This is the review of the comparison between two portable Bluetooth speakers from the same brand but from different series. The comparison here is between the Bose SoundLink Micro and the Bose SoundLink Color II. There is only thirty dollars difference in their price range but that does bring in their features and performances. To know which one is good for you to buy, go to the detailed review.

Bose SoundLink Micro	Bose SoundLink Color II
BUY NOW	BUY NOW
PROS	PROS
Fully waterproof. Ruggedised and portable design. Multiconnect. Massive sound from a palm-sized design. Speakerphone capabilities.	Delivers impressive sound. IPX4 certification. Works with voice assistants. Multipoint Bluetooth.
CONS	CONS
Average battery life. Doesn’t float. Latency issues. Micro-USB for charging. The Micro-USB port should be USB-C for faster charging times.	Average battery life. A virtual assistant is nearly inaudible. No AC adapter included.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Detail Review:

INTRODUCTION:

Bose SounLink Micro

The Bose SoundLink Micro is one of the popular speakers from the Bose. This speaker is retailing for around a hundred dollars which is mong the budget-friendly-sided speakers in the market. This is one of the smallest speakers from the Bose but still, it produces a louder sound which is unbelievable considering its size.

Bose SounLink Color II

The SoundLink Color 2 from Bose although seems to be the same internals as the original, refresh the design and added some notable features such as NFC for quick pairing and a mic for speakerphone. The SoundLink Color 2 is the most portable and least expensive Bluetooth speaker that Bose makes. It’s available in four colors blue, red, black, and white.

DESIGN:

Bose SounLink Micro

As far as the design of this speaker, it has a pebble-shaped design and covered with rubber material all around it making the entire speaker rugged and durable. Also, the rubber material all around it makes the speaker waterproof rated up to IPX7 which means it is submersible in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. On the back of the speaker, there is a strap that helps you in hanging the speaker on your bike or backpack, and also, the strap is tare resistant as advertised by Bose.

On the front of the speaker, you have Bose logo, below that there are three buttons as the Volume up and down button, and a functional button that acts as a play and pause button, and also activates your voice assistance. Half part of the front of the speaker has a grille to let the sound come out of the speaker. Then on the top of the speaker, you have two buttons one is the power button and the Bluetooth button, and in the center, you have Led lights that indicate the battery left in your speaker.

Bose SounLink Color II

The design was a common complaint on the original SoundLink Color. It was a bit ugly and it looked cheap but Bose did a great job in this by simplifying the design and giving it a more premium look. It measures 5.25 inches tall, 5 inches wide, and 2.25 inches deep. It’s got a bit of heft to it as well weighing in at one point to five pounds. It’s got a very dense feel with no hollow spots or flexing in the body.

The entire body is wrapped in a soft-touch silicone material that’s got a really nice smooth feel. The speaker grille takes up the majority of the front panel with a Bose logo at the top. Around the back is another grille for the rear-facing passive radiator and a more subtle Bose logo. There’s a 3.5-millimeter auxiliary input to connect non-Bluetooth devices as well as a micro USB port to charge.

FEATURES:

Bose SounLink Micro

As far as the battery life, it’s a tiny little speaker I don’t know exactly the way it works inside, as far as the battery sizes but it’s definitely on the lower end of the scale for Bluetooth speakers and battery life.  Using the Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth speaker for about two weeks, I’ve noticed that the performance overall is acceptable but it’s not acceptable for a Bose product, and it’s acceptable for $100.

Overall, it is a great little speaker, it’s something you don’t have to worry about getting wet, you can carry around with you, you can almost just fit this in your pocket. But as far as the value, the value is definitely not there. There are other speakers somewhat in this size range, that will definitely blow the doors off the value for this thing. It’s a Bose speaker, you’re paying a lot for the name, you do get some good sound quality with it but once you get over two-thirds with this, it’s just very disappointing.

It’s not worth the $100 you’re gonna pay. If you’re not gonna use it for anything but just sitting on a desk and playing some light music, you’re not gonna take it outside, you’re not looking for that great value for battery life for being able to play it loud for long periods of time, then it should work fine for you if that’s all you’re gonna use it for. But if you’re gonna take it outside, you’re going down to the lake or the beach or hooking it on a bicycle, you’re gonna want it up louder and chances are you’re gonna want it to last, it’s not gonna last you’re gonna have to charge it up again if you’re gonna be out all day. There are definitely other Bluetooth speakers that will live up to that, this is not going to. I definitely regret buying.

