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Bose SoundLink Plus: Two-minute review
The Bose SoundLink Plus fits the gap between the SoundLink Flex and SoundLink Max nicely. Like its two older siblings, the SoundLink Plus is a sturdy, silicone-and-steel speaker that has an impressive IP67 rating against dust and moisture, can be controlled either via an app or by using buttons on the speaker itself, and will play nicely with other speakers in the Bose line-up.
Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive compatibility and multi-point connectivity is a decent start. A mid/bass driver and a tweeter supported by four passive radiators is welcome specification too, even if Bose is doing its usual thing of failing to quote power, frequency response or any other even mildly interesting information. And battery life of 20 hours (with a following wind) looks good too, especially when you consider a) the speaker’s USB-C slot can also output, as well as receive, power, and b) the battery can be replaced if and when the need arises.
As far as performance goes too, it’s established SoundLink business as usual. Which means expansive and full-figured low frequencies, plenty of detail across the board, direct and informative midrange and a top end that doesn’t get carried away with itself.
One of the best Bluetooth speakers around then, just like it’s big brother? Well, in this instance, the SoundLink sonic recipe also means bass sounds that could be better controlled and, as a consequence, rhythmic expression that isn’t as convincing as it might be. Whether or not this is a deal-breaker when balanced against everything the Bose does well will very much depend on you…
Bose Soundlink Plus review: Price and release date
- Available from June 26, 2025
- Priced $269 / £249 / AU$429
The Bose SoundLink Plus is on sale from June 26, 2025, and in the United Kingdom it costs £249. In the company’s native United States it sells for $269, while in Australia you’re looking at AU$429.
That puts it, as you’d expect, a good deal cheaper than the June 2024-issue Bose SoundLink Max it joins in the range, which made its debut at $399 / £399 / AU$599 and hasn’t seen too many dips in price since (partly because it is a fantastic speaker).
But it’s still a fair bit pricier than our top Bluetooth speaker pick, the JBL Flip 7, which arrived in March 2025 and can be yours for $149 / £129 / AU$179.
Has Bose’s gamble paid off? Let’s dig in!
Bose SoundLink Plus review: Specs
|
Weight: |
1.45kg |
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Dimensions: |
99 x 231 x 86mm (HxWxD) |
|
Battery life (quoted): |
20 hours |
|
Connectivity: |
Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive codec support |
|
Drivers: |
1x mid/bass driver, 1x tweeter, 4x passive radiators |
|
Aux-in: |
No |
|
Charger port: |
USB-C |
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Microphone: |
No |
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Waterproof rating: |
IP67 |
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Bose SoundLink Plus review: Features
- Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX Adaptive codec support
- Mid/bass driver, tweeter, four passive radiators
- Up to 20 hours of battery life
The SoundLink Plus uses Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity, and is compatible with SBC, AAC and aptX Adaptive codecs. There’s multi (for which read ‘two’) -point connectivity available, too.
Once your digital audio content is on board the Bose, it’s delivered by a speaker driver array consisting on a mid/bass driver, a tweeter, and no fewer than four passive radiators. Bose being Bose, of course, the size and composition of these drivers, their position within the cabinet, and the amount of power that’s driving them, is privileged information. And that’s also the case where the type of amplification the Plus uses, and the frequency response it’s capable of achieving, are concerned too.
If you’re judicious about the volume level you listen at, you should be able to listen to the Plus for as much as 20 hours between charges; if you’re not, you’ll be lucky to get five hours of action. Should the worst happen and your Bose runs flat, charging it back to ‘full’ takes a lazy five hours – although the USB-C slot on the rear of the chassis can also be used as a power output if you need to charge your smartphone or what-have-you. The battery can be replaced by Bose service engineers should the need ever arise, which is a nice nod to a more sustainable tech future too.
Bose SoundLink Plus review: Design
- 99 x 231 x 86mm (HxWxD)
- IP67
- Choice of three finishes
You’ll make your own mind up about the way the Bose SoundLink Plus looks, and you’ll certainly have an opinion about the available finishes (black, ‘dusk’ blue or the acidic ‘citrus’ yellow), but there’s no arguing with the hardiness of this 99 x 231 x 86mm (HxWxD) speaker.
Thanks in large part to the use of soft-touch silicone in its construction, the Bose is shock-proof. Thanks to an IP rating of IP67, it’s basically immune to the effects of dust and water – in fact, Bose claims it’s perfectly happy being submerged in up to a metre of water for 30 minutes at a time. The SoundLink Plus floats, though, so you’d have to be pretty patient to test this out definitively. And thanks to a loop of sturdy nylon rope at one end of the chassis, the speaker’s 1.45kg weight can be borne by the strap of a bag or something like that.
