Bose has long been a major player in the Bluetooth speaker market, and its newest model, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker, is expected to further solidify the company’s standing in the industry. If 2019 was the year of the smart speaker, then 2020 is shaping up to be the year of the portable smart speaker, and the market is already booming thanks to products like the Bose Portable Home Speaker and rival models like the Sonos Move that offer the intelligence of Google Assistant and Alexa along with Bluetooth connectivity.
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: Description
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker, to give it its full name, is an intriguing piece of technology. You can get a high-quality smart speaker with Alexa or Google Assistant for $399, and it has all the features you’d expect. The speaker can be taken with you from one location to another without needing to be plugged into an electrical socket, thanks to its built-in battery. The Bose Portable Speaker is a treat, albeit an expensive one, but its dependence on Wi-Fi for smart features dampens the portable party a bit.
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is a cylinder-shaped aluminum device that stands at about eight inches in height and four inches in width, and features a handle and buttons on top in addition to a downward-firing audio driver. At the device’s base, you’ll find a USB-C connector. You can get it in either black or white.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Great design
- Choice of Alexa or Google Assistant
- Warm, well-balanced sound
Cons
- Too expensive
- Doesn’t include charging cradle
- Smart features require Wi-Fi
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: Specifications
Dimensions | 7.54″ x 4.69″ x 4.09″ |
Weight | 2.34 lb |
Integrations | Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Spotify Connect |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 |
Ports | USB-C |
Colors | Triple Black, Luxe Silve |
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: Design
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker lives up to its name with its diminutive size and convenient carry strap. At 1 kilo and 191.5 x 119 x 104 millimeters (mm), it’s not overly cumbersome to carry around. It’s nice to know you’re protected from light rain and splashes thanks to the IPX4 rating. The speaker shouldn’t be submerged or put through extreme conditions, but accidental moisture shouldn’t be a problem. Bose claims it can be placed dangerously close to water, but it is unlikely to survive a fall into the water. Still, you can pack it up and take it to the patio or park for a picnic with some tunes.
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is a welcome departure from other smart speakers because of how easy it is to set up. This model was clearly designed to work with other Bose speakers, as they all share the same smart ecosystem. On the other hand, it has enough substance to function independently. Simply install Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, pick your preferred streaming service, and start barking orders at it.
The speaker has both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities, which introduces the same limitation as other hybrid devices: when connected to Wi-Fi, only the compatible apps will play through the speaker. If your phone isn’t connected to a speaker via Bluetooth, and you open YouTube on it, the sound will come from the phone’s internal speaker. Setting up Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the Bose Portable Smart Speaker is required for playback from all sources.
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: Features
The battery life is particularly important for portable speakers, and this Bose model boasts a respectable 12 hours of playback on a single charge. That’s longer than what you get with the Sonos Move, but it’s no match for the Tribit XSound Go’s 24 hours of playback time. Still, the latter can’t hold its own against sound system giants like Bose and Sonos.
You can easily set up your Bose portable home speaker by downloading the Bose Connect app, selecting your preferred voice assistant, and then choosing your preferred music and radio services. In addition to AirPlay 2 for the iPhone and iPad, these include Spotify, Deezer, YouTube, Amazon Music, TuneIn, and many more.
The Bose Portable Home Speaker is not only a convenient audio device for when you are on the go, but it’s also a smart speaker that includes either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa so you can take advantage of the best voice assistant available based on your preferred ecosystem. In addition to playing music when instructed to do so, the Bose Portable Home Speaker can be used as a hub for your smart home by being asked to provide you with the weather, check your calendar, and operate your connected devices.
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: Connection
As previously stated, the Bose Portable Smart Speaker is app-enabled and can connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth 4.2. The AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs are supported. If you’re an iOS user, that’s great, but unfortunately, Android users don’t have a similarly dependable high-quality, low-latency option. Although Bluetooth multipoint is not supported, up to eight devices can be stored in memory to avoid having to go through the pairing process every time.
The speaker is compatible with Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Google’s Chromecast for streaming local content. However, the speaker makes no claims to support HD or Ultra HD playback, so if you have a sizable FLAC collection, you won’t be able to enjoy its full fidelity on this device.
Sound Quality and Battery Life
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker stands out from other speakers because it is… a portable smart speaker. In addition to acting as a standard Bluetooth speaker, it can also be linked to Wi-Fi for command via voice assistants like Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa. The Bose portable smart speaker is fully compatible with the voice controls of other speakers like the Nest Audio and the Echo.
You can use it to ask questions, make adjustments to your smart home devices, play media, and much more. The speaker can be paired with multiple other devices running the Assistant or Alexa to play music simultaneously in different rooms. It’s a huge bonus for me to have a speaker that supports multi-room audio and can be used in the great outdoors.
Some people may be put off by the fact that a portable smart speaker needs a reliable Wi-Fi connection in order to use its voice assistant feature, unlike headphones and earbuds which use your phone’s data connection. Even though it’s a bummer that you can’t use the speaker’s full set of features when you’re, say, out in the woods camping, I still find it very appealing that I can put the speaker wherever I like in my house.
If my experience is any indication, the 12 hours of playback time that Bose claims for the Portable Smart Speaker is accurate. The lifespan of a speaker, however, is highly variable from one application to the next. For instance, while a 12-hour battery life is possible when listening to music over Bluetooth from a nearby source at a low volume, a 6-hour battery life is more likely when streaming video over Wi-Fi at high volume over a less-than-ideal connection.
Price and availability
At $349, £369.95, and AU$499.95, the black and silver Bose Portable Home Speaker is only slightly more expensive than the $399, £399 Sonos Move (except in Australia, where it costs AU$649) you can buy this product directly from Bose’s website.
Although the Bose Portable Home Speaker is less expensive than its main competitor, the UE Boom 3, the Bose Soundlink Revolve’s predecessor, retails for $200 or £200, while the runner-up on our best portable speakers list retails for just $129.99 or £129.99 or AU$199.95.
Final Words
Although the Bose Portable Smart Speaker is not cheap, it is well worth the investment. There is nothing better if you’re looking for a compact, high-tech device with excellent sound quality that you can take with you anywhere.
It’s great that it can also function as a smart speaker compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant, as this makes controlling the music much simpler than before (although you will need to be online in order for this to happen). The Bose Portable Smart Speaker isn’t the best piece of equipment because the battery life could be better, but it’s still one of the most capable Bluetooth speakers money can buy.
FAQs
Is Bose or JBL better?
JBL speakers have a better bass effect than Bose speakers and come with subwoofers. The JBL speakers are larger than the Bose speakers and produce more powerful bass because their radiators vibrate at a higher frequency.
How good is the Bose 500 smart speaker?
It’s enticing to hear, but it comes at a steep cost. If you’re in the market for a high-quality smart speaker, look no further than the Bose Home Speaker 500. It’s expensive, but it looks great and the Bose Music app makes it easy to maximise the speaker’s potential. This is an excellent option for everyday use and celebrations.