Anker Soundcore Flare vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2: Which One Is Worth Buying?

This is the review of the comparison between two portable Bluetooth speakers from two popular brands in the market. The comparison here is between the Anker Soundcore Flare and the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2. There is around 10 dollars difference in their price range currently and that does bring the difference in their performances. To know which one is worth buying for the price, go to the detailed review.

Anker Soundcore Flarewonderboom 2
Anker Soundcore FlareUltimate Ears Wonderboom 2
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PROSPROS
Punchy sound for such a compact speaker.
Affordable.
Lights well executed.
Waterproof.
Lightweight and portable.
IP67 dust and water-resistant. Pair to another Wonderboom 2 for stereo sound.
Two-year warranty.
Portable and floats.
CONSCONS
Clunky voice control compared to smart speakers.
Various EQ modes don’t really alter audio that much.
Highs can be harsh.
No microphone.
Distortion increases with volume.
Micro USB charging. voice assistant functionality.

SPECIFICATIONS:

HEADERANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
BrandAnkerUltimate Ears
ModelSoundcore FlareWonderboom 2
GENERALANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
ManufacturerAnkerLogitech
Design Features
SPEAKER SYSYTEMANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Amplification Typeactiveactive
Crossover Channel Qty
Frequency Response
Output Features
Output Level (SPL)
Audio Amplifierintegratedintegrated
Connectivity TechnologyWirelessWireless
BATTERYANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Rechargeable Batteryrechargeablerechargeable
Run Time (Up To)12 hour(s)13 hour(s)
POWER DEVICEANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Power SourceBatteryBattery
OptionsUSB ChargingUSB charging
NETWORK AND INTERNET MULTIMEDIAANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Connectivity InterfacesBluetooth 4.2Bluetooth
Internet Streaming Services
SPEAKER SYSTEM DETAILSANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Speaker TypeSpeakerSpeaker
Speaker Channel Qty
Speaker Channel Type
DRIVER DETAILSANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Driver Typefull-range driverfull-range driver, passive radiator
Driver Qty
Driver Diameter40 mm, 46.1 x 65.2mm
CONNECTIONSANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
TypeDC power input
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
Width6 in3.8 in
Depth3.6 in3.8 in
Height3.6 in4.1 in
Weight18.72 oz14.81 oz
FEATURESANKER SOUNCORE FLAREULTIMATE EARS WONDERBOOM 2
FeaturesGive everyone in the room stage-side passes; Flare powers intense 360° sound via back-to-back full-range drivers and thumping bass radiators.

A customized digital signal processor first analyzes, then enhances your music’s bass frequencies in real time. This audio signal is then turned into intensified sound via state-of-the-art neodymium drivers. Just press the BassUp button and prepare yourself for power.

Watch a halo of LEDs phase, pulse, and shine with the rhythm of your music for a completely immersive audiovisual experience. 5 customizable modes elevate the atmosphere of any event or setting.

Flare is the first speaker to utilize the all-new Soundcore app; simple-but-powerful software that allows complete customization of Flare’s sound and lights via smartphone or tablet.

No matter where the music needs to be, Flare is suited up and ready. Super-safe IPX7 protection effortlessly withstands spills, rain, and even complete submersion in water. *We do not recommend partying underwater without breathing apparatus.

Soundcore’s Anker heritage offers world-renowned power management technology. Enjoy almost 250 songs from a single charge and make sure the party never ends early—if you can keep dancing Flare can keep playing.
Control your music right from the speaker. Use the big button on top to play, pause, and skip.

Rechargeable lithium-ion battery for up to 13 hours of battery life between micro-USB charges.

Connect up to 2 source devices simultaneously, wirelessly play (stream) music from either one.

