The Soundcore Boom 2 by Anker is a portable outdoor Bluetooth speaker with 80W of 2.1-channel output from a 50W racetrack subwoofer and dual 15W tweeters. Its IPX7-rated body floats rather than sinks if it gets knocked into a pool, making it an excellent choice for outdoor use. BassUp 2.0 pushes the system to its full 80W when more low-end is needed, and Anker rates the battery at 24 hours per charge. A built-in power bank also lets the Boom 2 charge your phone over USB-C, and you can use PartyCast 2.0 to connect it to over 100 other Soundcore speakers to cover larger spaces.
A portable speaker with plenty of oomph that you’ll appreciate
The Soundcore Boom 2’s racetrack subwoofer delivers plenty of low-end power, and the BaseUp 2.0 feature boosts it from 60W to 80W when activated, at the expense of more battery usage. The bass-heavy sound profile is excellent for the outdoors, where you don’t get reverb from walls, but the app’s customizable EQ lets you boost the mids and highs if they’re getting drowned out.
The IPX7-rated Boom 2 can withstand full submersion to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. This is sufficient to protect against accidental exposure to water from going to the beach, having someone knock your speaker into a swimming pool, or getting caught in the rain while grilling. If the speaker does get knocked into the water, rather than sinking to the bottom of the pool, it simply floats to the surface.
Anker rates battery life at 24 hours per charge with BassUp and the lights turned off, which holds up well for an all-day outdoor session without needing to plug in. The built-in power bank turns the Boom 2 into a backup USB-C charger for any phone running low on battery, useful for long beach days or extended cookouts where outlets aren’t an option.
The RGB lights sit on the side passive radiators and can either sync with the music for a moving show or hold a solid color through the Soundcore app. PartyCast 2.0 lets the Boom 2 chain with over 100 other Soundcore speakers cover large outdoor spaces with the same audio stream, and pairing two Boom 2s in TWS mode splits the audio into proper stereo channels when the speakers are placed further apart.
At $90 with the $50 discount applied, the Soundcore Boom 2 is an easy pickup for anyone shopping for an outdoor speaker that handles water and runs all day on a charge. The $140 list isn’t unreasonable on its own, but the sale makes it noticeably more competitive next to similarly spec’d alternatives.