Bose SounLink Color II

Inside of the box, you’ll find the speaker, a micro USB cable to charge as well as some documentation, there’s a Quick Start Guide, safety information, and phone support. You won’t get a wall adapter to charge which seems to be the trend but I like it when companies include that in. The SoundLink Color 2 is water-resistant but it’s not waterproof. Most speakers like this will hide the port’s behind a weather-sealed door, so while this makes accessing the ports easier, Bose points out in the manual to not allow liquids to spill into any openings. The SoundLink Color 2 is an IPX4 rating, which means that it’ll withstand sprays and splashes of water, so it’ll be fine in the rain but it can’t be fully submerged in water.

Performance was pretty average, call quality is clear but the caller on the other end could tell I was using a speakerphone and it sounded like I was in the distance. A nice feature that Bose added to the Color 2 is NFC for quick pairing, so if you have NFC on your phone, a quick tap to the top of the speaker is all you need to connect otherwise pairing through Bluetooth is fast and simple. The speaker will remember up to eight paired devices and you could connect two devices at the same time, and quickly switch between the two without having to pair and unpair. So, you can pause and playback on one device and resume on another.

You can also switch between two devices just by tapping the Bluetooth button. The speaker also has voice prompts, so it’ll read aloud the remaining battery life each time you power it on or it will tell you which device you’re currently connected to. Bluetooth is rated at up to 30 feet but in my testing, it was as good as most other speakers I’ve used. I was able to get a solid and stable connection all over my house from one end to the other between multiple walls at almost 50 feet. It only started to drop when I walked outside past the 50 feet.

SOUND QUALITY:

Bose SounLink Micro

The Bose SoundLink Micro’s sound quality is really good at 50% volume, but when I get up to about two-thirds volume, it starts kind of almost buzzing, muffled, and gets distorted a little bit. It doesn’t sound good, definitely not for a Bose speaker. This speaker sounds good from 2/3 volume and lower but once I get up to that 2/3, the bass starts to disappear and you can’t expect a lot out of the speaker but it definitely has to be able to perform at some of those volumes above 2/3. 

Bose SounLink Color II

As far as the sound quality, the SoundLink Color 2 doesn’t disappoint. The two drivers along with dual passive radiators, do a good job at delivering a balanced and accurate sound signature. The bass is tight and responsive but it lacks a bit in the low end. Bose suggests placing this near a wall, which does improve bass performance but it doesn’t really help the speaker much outdoors. You’ll notice the detail in the bass guitar and the kick drum hits hard but pounding bass and pop in EDM comes up short. 

WHICH TO BUY?

In my opinion, the Bose SoundLink Color II is good for you to buy than the Bose SoundLink micro because it has better battery life, they added some notable features like NFC and speakerphone, they also refine the design giving it a much more premium look. The SoundLink Color 2 delivers a very balanced and accurate sound even though it comes just a bit short in the bass Department but it is definitely better than the SoundLink Micro.

Expert Reviews of Bose SoundLink Micro:

By Expert Reviews
If you told me this speaker was £40, I’d excuse its poor sound for its multifunctional voice-assistant button and…

By cnet
The well-built and travel-friendly Bose SoundLink Micro is arguably the best-sounding speaker in its tiny size class.

By Sound Guys
If you’re knee-deep in the Bose ecosystem and want a travel-friendly speaker that can withstand nearly anything, the SoundLink Micro is a great addition…

By Pocket-lint
As small-scale Bluetooth speakers go, the Bose SoundLink Micro brings mega sound and volume…

By Craving Tech
Bose SoundLink Micro is a compact and lightweight portable speaker with the power to deliver sound, perfect for outdoor adventures…

Expert Reviews of Bose SoundLink Color II:

By Sound Guys
For those who like to host events and are already knee-deep in the Bose ecosystem, the SoundLink Color II makes for…

By Tech Radar
The Bose SoundLink Color II offers good sound quality and tons of features in a compact, splash-proof body. However, it…

By vizone.com
Still, the SoundLink Colour II deserves to be on your list if you need a simple yet powerful portable with a small…

By PCMag
For its size, the Bose SoundLink Color II delivers a very solid audio experience, with rich lows matched with crisp highs. Anyone seeking a massive…