We think the SoundLink Max is one of the best portable speakers you can currently buy, so we were rather excited when Bose announced two more speakers in the SoundLink Plus and SoundLink Micro.
The SoundLink Max is Bose’s flagship portable speaker and comes with a price befitting its status. If that asking price is too dear for your wallet, you might consider eyeing up the SoundLink Plus.
What’s the difference between the two speakers? We cover all the main similarities and differences between the portable speakers ahead of our review of the SoundLink Plus.
The SoundLink Max is more expensive
Let’s begin with the most important fact. The SoundLink Max is the more expensive speaker.
That shouldn’t be a surprise given it is the flagship model and the SoundLink Plus slots into the mid-range area, but it does mean that if you want the best that Bose has to offer, you’ll have to shell out.
The SoundLink Max’s RRP is £399 / $399, though you can find it discounted to £299 on Bose’s and elsewhere such as Amazon and Currys.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207732
The SoundLink Plus is priced at £249 / $269, so you’re making savings well in excess of £100 / $100.
SQUIRREL_PLAYLIST_10207731
Same level of water/dust resistance
The design shares some common traits in terms of the aesthetic. They both come with handles, though the SoundLink Plus features more of a loop than a traditional carry handle.
Where they are exactly the same is with the water and dust resistance. Both speakers hit IP67, which means both speakers can suvrive a drop into water of up 1m deep for 30 minutes; and that they’re both dust-tight.
Both speakers are also resistant against shocks and rust, so they should be able to a) survive most of what the great outdoors can throw at them (except, we guess, wild animals) and b) they can last a long time. Speaking of..
Equal battery life
Both speakers hit the same level of durability, anf they also have similar battery life.
The SoundLink Max can reach up to 20 hours and the same is true of the SoundLink Plus.
Moreso, you can charge your smartphone by connecting it to both speakers’ USB-C input, so if your phone’s lacking charge you can give it a boost.
They both support Fast Pair and Spotify Tap
If you’re starting to see a trend, it’s that the SoundLink Max and SoundLink Plus are quite evenly matched on the specs front and that continues with its connectivity options.
There’s Google Fast Pair for quickly connecting to Android devices; while there’s Spotify Tap support for accessing your Spotify library with a prompt.
Bose’s SimpleSync technology also makes it easier to group compatible Bose speakers and soundbars together to play sound.
The SoundLink Max comes with an aux input
It’s becoming something of a rarity but it hasn’t disappeared completely, but a difference between the Max and the Plus speakers is that the former speaker comes with an analogue input to plug in a device such as a portable music player, or if you wanted to create a physical connection to a laptop.
Early Verdict
We can’t comment on the sound as we’ve not tested the SoundLink Plus, but if we had to guess, we’d say that the audio quality would be similar in terms of richness, but the Plus wouldn’t sound as big or have bass that goes as deep. That’s our guess at this stage.
Otherwise, Bose has made an effort to make the design and feature-set consistent across both speakers, a decision we applaud.
Given the SoundLink Max is the flagship speaker, we’d presume that would offer the best sound; but you’re not missing out too much with the SoundLink Plus as the IP rating, battery life and connectivity is very similar.
We’ll be looking to see how good it is when we review the SoundLink Plus.
