Bose speakers normally fall squarely in the “you get what you pay for” category. Exceptional quality, premium sound, but a price tag that’s a bracket or two higher than the competition. So when a Bose speaker shows up at Amazon with a two-digit price tag, it’s well worth a look. That’s what’s happening right now with the Bose SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker, which normally sells for $129 but is sitting at $99 in a limited-time Amazon deal.
The Bose SoundLink Micro is, as the name suggest, exceptionally small. It also, as the Bose name suggests, delivers outstanding sound that’s way bigger and better than anything a pocket-sized speaker should. Superior battery life, superior portability, superior sound, all for $99? We’re all in.
Bose Gets Better
The most significant upgrade to this 2nd Gen SoundLink Micro from the original is battery life. The 2nd Gen doubles it, landing at 12 hours of continuous playback. That’s a serious number for a speaker this size, and it means a full day at the beach, a long hike, or a weekend camping trip without hunting for a charger. The IP67 rating handles the rest — fully dustproof and waterproof, plus shock and rust resistance. You can drop it, dunk it, and leave it in a wet bag without much concern.
Sound-wise, Bose leans on its passive radiator design to pull signature deep Bose bass out of a speaker that has no business producing it. The result is audio that punches well above what the form factor suggests — crisp highs, more low-end thump than competing speakers at this size.
App Control On the Go
The Bose app adds adjustable EQ with bass, treble, and mid controls, which is a nice touch for a speaker in this class. Bluetooth range extends to 30 feet with improved bandwidth over the previous version. The utility strap is actually quite practical — it’s reinforced enough to attach to a carabiner or wrap around a handlebar without feeling like it’ll give out. For anyone building out a small Bose ecosystem, two SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen speakers can be paired together in either Stereo Mode or Party Mode, depending on whether you want separated channels or synchronized playback across both.
A $99 Bose speaker sounds gimmicky, or years-ago previous-gen, or refurbished. But the 2nd Gen SoundLink Micro Portable Bluetooth Speaker is none of the above, except for the $99 part, and even that’s due to an Amazon deal that’s specifically labeled “limited time.” In other words, time to get while the getting’s good.