The Bose SoundLink Flex is a Bluetooth speaker sized for one hand, wrapped in silicone, and built to keep playing after you drop it in the sand, on a tile floor, or into the shallow end of a pool. The IP67 rating covers 30 minutes under a meter of water and complete resistance to dust. A single charge over USB-C keeps the speaker running for about 12 hours at moderate volume, which is enough for a beach day, a bike ride, or the length of any pool party you’d want to be at.
A portable speaker that’s perfect for taking on the go anywhere you travel to
IP67 protection means the SoundLink Flex survives 30 minutes submerged in up to a meter of water, and dust resistance blocks fine grit from getting inside. The silicone-wrapped body absorbs drops onto concrete or rocks that would crack a plastic housing. A metal speaker grill protects the front of the speaker, blocking the drivers from getting punched in during travel. The speaker also floats, so if you toss it into the pool by accident, it comes back up to the surface.
A custom-designed transducer plus two passive radiators drive the sound, tuned for the balance of clarity and bass Bose puts on its home speakers. PositionIQ technology automatically detects whether the speaker is standing up, lying flat, or hanging from the loop, and adjusts the sound output for the orientation. Bose SimpleSync also lets you extend audio from a Bose smart speaker or soundbar in another room to the SoundLink Flex. Party Mode pairs two units together for wider sound coverage.
Battery life reaches 12 hours per charge on a full battery at moderate volume. USB-C on the bottom is the charging port, taking about 4 hours from empty to full with a standard 7.5W USB-A adapter. Bluetooth 5.3 supports a range of about 30 feet between the speaker and your phone or laptop, with multipoint pairing that lets you connect two devices at once. SBC and AAC codecs are supported for wireless audio playback, which is standard for the Bluetooth 5.3 spec.
Physical dimensions come to 3.5 inches wide by 7.9 inches long by 2.1 inches deep, small enough to fit in a backpack pocket or clip onto a bag with the built-in nylon utility loop. It only weights 1.3 pounds, light enough to hang from a bike handlebar or a tent pole without stress on the mount. Color options include Black, Blue Dusk, Chilled Lilac, Sandstone, and Alpine Sage. Buttons on the top control power, Bluetooth pairing, volume, playback, and call answer for phone calls.
Bose sells a full range of SoundLink speakers, from the SoundLink Micro up to the SoundLink Max at the top. The SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen shown here fits in the middle, sized for a beach day, a park hangout, or a shower without falling into the boombox category. At $119, down from $149, the current sale takes $20 off the list price. For an outdoor speaker under $150, the SoundLink Flex earns a look before other options.