The Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Gen) is a mixed bag. It offers solid highs and lows when you’re directly in front of it, but loses clarity off-axis and distorts past 50% volume. While durable, portable, and supported by useful app customizations, it feels at least $50 overpriced.
5/10
- Bluetooth Connectivity?
-
Yes
- Dimensions
-
1.7 x 4.1 x 4.1 inches (HWD)
- Brand
-
Bose
- Colors
-
Black, Blue Dusk
Cue the connection with the back and better-than-ever SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen). Deceivingly small, this portable powerhouse can fit in the palm of your hand, yet still deliver up to 12 hours1 of crisp sound. This tiny but tough speaker plays rain or shine and is powerful enough to break any silence, anywhere.
- Portable, light, and rugged
- Reliable battery life
- Connects to other Soundlink speakers
- Solid companion app
- Has a very narrow soundstage
- Audio is distorted at higher volumes
- No microphone
- Cheaper rivals sound better
Price and availability
The Bose Soundlink Micro (2nd Generation) sells for $130 and is available in Black and Blue Dusk. You’ll be able to purchase this Bluetooth speaker on Amazon, as well as retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. You can also order it directly through Bose.
- Bluetooth Connectivity?
-
Yes
- Dimensions
-
1.7 x 4.1 x 4.1 inches (HWD)
- Brand
-
Bose
- Colors
-
Black, Blue Dusk
- Buttons
-
Bluetooth, Play/Pause, Volume, Power, Shortcut
- Waterproof Rating
-
IP67
- Weight
-
0.72 pounds
Durable build with thoughtful touches
It’s been a minute since Bose decided to improve upon the O.G. Bose Soundlink Micro, but the Soundlink Micro (2nd Generation) brings a few improvements to the table. Featuring the same iconic Micro shape as its predecessor—albeit a bit bigger than its ancestor—the new Micro measures 1.7 inches tall, 4.1 inches wide, 4.1 inches from front to back, and weighs only 0.72 pounds.
My test unit was a Blue Dusk model, a chassis color further complemented by the speaker’s built-in lanyard and velcro attachments. The latter is actually one of the first things about the speaker I was excited about: a convenient way to hook the Micro to just about anything the strap fits around (plus it’s completely removable).
Decked out in a protective silicone that covers most parts of the speaker, the new Bose device is easy and comfortable to hold with one hand. It’s also IP67-rated, making it a great speaker to carry around outdoors. The embedded buttons above the speaker grille handle everything from Bluetooth to volume controls and play-pause commands. There’s even a programmable shortcut key, and all the buttons felt tactile and rendered a pleasant, soft click when pressed.
Toward the bottom of the compact speaker, you’ll find the Bose Micro’s power button and USB-C port. Besides the Micro itself, the box should also contain a USB-C to A charging cable and a safety sheet.
Audio that doesn’t hold up
The Bose Micro can sound good in ideal conditions, but it’s far from versatile. When standing in front of the speaker directly, and with its volume at 50% or lower, the speaker delivers exceptional audio with well-balanced highs, mids, and lows. For tracks like Brand New’s Sowing Season (Yeah), all instruments were backed by plenty of sonic punch, with singer Jessie Lacey’s vocals taking center stage in the mix. But take one step to the side of the speaker’s center, and the audio quickly starts to devolve.
I noticed quite a bit of bass drop-off when standing off-axis, and much of the nuance of familiar tracks was lost. The Micro also buckles under higher volumes: anything past 50% and mixes collapse into muddy, overdriven distortion. Even Alice in Chains’ Them Bones, already steeped in a gritty ’90s mix, turned to mush once the speaker was pushed. Singer-songwriter tracks and podcasts fared better, though mostly because their mixes are less cluttered and easier for the Micro to handle.
The Bose app’s EQ tweaks are also nice in theory, but adjusting the bass and treble barely improved the sound. Worse, pushing the treble even a few notches above default quickly introduced sharp, unpleasant sibilance that made my listening experience worse.
Is there a saving grace to all this? Sort of. If you’re willing to invest in a second Bose Micro (2nd Generation)—and it has to be a 2nd Gen model—you can activate Stereo Mode by linking both speakers together in the Bose app. This should deliver a wider soundstage, but I only had one Micro to work with when testing, so I can’t confirm. The other “bigger sound” option is Party Mode, which works with any Bose speaker in the current Soundlink lineup.
Battery, Bluetooth, and app experience
Bose estimates you’ll get about 12 hours of battery life from a fully-charged Micro Gen 2, and it should take up to three hours to recharge the speaker when the battery is fully depleted. With its Bluetooth 5.4 technology, Bose also claims the new Micro has a 30-foot detection range, a claim I can confirm is true. I also appreciated how seamless pairing was: whether through your phone’s Bluetooth settings or the Bose app, connecting a new device took seconds. Conveniently, the Micro will even recall the last two devices it was connected to, and automatically re-pair with them if they’re powered on and in range.
As for the Bose app, it’s a tried and true platform I’ve worked with before that I was glad to return to. The UI feels intuitive and organized, and navigating between screens and menus is buttery smooth. Useful features include a graphic EQ and audio presets, a battery readout, the option to program a shortcut (Speaker Link or Spotify), and a settings dashboard for more advanced controls.
Stronger alternatives to the Bose Micro 2nd Gen
There’s a lot of competition for the Bose Micro 2nd Gen, especially as far as compact Bluetooth speakers are concerned. Two of the top products that come to mind include the JBL Charge 6 and the Sony SRS-XB100. The former is regularly less expensive on sale than the Micro 2nd Gen, sounds far better, has a stronger IP68 rating, and lasts up to 24 hours on a full charge.
Regarding the latter, I’d argue this Sony speaker sounds better, lasts longer, comes in more colors, and still costs significantly less than the Micro 2nd Gen.
Should you buy the Bose Soundlink Micro (2nd Generation)?
No, I don’t think so. I really wouldn’t recommend the Bose Soundlink Micro Bluetooth Speaker (2nd Generation) to anyone — even diehard Bose fans. It simply pales in comparison to other small Bluetooth speakers, and truly isn’t worth its $130 price tag.
5/10
- Bluetooth Connectivity?
-
Yes
- Dimensions
-
1.7 x 4.1 x 4.1 inches (HWD)
- Brand
-
Bose
- Colors
-
Black, Blue Dusk
Cue the connection with the back and better-than-ever SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen). Deceivingly small, this portable powerhouse can fit in the palm of your hand, yet still deliver up to 12 hours1 of crisp sound. This tiny but tough speaker plays rain or shine and is powerful enough to break any silence, anywhere.
