After taking a look at the SoundLink Plus vs the SoundLink Max portable speakers, we’re taking a look at the smallest and most affordable model in Bose’s SoundLink range, the SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen.
And as you might have gathered from this being a versus article, we’ve compared it to the older model, which is still going strong despite the SoundLink Micro arriving on the scene eight years ago.
What’s changed? What’s better? Has anything become worse? Read on to find out how the original and sequel SoundLink Micro compare to one another.
The sequel is slightly more expensive
When we first reviewed the original SoundLink Micro, it was going for £99. The price for 2nd Gen model has jumped up to £119.
That said, it does look as if the Gen I speaker did jump in price after it first launched as the Bose website has it listed at £119.
The same level of waterproofing
All models across the family of Bose’s portable wireless speaker carry the same IP67 rating. You get the same level of protection against dust and water whichever model you end up buying.
And whether you’re upgrading from the Micro to the 2nd Gen model, you getting the same level of water- and dust-proofing too. That might be a slight disappointment if you were expecting more, but in Bose’s defence, IP67 is one of the toughest out there.
An iP67 rating means dust can’t get inside the speaker, while it’s watertight when dunked into a body of water 1m deep for 30 minutes.
Double the battery life
The most obvious change from the older model is the jump up in battery life.
The original SoundLink Micro was good to go for up to six hours, fine for 2017 when the speaker was released but looking very ordinary in the year of 2025.
The SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen manages to double the battery life to 12 hours, which is much closer to the competition it has today.
Gen 2 SoundLink Micro gets a USB-C upgrade
The original SoundLink Micro had a Micro USB port. The sequel gets a USB-C upgrade but, surprinsingly, there’s not much in the way of benefits to be had.
Fast-charging support? There’s no mention of it in the specs. And both speakers take up to four hours to fully charge from low battery which suggests there’s no fast-charging support
Get to your music with just a Tap
It’s not only headphones that support Spotify Tap. A number of wireless and portable speakers do too.
The SoundLink Micro Gen 2 has a shortcut button that can be programmed via the Bose app to access your Spotify library. It’s a useful of getting to your favourite tracks quicker, though the Bose doesn’t support this feature for any other music service.
SoundLink Micro 2 offers better connections
The biggest leap over the original comes in the Bluetooth spec of the newer model.
The Bluetooth 4.2 connection has jumped up to Bluetooth 5.4 that supports Bluetooth multipoint to connect to two devices at once.
You’ve also got codec support for SBC, AAC, and aptX Adaptive. The SBC version offers the lowest quality but uses less data. AAC claims to offer CD-quality audio offer a Bluetooth connection, while aptX Adaptive is part of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound platform that boasts of lossless audio quality over a Bluetooth connection.
You’ll need compatible devices such as a smartphone that supports Snapdragon Sound to make the most of it though.
Early Verdict
Of course, the real difference you’ll want to know between these two speakers will be how they sound; but that’s not an aspect that we can judge at this moment. All we currently have are the specs, and there are improvements in some areas.
Battery life is better, the Bluetooth spec offers more potential in terms of sound quality and that might be enough to warrant the extra £20. Whether it is we’ll find out when we (hopefully) get the chance to review the SoundLink Micro 2nd Gen in the flesh.