Mobile range for music playback is up to 100 ft (30 m)

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Anker Soundcore Flare

The Soundcore Flare by Anker is my favorite portable Bluetooth speaker and it’s not just because of the lights it’s because of its sound quality at its budget-friendly price range. This speaker is retailing for around sixty-four dollars. This speaker is quite like the Amazon Echo in terms of looks and like the JBL Pulse 4 and 3 in terms of lighting on it.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

The UE Wonderboom 2 is actually a really good little speaker. This speaker is retailing for around a hundred and thirty dollars which is pretty cheap for a brand like UE, and it actually sounds really good. This speaker is retailing for around seventy-five dollars currently on Amazon. These are one of the great speaker producing great sound out of such a small factor.

Anker Soundcore Flare

DESIGN: 

Anker Soundcore Flare

I think the Flare is the most aesthetic speaker Anker has ever made by far, in the fact that they’ve managed to make it waterproof looking like this is just fascinating. As far as the design of the speaker, this speaker has a cylindrical body and is covered with a nice fabric. On the front of the speaker, there is the Anker logo on it and at the bottom is where you have got the light show. As far as the button controls, on the top of the speaker, there will be your media control buttons, above it will be the button with light symbol that’s going to give you the access between different light modes. Below the media button will be your bass up button. Behind the speaker is where you have got the power and Bluetooth buttons.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

On the top of the speaker is where there will be your power button, then your skip button, and then you have your Bluetooth button to pair this with another speaker. On the bottom of the speaker, you’ve actually got your outdoor boost button, so you can actually boost the audio when you are outdoor and make it louder for outdoor use. Behind the speaker at the bottom is where you have got a flap and when you open it, there is actually your charging port, so you can charge the speaker. This little is what will actually protect the speaker from water if you drop it in water.

wonderboom 2

FEATURES:

Anker Soundcore Flare

This speaker comes in a nicely packed box, and the box includes the Soundcore Flare itself, a user’s manual, safety instructions, and your micro USB cable. The Soundcore Flares sounds amazing as it is but what you might not know is that you can pair one with another Soundcore Flare to create a true wireless stereo setup. I think it even compares pretty favorably to the Amazon Echo. Definitely, this doesn’t have a smart assistant built-in but honestly, we’ve got enough of those around the house anyway. Almost everything about this speaker has been positive but there’s something I’m really not a fan of and it goes back to how you charge up the speaker. For whatever reason Soundcore has once again made the decision to include a micro USB port instead of USB-C. 

As far as the battery life of this speaker, inside the speaker, there is a forty-four hundred million power battery, that leads to 12 hours of playtime. I do like the fact that this automatically powers off after not being connected to a device for 30 minutes to preserve as much battery life as possible. Another great thing about this speaker is that you can play music while charging. Recharging this thing doesn’t take long with a 2 Amp charger, it will jump from 0 to 100% in about 3 and a half hours. Bluetooth version 4.2 is also on board, which while it isn’t the latest 5.0 standard is far from a deal-breaker and I’ve had little issues with the connectivity as long as I’m within a reasonable distance, which is generally 30 to 60 feet tops for Bluetooth.

The lights and app control aren’t the only things that make the Flare stand out though. The speaker is rated IPX7 water-resistant, which means you won’t have to worry about getting splashes on this speaker out by the pool or using it in the rain, you could probably even fully submerge this under 1 meter of water for about 30 minutes but it does float. In fact, I dumped it into a bucket of water for my own testing, and although it was noticeably quieter underwater, it was still playing and after drying out for a bit sending just like I did out of the box. But keep in mind, to have this waterproofing work, you must have this flap closed that hides the port as well as the aux input, so make sure that’s closed before you put it in or get it close to water, that way you’re surely safe.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

This speaker is drop resistant not really drop-proof, it’s more resistant and it’s also water-resistant that is IP67 rated as well and also, this speaker does float. As far as the battery on this speaker, the company claims it be 13 hours of play time from which you could expect 10 hours worth of playtime if you use this around 50% volume. If you go for higher volume then you should expect it be half of what the company claims.

