My Favorite Bluetooth Speaker Is a Great Gift, and It's $40 Off Today

Holiday gifting season is officially here, which means friends and family have been asking me for a few weeks for my Bluetooth speaker recommendations since they make great gifts. I like to point them to our list of the best Bluetooth speakers, but I also mention that I awarded a CNET Editors’ Choice to the Anker Soundcore Boom 2, because I think it sounds good and is available at an affordable price, making it an excellent value. While it typically lists for $130, the speaker is now on sale for $90 (Note that the blue and green models are only $30 off.)

This story is part of Gift Guide, our year-round collection of the best gift ideas.

I liked the original Soundcore Motion Boom, which made our list of the best Bluetooth speakers and was one of the better mini boom box Bluetooth speaker values over the last few years, selling for around $80. The 3.75-pound Boom 2 is priced a little higher but sounds substantially better, with more than double the power rating of the original, so it not only plays louder but kicks out more bass and offers better clarity at higher volumes (it’s equipped with two tweeters and one subwoofer). It also has a couple of built-in LED lights to help create that party vibe.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

Why I like the Anker speaker

The speaker’s design isn’t terribly sleek or eye-catching — you can choose between three color options — but it’s attractive enough and just the right size, neither too big nor too small. It also seems pretty durable, though it doesn’t have a dust-resistance rating. The Boom 2 is fully waterproof (IPX7-rated) and floats should it fall into a body of water. Additionally, there’s a USB-out port to charge your devices.

The Soundcore by Anker Boom 2 plays surprisingly loud for its compact size — The speaker has built-in LED lights that pulsate to your music and change colors.

David Carnoy/CNET

Battery life is also good. The speaker’s rated for up to 24 hours of playback at moderate volume levels (it charges via USB-C, which is good), and you can tweak the sound and customize the lighting with the Soundcore app for iOS and Android. Battery life does dip if you engage the bass boost or activate the LED lighting.

Another Anker speaker to consider

If you’re looking for even more powerful sound, Anker makes the Soundcore Boom 2 Plus. A bigger speaker, it puts out more sound with similar features to the Boom 2. However, it costs around $180, and I don’t think it sounds twice as good as the Boom 2 (more like 25% to 30% better). Still, it’s also a good value and would make a decent gift.

For more gift ideas, check out our Editors’ Choice awards for giftable tech. We’ve also rounded up a selection of budget-friendly gifts under $25, under $50, under $300 and under $500.

Source link