its rubberized topside, and a hearty checkered nylon handle at the side that makes it easier to haul (or hang).

At the back are vents for its four bass radiators and an open USB-C port. A point of note there: the Plus is fine to dunk given its IP67 rating, and it even floats, but you’ll need to wait for the port to dry before charging. That’s further notable given that, like the Max, the Plus takes a sluggish five hours to charge its 20-hour battery from zero. That said, it didn’t take long for the orange-and-white flashing LED to return to solid white following a bath in my laundry sink, signaling a clear and ready port.

Measuring 9.1 x 3.94 x 3.4 inches (WxHxD) and weighing over 3 pounds, this is not the most packable speaker, but it’s still game for the open road. It took me a while to get used to its heft, but it fared well on its first task after unboxing, a camping trip in the Columbia River Gorge. If it seems risky taking a shiny new lemon-meringue speaker into the dusty woods, you’re not wrong, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the speaker cleans up. You’ll inevitably attract some marks, though, and the Dusk Blue and Black should age better.

Whatever the color, I dig the Plus’ aesthetic, and so did most people I showed it to (though they mostly remarked on the great sound). It feels nice to the touch, and both the look and build quality seem a step above flack-jacketed rivals like the JBL Charge 6 and UE MegaBoom 4. I’d still prefer either of those speakers for a hard fall—not because the Bose wouldn’t survive, it’s just more likely to get nicks or dents. The Charge 6’s IP68 rating theoretically gives it bragging rights for water resistance, but all three are dunkable, like most speakers we test.

Solid Extras

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Soundlink Plus features seem a little austere at first glance, but there’s enough here to keep away feature envy. The unified Bose app’s compact interface will be familiar to anyone with Bose headphones, with options like the ability to connect to two devices over Bluetooth multipoint, a three-band EQ and presets, and monitoring for battery and volume.