Test & Review of the Bose Soundlink Micro Travel Speaker
It’s not necessarily an essential item in a digital nomad’s life, but a Bluetooth speaker is very much appreciated.
Laptop and smartphone speakers aren’t known for being top-notch, and even without being an audiophile, the sound quality of an external speaker is a real plus.
For several years, we were happy users of the ultimate ears roll 2speaker. When its battery started to wear out, we took advantage of a discount offered by our American Express Fnac card to treat ourselves to the Bose Soundlink Micro (Amazon link).
When we bought our first speaker, the Bose Soundlink Micro didn’t exist yet. We had considered getting the Mini version but found it too heavy (670 grams) and weren’t confident in its durability.
The Micro version solves both of these issues.
A size and weight optimized for travel
The speaker is very light (290 grams). The Bose Soundlink Micro is compact (9.8 x 9.8 x 3.5 cm). It fits in the palm of your hand and can easily slip into a backpack, handbag, or even a jacket pocket.
Sturdy and waterproof
As soon as you hold it, you immediately feel confident in its durability. I think it’s the silicone rubber coating that gives you that sense of security. We’ve dropped it several times: not a scratch!
The speaker is waterproof with an IPX7 rating. This technical-sounding rating means your Bose speaker can withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.
So no worries about using it by the pool or in the shower.
A silicone strap on the back of the speaker lets you hang it almost anywhere. And we do!
Excellent sound quality
Bose is renowned for the sound quality of its products.
We weren’t disappointed in this regard and are impressed by the bass quality from such a small device.
During a stay at a hotel that had a JBL Horizon Bluetooth alarm clock.
Given its significantly larger size compared to our Bose Micro speaker, I expected an improvement in sound quality.
What a surprise! The quality was incomparable, and I had to apologize to my speaker for doubting its abilities.
You be the judge.
Good ergonomics
Nothing revolutionary here, but the speaker’s ergonomics are well thought out.
One button increases the volume.
A second decreases it.
A third pauses the music with one press, skips to the next track with two presses, and goes back to the previous track with three presses.
A battery indicator is also present, featuring 5 LED lights.
Battery life and longevity
Battery life is decent, if not amazing: about 6 hours of listening time.
We’ve been using it for just over a year, and it doesn’t seem to be weakening.
I have good faith in the lifespan of Bose products, as I’ve been using a QuietComfort headset for 4 years and its battery life is still very good.
One major flaw
The speaker’s Bluetooth is, in my opinion, way too sensitive. It tends to auto-connect to all known devices.
When you have 2 smartphones, 2 computers, 1 tablet, it can lead to some pretty unpleasant surprises.
By default, you even get an annoying “Connected to XXX” notification every time you connect. Disable it ASAP!
The price
You can treat yourself to the Bose Soundlink Micro speaker for around a hundred euros (on Amazon for example), which seems like a very fair price for a product of this quality.