As far as the Bluetooth connectivity, the company claims 100 feet range out of this speaker. I tested out the Bluetooth range by going around 50 feets away from my mobile and it worked properly and when I was about 80 feets away it started to disconnect and connect and when I reached 100 feets away I was fully disconnected. Still, 50 feets is enough and good for Bluetooth speaker of this price range. As far as the lag latency on this, that means the delay in what we hear and what we see, there was no delay with both Youtube and Netfilx.

To pair this speaker with your mobile, you need to press the power button on the top of the speaker first, and then, you need to keep the Bluetooth on your mobile. Then turn press and hold the Bluetooth button the top of the speaker for few seconds, it will make some sound that means your speaker is in the pairing mode and the Wonderboom 2 will pop up on your mobile screen, just select it, and once your select it, the speaker will again make some sound that means you are done. Once you pair this up, it will automatically be connected from the next time.

Anker Soundcore Flare

SOUND QUALITY:

Anker Soundcore Flare

As far as the sound quality of this speaker, after all a speaker is pretty much worthless if it sounds like crap no matter how many extra features there are and how much water you can spell in it. But, I am really very happy to report that the Soundcore Flare sounds incredible. In fact, it’s probably one of the best aspects of this speaker. Honestly, I am blown away by the sound it produces. 

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2

As far as the sound quality on this speaker, you have two option to boost the sound quality on this that  is the indoor mode and the outdoor mode. I tested out the sound quality on this with both the modes. As far as the indoor mode, it sounds really good, for the price it is really nice. You can actually hear the instrument separation, the vocals were clear, and has nice bass to it. As far as the outdoor mode, what that does is it makes the speaker sound little more louder and also, makes the vocals more clear than you would actually get with the indoor mode in outdoor.

wonderboom 2

WHICH ONE IS WORTH BUYING?

In my opinion, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 is worth buying for the price than the Anker Soundcore Flare because even though the price of Wonderboom 2 is more than the Anker Soundcore Flare it does sound really better than the Anker Soundcore Flare and also it does have better battery life and also, its battery performance is better than the Anker Soundcore Flare. Also, the Anker Soundcore Flare has lagging issues while the Wonderboom 2 doesn’t have any lag.

Expert Reviews of Anker Soundcore Flare:

By kit.honestjohn.co.uk
Anker’s Soundcore Flare is a portable waterproof speaker — fully submergible in water, no less, so you’re safe if some idiot kicks it into your swimming pool at…

By PCMag
The Soundcore Flare from Anker is a powerful portable speaker that puts on a cool LED light show.

By TechRadar
The Anker Soundcore Flare combines the best features of its competitors into an affordable package that’s tough to beat. For the price, the Flare offers good…

By Sound Guys
The Anker Soundcore Flare might be the speaker to beat this summer. It’s waterproof, inexpensive, and has a much better design than any of the previous Soundcore speakers.

Expert Reviews of Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2:

By TechHive
This tiny speaker is entirely unimpressive, with thin, closed-in sound and wimpy bass. It’s hardened against the elements, but that doesn’t make up for poor sound quality.

By Craving Tech
Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 is a wonderful piece of compact, portable, Bluetooth speaker that can withstand some punishment while letting out loud, clear sound even outdoor. While most small portable speakers can struggle in the midst of wind and chatter,…

By TheStreaminBlog
The original Wonderboom was already a well-designed speaker that delivers high-quality audio, and this newer version comes with enhanced features. The Wonderboom 2’s design has slight changes, while its 360-degree sound has a better bass response. It…

By MobileSyrup
“Its compact size, 100 percent passable sound, battery life, and waterproofing has made it the perfect speaker for me — and likely you as well depending on what you’re looking for from a portable…

BY TrustedReviews
With the Wonderboom 2, UE succeeds again – delivering a superb, big sound, with some useful features to boot – for the same price as the original at launch. Even though that model is now available at almost half its price, the Wonderboom 2’s refinements make it a choice pick.