The Anker Soundcore 2 has been a genius act among the most affordable Bluetooth speakers, gaining some serious reputation for quality sound on a low budget. This is one of the Bluetooth speakers that balance performance and portability, considering its price at roughly $40 and an overall great choice for any casual listener.

Anker Soundcore 2: Design and Build Quality

    The Soundcore 2 is compact; it has a sleek, minimalist design that easily fits into a bag, making it perfect for on-the-go use. It is also IPX7 waterproof, which means it will be resistant to rains and splashes and even brief submerging into water. Perfect for the great outdoors.

    The Anker Soundcore 2 features some very solid build quality: there's a rugged metal grille protecting the drivers and a rubberized exterior that feels rugged when in hand.   While the rubber material loves to pick up fingerprints, it is easily cleanable with just one quick wipe. The speaker is IPX7-rated for both dust and water resistance, adding to the overall durability, though it does lack an impact resistance rating. In the manual, it was said that the speaker is not allowed to fall, meaning that it should be handled with care to avoid drops. The controls are really simple and functional.

    On the top of this speaker, there is the power button, volume buttons, audio play/pause button, and a Bluetooth pairing.You can tap the play button twice continuously to forward into the next track, but unfortunately, there is no going back to previous tracks. Press and hold to turn the voice assistant on. The play button can also be used to answer an incoming call by pressing it; hold to end the call.

    The Anker SoundCore 2 has compact dimensions of 165mm x 54mm x 45mm, which make it small enough that you can slip it into a bag without worrying about it getting damaged. With its bar-shaped design, it's both portable and space-efficient, but lightweight enough to make carrying comfortable without hassle. 

Anker Soundcore 2: Sound Quality

    The Soundcore 2 is a bit of a monster in such a tiny speaker package, with two 6W drivers and a bass port. This will ensure clear mids and highs with surprisingly deep bass. Testing showed that while it doesn't compete with more expensive models on audio quality, for its small size it's actually quite clear and loud, and can be used indoors and outdoors.

    The Anker Soundcore 2 isn't accurate in terms of frequency response. Like most small speakers, similar to the Sony SRS-XB12, it lacks deep bass; hence, you will not feel the full thump in bass-heavy tracks. Although you can hear vocals and lead instruments loud and clear with clarity in the mid-range, the upper harmonics of these sounds may be somewhat subdued, while sibilants like the S and T sounds aren't that clear. If you need a speaker with an adjustable sound profile, take a look at the Anker Soundcore 3 instead.

    The impression was that of an excellent Vocal performance, clear, well-projected sound. The tracks sounded great when using artists such as Ed Sheeran, Rag'n'Bone Man, and Dua Lipa. It is powerful enough without being over-powering. While it's not going to catch every nuance in the top or bottom of the vocal range, the overall tone remains pleasant and a pleasure to listen to with a slant toward a warm, alive sound. It is biased slightly toward female vocals, though males come through just fine and also maintain a very high clarity.

    In terms of volume, the Anker SoundCore 2 is less than we had expected. It provides enough sound levels in a silent environment, but fails to compete against background noise when getting louder. Against the UE Wonderboom, the SoundCore 2 was far outperformed: the UE Wonderboom had much higher maximum volume and better handling of distortion.

Anker Soundcore 2: Battery Life

    By far, one of the high points of the Soundcore 2 is its battery life. The mainstay of any speaker, Anker claims up to 24 hours of playtime on a single charge with its 5200mAh battery, making this one of the longest-running speakers in this price bracket and ideal for longer listening sessions.

    It has a quite long battery life for its price. Although the company promises as many as 24 hours of battery life, real-life results may change depending on usage. Besides, this speaker has an auto-off feature that switches on after about twenty minutes of inactivity to help save battery life even more.

Anker Soundcore 2: Connectivity

    The Soundcore 2 features Bluetooth 4.2 to connect, which offers a stable connection up to 66 feet away and aux input for wired use. Pairing is easy, while it remembers the last device it was connected to; therefore, re-connections are not at all fiddly.

    The Anker Soundcore 2 has good Bluetooth connectivity, although the use of connection with one device at a time might be a drawback; some users would like to switch between various devices.It has very minimal latency with both Android and iOS devices, hence suitable for watching videos and movies. However, the different apps can handle latency differently to affect your experience. In this case, the better option would be the JBL Flip 5 because it is capable of connecting with two devices at the same time. 

    With pairing and the use, the speaker has been seamlessly easy and perfect. It auto-connects with my LG G6 in no time, just like its very easy initial setup. In order to pair, you should first switch the speaker on, press and hold the Bluetooth button until the LED starts blinking. Then, enable Bluetooth on your device and search for "Soundcore 2". It will usually appear within about 5 seconds. Once it appears, tap on it to connect. The whole process took around 15 to 20 seconds.

Is Anker Soundcore 2 Worth Buying in 2024?

    If you're looking for a reliable and affordable Bluetooth speaker, the Anker Soundcore 2 should be one of the first to consider. For a relatively modest price, you get good sound, great battery life, and solid waterproofing. The Soundcore 2 can serve well both at home and on the road, delivering on all of its promises-a surefire way to top the class rating.