If you're intricately familiar with Anker's plethora of products, you've probably seen some of their sub-brands that cover specific kinds of gadgets. Their smart home brand is Eufy, for example, and that brand is responsible for the latest version of the SoundCore Mini Bluetooth speaker. The second iteration of the fun-sized speaker shoots for better battery life and more bass response, undercutting bigger speakers in both size and price without compromising sound quality.
We put one through the paces to find out if it's worth the cost.
The first thing you're going to notice about the SoundCore Mini 2 is that it's small.Reallysmall.
Above? Yeah, that's a Funko Pop vinyl figure for scale. The speaker is shorter than one of those figures.
The design makes some pretty clever use of its small size, however. Speaker grilles are on the top and bottom of the device, and the entire chassis is slightly elevated with a rubber base to allow some breathing room for the downward firing smaller speakers.
The front of the device houses the SoundCore logo, which is right above the power button, volume buttons, play/pause button, and Bluetooth button.
On the back side of the speaker you'll find the flap that bears the Anker logo, which opens up to a reveal a stereo input and microUSB charging port. There's also a microphone on one side of the circular shape, but otherwise, it's a pretty minimalist, unassuming speaker.
The good news about the upward firing speaker and symmetrical shape is that you can place the SoundCore Mini 2 in just about any position and it won't affect the sound. It's not true 360-degree sound, but it does have some perks over typical front-facing speakers.
Despite its small size, the SoudCore Mini 2 also feelsreallygood. It's not heavy, but there's some definitely weight to it. You can pick up any speaker and immediately tell it's going to sound bad because it's too light, but fortunately that's not the case here. The smooth metal finish is just icing on top.
When we're talking about Bluetooth speakers, though, the sound is what's really important. Anker talks up a few different technologies and features with the SoundCore Mini 2, including a custom driver and passive radiator, exclusive BassUp low-end boosting technology, and some insane power management that all combine to create a massive sound that can go all day. Does it all work?
For the most part, yeah. It really does. I wasn't expecting much out of a speaker this size, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I turned up some very bass-heavy rock music with the volume wide open, and even though the speaker was managing to vibrate and move itself around a table, the low end never broke up too badly and managed to stay pretty crisp. It's not going to blow the windows out or compete with a Google Home Max, but it's punching well above its price and size.
The bass was good and only really got away from itself on seriously heavy tracks, while the mid-range was solid and filled out. The high end was crisp and clear without being harsh, and overall the entire speaker offered an excellent sound. It really only struggles at maximum volume (and that max volume isn't anything crazy) but hey, we're dealing with something half the size of a co*ke can.
If you really want a wall of sound, you can actually pair two of these in stereo for a much bigger sound that would help significantly with volume woes.
The SoundCore Mini 2 also uses Bluetooth 4.2 for longer range, and Anker promises about 15 hours of playback on a single charge. Testing it out, both of those claims seem pretty accurate.
I had no problems staying connected without any music skipping all around my house, and even put the speaker outside while carrying my phone around inside and still had no issues. Battery life fell just a bit short of the 15 hour mark, but much of the testing was done with relatively bass heavy music at very high volumes.
Recharging the SoundCore Mini 2 isn't too bad since it is so small, but this is another gadget where I'm very excited to start seeing USB-C connectors and fast charge tech. Maybe next time.
Without any discounts, Anker is asking about $40 for this speaker, which isn't themostcompetitive pricing in speakers this size. With that being said, I'd argue it is one of the most competitive speakers when you factor in sound quality; you're going to have a very hard time finding anything else this size with this much oomph and longevity, and in all honesty, I think the SoundCore Mini 2 even holds up pretty well next to my favorite JBL Flip 3 Bluetooth speaker. It doesn't manage to beat out the JBL, obviously, but at less than half the cost it's an excellent value.
My advice? Buy two of these, run it in stereo, and impress everyone at your next house party.
Buy it now: Amazon
Jared PetersAuthor
Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid, but the tech enthusiasm currently covers just about everything. He likes PC gaming, Lenovo's Moto Z line, and a good productivity app.
