Bose has shrunk down their best selling SoundLink to a more bag-friendly size in the SoundLink. At around 50% of the height and weight, this $200 Bluetooth speaker is a nice option for small but powerful speaker output for any of your media devices. It’s available now through Verizon Wireless.
Build
With an aluminum shell and a flat metal grill face, the SoundLink Mini is sleek yet “throwback” looking. It measures just 2 x 7.1 x 2.3 inches, is 1.5 pounds, and is sturdy and solid. Its grey finish is a sophisticated stunner, and you can change colors and protect your speaker with optional $24.95 rubber covers available in green borders with a clear center, blue borders with a clear center or all-over orange. This is strictly a Bluetooth speaker, so you can’t call with it because there’s no microphone included.
The rubber button controls sit on top of the speaker, with Volume Up/Down, Mute and Power on the left. On the right, includes an Auxiliary input and Bluetooth buttons. Lights above the Power and Mute buttons indicate if the speaker is on and muted, and lights above the Bluetooth and Auxiliary input buttons indicate which input is active. The Bluetooth light flashes blue when the speaker is in pairing mode, which can be accessed by pressing the Bluetooth button for a few seconds. The right side of the speaker holds a power connector and a 3.5mm audio input. On the bottom, there’s a large rubber foot that keeps it in place and covers the rechargeable battery, along with contact points for the included charging cradle and a micro USB port.
Juicing it Up
The Verizon Bose SoundLink Mini doesn’t charge through the micro USB port, which is only used for servicing the speaker and upgrading the firmware. Rather, it comes with a charging cradle that accepts the same power connection as the speaker itself. The battery can give you around 7.5 hours on a charge, based on our test. The charging connections are easy to make thanks to the functional cradle. When placed in the cradle, the speaker makes a loud chime when it starts to charge, letting you know you can leave it be.
Output
The SoundLink Mini puts out some impressive sound for its size…much like all Bose equipment. It’s sound is very directional and its 360-degree audio field makes it sound like you don’t know where the hell the speaker is actually located. Additionally, the SoundLink Mini sounds good anywhere, even placed against a wall and facing the a room. While the bass lacks the thump of its big brother, the Mini still performs adequately in this category. Mid and mid-highs are the SoundLink Mini are its biggest strengths.
Final Impression and Recommendation
The Bose SoundLink Mini, available at Verizon, is a lot of power in a small package. It’s output is very impressive, and its size bodes well for any bag, purse or under-the-arm transport. The charging cradle is very handy, and even though it doesn’t have a speakerphone function, it provides some of the best sound quality around in the mini bluetooth speaker category. Would you expect anything different from Bose? You can purchase the Bose SoundLink Mini through Verizon Wireless for $199.99. Visit Click here for purchasing information.
This review unit was provided by Verizon for review, and no compensation has been given for the above opinions or content
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