Like the larger SoundLink Max, the front of the Plus is a powder-coated steel grille. At the rear there’s a smaller perforated grille, along with a USB-C slot that can move power in either direction.
Bose SoundLink Plus review: Sound quality
- Spacious, detailed and punchy presentation
- Impressive dynamic headroom
- Not the last word in rhythmic positivity
It’s not, strictly speaking, a game of two halves because the positives in the way the SoundLink Plus sounds are much more numerous than the negatives. But equally, this Bose is not what I can truthfully describe as an ‘all-rounder’.
As far as the positives go, they are plentiful and gratifying. With a Qobuz-derived hi-res FLAC file of Boring and Weird Historical Music by Telemachus playing, the fractionally warm tonal balance makes a lot of sense and the speaker’s ability to extract plenty of detail throughout the frequency range is straightforwardly impressive. The direct nature of the midrange allows voices to reveal plenty of character and attitude along with the more usual information regarding tone and technique. And at the top of the frequency range, the SoundLink Plus attacks with well-judged gusto, bringing a bit of bite and shine to treble sounds without straying into hardness – even if you’re playing at big volumes (which you won’t be, because it affects battery life so fundamentally).
Bose, of course, isn’t saying how much power is available here, but whatever the specific number it’s more than enough to ensure the SoundLink Plus has more than enough dynamic headroom to deal with the shifts in intensity and/or volume that pepper this recording. The speaker is happy to go very loud indeed without altering its overall sonic characteristics, and when playing at more considered volumes its ability to identify and contextualise even very transient details of harmonic variations is pretty impressive.
And as well as dealing in outright volume, the Bose also creates a large soundstage by the standards of reasonably compact single-enclosure speakers. There’s a sensation of space that’s by no means a given when listening to wireless speakers at this sort of money, an openness that means even involved recordings like Radiohead’s The National Anthem are fairly easy to follow on an individual-instrument basis.
The SoundLink Plus has fairly even frequency response inasmuch as no area is underplayed or overstated to any great degree – but it doesn’t integrate the lowest frequencies with everything happening above them as smoothly as it might. The amount of punch and low-end substance the speaker can summon is impressive, certainly, but there’s a relative lack of control where attack and decay are concerned that means the plentiful bass can drag at tempos a little. Rhythmic expression isn’t as naturalistic as it might be, and low-frequency information can sound just a little estranged from the otherwise-unified presentation.
Bose SoundLink Plus review: setup & usability
- App or button control
- Two SoundLink Plus can form a stereo pair
- No mics means no voice control
There’s a mildly recessed strip of physical controls across the top of the SoundLink Plus – the action is rubbery but quite positive at the same time. Here’s where you can deal with ‘power on/off’, ‘volume up/down’, ‘play/pause’, Bluetooth pairing, and also access a ‘shortcut’ button.
The function of the ‘shortcut’ button can either be ‘access Spotify’ or ‘speaker link’ – you’ll define what you want it to do in the Bose control app that’s free for iOS and Android. ‘Access Spotify’ doesn’t really require any further explanation, but it’s worth noting that ‘speaker link’ allows two SoundLink Plus to form a stereo pair, or any other Bose speaker with a ‘shortcut’ button of its own to share content.
Other app functions include EQ presets and a three-band equaliser to create some settings of your own. There’s the ability to check for firmware updates, and an indication of remaining battery power. As is standard Bose practice, the app is nothing much to look at but is stable, logical and useful.
Bose SoundLink Plus review: Value
The SoundLink Plus is decent value for money, no two ways about it. Yes, it can be bettered for battery life and for charging time, and there are speakers out there with more comprehensive control options. But it’s built to last (and thanks to that IP67 rating, to last anywhere), looks good, and is potent enough to fill even quite large spaces with sound. Sound that’s reasonably balanced, unarguably punchy and actually quite revealing, what’s more.
Should I buy the Bose SoundLink Plus?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Strong app support |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
Robustly made and beautifully (Bose-fully?) finished |
4.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Bold and thoroguhly Bose once more, if just a tad lethargic through the bass |
4/5 |
|
Value |
However you look at it, it’s a contender at the level |
4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Bose SoundLink Plus review: Also consider
How I tested the Bose SoundLink Plus
- Tested for two weeks
- Dual sources used: iPhone 14 Pro and a FiiO M15S digital audio player
- Listened in my home and on the beach
Thanks to its multipoint connectivity, I was able to connect my Apple iPhone 14 Pro and my FiiO M15S digital audio player to the SoundLink Plus at the same time – switching between the two gave a great indication of how well the Bose can perform when it’s given the best shot where codec compatibility is concerned. I listened to lots of music, of different styles and various file sizes, along with a fair amount of spoken word stuff, and I listened in my home and down on the beach. It’s a tough job, and so on…
Read more about how we test
- First reviewed: June 2025
Read the full article here
