Currently, the Anker Soundcore Boom 3i only costs $75or $65 off its list price. This is the lowest price we’ve seen on this portable bluetooth speaker. If you’re thinking about improving your mobile’s sound situation, this is one of those deals that’s easy to miss if you wait too long. I compared it to other high-end Bluetooth speakers like the JBL Flip 6 And Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd generation)and the Boom 3i holds its own without breaking your budget.
In a way, the new Soundcore Boom 3i is the spiritual successor of Soundcore MotionPlus. It has a similar shape but has more of an outdoor adventure orientation, with Anker touting it as “built for nature” and touting it as the first Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, as it floats and “self-corrects” to keep the speakers facing upwards just above the surface. All of this adds up to a speaker that’s perfect for backyard hangouts or hot tubs, so you might want to pick one up on the cheap while the Black Friday deals are still here.
I’ve been using the Soundcore Boom 3i for several months and have mostly been impressed with it, although the speaker is much easier to recommend to CNET readers at $65 off all the different color options.
As you’d expect from a speaker that promotional photos show strapped to a kayak (it has a removable carrying strap), the Soundcore Boom 3i is fully waterproof and dustproof, with an IP68 rating. Anker goes even further, touting the Boom 3i as “5x” saltwater resistant. “While typical speakers can rust in less than five months, Boom 3i remains corrosion-free for up to two years of beach, boat and seaside use.”
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You shouldn’t expect audiophile sound from a mono Bluetooth speaker of this ilk. But for the most part, the Soundcore Boom 3i gives you what you want from a portable Bluetooth speaker sonically. By that I mean it plays strong for its size—it weighs about 1.8 pounds and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches—and it puts out a reasonable amount of bass and has pretty respectable clarity. You can find speakers that sound a little more natural, but these types of rugged portable speakers aren’t designed for critical listening.
The speaker features colorful LED lighting on each side.
I used it outdoors and indoors in a few rooms, including a bathroom (this makes a good bathroom speaker), and it was able to fill smaller rooms with sound. You can change the sound with the equalizer settings in the Soundcore companion app to iOS And Android and play with the settings of the built-in LED light show synced to the beat, which I kept off most of the time. You can also pair two of these speakers in stereo mode and get significantly better sound.
I tested the speaker’s playback in water by dropping it in a swimming pool. It did indeed turn around, so the speakers were facing up and the music continued to play, although the sound became a little garbled when a small wave passed over the speaker and the speakers started spewing water. In other words, it definitely sounds better out of the water than in the water.
One of the problems with Bluetooth devices is that Bluetooth doesn’t transmit in water, which is why you have to load MP3 files into memory when using wireless headphones while swimming (you can’t stream music to the headphones if your head is underwater). I don’t know where the Bluetooth antenna is on this speaker, but it’s probably on the side that stays above the surface when the speaker floats.
The Soundcore Boom 3i not only floats, but automatically corrects itself for a vertical orientation.
You can actually activate a Buzz Clean mode from the app that vibrates the speaker and blasts away dirt and particles, like sand after a day at the beach. After completing the Buzz Clean, you can then rinse the speaker to get it really clean.
The speaker also has another nice feature: holding down the “BassUp” bass boost button for 5 seconds triggers a 96-decibel emergency alarm – Anker says it’s clearly audible up to 100 meters away – with flashing red LED lights. You can press any button to turn off the alarm.
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Battery life is rated at 16 hours at moderate volume, which is decent for a speaker this size. It’s also worth pointing out that the Boom 3i has a Bluetooth range of 100 feet, which is better than the more typical 33 feet you get with many Bluetooth speakers.
The Soundcore Boom 3i in black, which is only $80 for Black Friday.