Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Plus Bluetooth Speaker Review
Big, beach-ready sound that floats, shrugs off splashes, and plays all day.
This is the speaker you hand to the loudest person at the cookout and stop worrying about. It floats, it shrugs off pool splashes, and it gets genuinely room-filling loud.
What the Boom 2 Plus actually is
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus is Anker's big outdoor party speaker, the supersized version of the regular Boom 2. Think backyard barbecue, pool deck, campsite, tailgate. It's a chunky cylinder with a carry handle, dual woofers, and a light ring that pulses with the music if you're into that. It runs roughly $130 to $190 depending on sales, which puts it up against the JBL Charge and the smaller end of JBL's PartyBox line.
The pitch is volume and durability over audiophile finesse. Anker leans on its 'BassUp' processing and a beam-forming tweeter setup to push sound outward, which matters a lot when you're outside and there are no walls to bounce sound back at you.
How it sounds day to day
Loud. That's the headline, and it's the right one. Owners consistently report that this thing fills a backyard without straining, and the bass has real physical thump for a speaker this size. The 'BassUp' mode cranks the low end further when you want the floor to shake, though it can get boomy in a small room.
Be honest with yourself about the use case. Indoors at low volume, the tuning is heavy and a bit muddy in the mids. Vocals can sit behind the bass. Outdoors at high volume, where this speaker is meant to live, none of that matters and it sounds great. If you want clean, detailed sound for a quiet living room, a smaller Sonos or a JBL Charge does the nuance better. The Boom 2 Plus is built to be the life of a party, not a critical listening session.
Battery and waterproofing
Anker rates it around 20 hours, and that holds up at moderate volume. Push it loud with the lights on and BassUp running and you'll see a lot less, closer to half that, which is normal for any party speaker. It still comfortably covers a full day at the beach. It can also act as a power bank to top off your phone, which is handy when nobody remembered a charger.
Durability is the strong suit. It carries an IPX7 rating, meaning it survives full submersion briefly, and it floats. Splashes, rain, and an accidental shove into the pool aren't a problem. That alone makes it an easy recommendation over speakers that only handle a light drizzle.
The good and the annoying
Pros: it's genuinely loud with strong bass, it floats and survives water, battery lasts a real day, and you can pair two for stereo or chain a bunch together for a bigger setup. The app gives you a custom EQ if the default tuning is too heavy for you.
Cons: it's big and heavy, so this is not a grab-and-go pocket speaker. The light show drains battery and feels a little gimmicky. And the default sound signature is bass-forward to a fault, so plan on tweaking the EQ. There's no clever wordplay needed here. It's a trade of finesse for power, and most buyers will be fine with that.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it if you host outside, hit the beach or pool often, or want one speaker loud enough to handle a backyard full of people without a Bluetooth dropout. The waterproofing and battery make it nearly foolproof for that crowd.
Skip it if you mostly listen indoors at conversational volume, want crisp neutral sound, or need something portable enough to toss in a bag. For those people a JBL Charge or a Soundcore Motion-series speaker makes more sense and costs less.
The verdict
The Soundcore Boom 2 Plus does exactly what it sets out to do. It's a loud, waterproof, all-day party speaker that costs well under the JBL PartyBox alternatives while getting most of the way there on volume. Tweak the EQ, accept that it's a beast to carry, and you've got one of the better value outdoor speakers around.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Plus waterproof?
- Yes. It carries an IPX7 rating, so it survives brief full submersion, and it floats. Splashes, rain, and an accidental drop in the pool are no problem.
- How long does the battery last?
- Anker rates it at about 20 hours, which holds at moderate volume. Cranking it loud with the light ring and BassUp on cuts that down significantly, but it still covers a full day outdoors.
- Is it better than a JBL Charge or PartyBox?
- It's louder than a JBL Charge and much cheaper than a PartyBox while getting close on volume. The Charge sounds a touch cleaner at low volume, but for outdoor parties the Boom 2 Plus is the stronger value.
Daniel covers home, kitchen, and everyday-carry gear. He's a stickler for durability and value, and has no patience for overpriced hype.
