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Expert Score (From 3 Experts)70/100
Customer Score (From 4398 Reviews)4.4/5
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is an upmarket Bluetooth speaker that is available in two color trims and was first released in late 2019. Setting it up is pretty easy, and like most highly-rated speakers, it has a companion app (Bose Music) that allows owners to adjust its bass or treble.
Although, for a look at another model, check out the Bose S1 Pro System.
The best Bluetooth speakers have excellent connectivity, and so does the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. Its Bluetooth connection has a range of up to 334.6ft, and with built-in support for voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa, owners can also issue voice commands through it. The speaker has good build quality, but most owners might opt to restrict it to their homes. On the other hand, read our Google Home Max review if you’d prefer to use another smart speaker.
A more compact and durable alternative for outdoor use is the Beosound Explore, which we’ve covered in our Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore review. You can also learn more about this brand with another model: Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2.
Reasons to Buy
Reasons to Not
Compared to other brands’ similar models: Buyers choosing between the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and the Sonos Move must consider several differences before purchasing. For example, the Smart Speaker is both smaller and lighter than the Sonos Move, but the Sonos has a longer 10.1-hour battery life compared to Bose’s 5.3-hour capacity. The Sonos speaker also has a stereo pairing mode, while the Bose speaker does not.
Compared to the same brand’s similar models: The Bose Portable Smart Speaker has WiFi connectivity while the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II does not, but the Revolve+ II has speakerphone functionality while the Smart Speaker does not. The Smart Speaker also has a Bass and Treble EQ adjustment, while the Revolve+ II does not, but the latter has a longer 8.5-hour battery life than the Smart Speaker.
The Bose Portable Smart Speaker is battery-powered while the Bose Home Speaker 500 is not, but the Speaker 500 can play stereo content while the Smart Speaker cannot. The Smart Speaker is also lightweight and smaller than the Speaker 500. Check out our Bose Home Speaker 500 review for more insight into what else it has to offer.
