Bose Portable Smart Speaker—With Alexa Voice Control Built in, Black

Lovely smart speaker looked good and has a good sound. But very difficult to set-up. We was on the verge of sending it back when we got a professional to help us. Definitely not one for somebody with no experience and no tech experience

Superb sound. Very difficult to set up though even when I downloaded the instructions. Love that it can be carried from room to room, garden and further.

Once I got over the teething issues this is an amazing speaker! I won't go on about the sound etc, because everyone else has. All I'll add is than my son's have 2 versions of the smaller but similar shaped Bose speakers. They agree this one sounds the best and want to swap with me (but I'm not going for that!). The only problem I had was that saying "Alexa" worked fine while the speaker was on, but the wake word would not get the speaker out of standby. I swapped to Google Assistant and had the same issue. So, I removed the Alexa account, disabled the Bose skill and performed a full factory reset (instructions all on-line). After that it just worked! I like that I don't have to use bluetooth and can stream via Spotify Connect or Google Cast. As it's a speaker in the kitchen (for the family, though strictly it's mine!) so it means I can start playing something from Spotify or steam radio stations via Alexa and then remember to take the dog for a walk without the music stopping while I'm gone. When I've lost the battle of who decides what we listen to the kids tend to use bluetooth to connect (they say it's quicker). Sound quality is brilliant whichever we use.

Reviewing after using 9 months. Pros: * Very good sound quality Cons: * Nothing gets played. The only way to connect is either via bluetooth or airplay. Both lags a lot. There is a visible latency while watching movies much these speakers useless. * Bluetooth disconnects frequently * Smart speaker doesnt have a good integration with Alexa/Google. I have to format it on daily basis to get alexa working. My first experiece with bose wasn't pleasent. Feels like wasted my money.

This speaker has a fantastic sound , the base is good and crystal clear as it should be , the carry cord handle is solid and comfortable to use and the whole unit feels classy and professional , my only negative is the battery, you have to leave it plugged in if using frequently , because once unplugged that countdown of 12 hrs battery life starts !

I had just returned a Sony XB43 Bluetooth Speaker which I found had great bass and quite good sound quality. The price for the Sony was only a fraction but for some reason I had experienced Bluetooth connection issues. I decided to pay more return to Bose whose quality and reliability I had probably taken for granted for decades. I unpacked the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and was surprised how small and light it was. When I tested, I could not believe how good this little thing sounded. All the bass I wanted plus unbelievably great life-like sound quality. It simply booms around the room at less than half the volume. Moreover, you can adjust the bass and trebble to reduce or increase to suit your listening taste. As I've already said, it's small, light and very portable, and can go anywhere you want to take it. It is quite expensive but this little gem oozes Bose quality and you may soon forget how much it cost!

I have been wanting to upgrade my portable speaker for 3 years now but could nor justify the cost. After reading and watching endless research I decided upon Bose as the brand, it is a brand this is very familiar to me and renowned for the high-quality build and sound. I however decided to purchase both the Portable Smart Speaker (newest model) and the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ (Series II) Portable Bluetooth®, Speaker (released in 2017) to physically compare them side by side. Price The Smart speaker £290 vs the Revolve+ which is £280 Size The Smart speaker is slightly larger and not as esthetically attractive as the Revolve+. Connectivity The Smart has Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity which gives access to Alexa and Google assist. The WiFi, however, has a tendency of dropping and there is a clear delay when pausing or starting a track, clearly, this was released too early and will require more firmware updates before it reaches full stability. The Revolve+ offer only Bluetooth which is 100% reliable with no delays. Battery Life The Smart speaker battery life is severely depleted when using WiFi, example with WiFi you will get 3-hour continuous play, whereas using Bluetooth only you get 6-hours. The Revolve+ which only has Bluetooth will return 10 hours of continuous play. Sound The Smart speaker sound is exceptional in terms of bass, the crispness of treble and almost immersive sounds, this is where Bose really excels. The loudness is exceptional and highly unlikely the people buying this unit would use it to its max. The Revolve+ sound whilst solid and adequate it feels compared to the Smart speaker out of date and clearly fallen behind some of its cheaper rivals. Conclusion I decided to keep the Smart speaker based on as a speaker first and foremost it has to be about the sound, the Smart speaker wins that argument hands down. Additionally, I use Siri for all my useless information, therefore, Bluetooth is more than adequate and finally when buying a portable speaker battery life is king, the Smart speaker is adequate in this department providing you do not use the inefficient WiFi. g

I bought this to sit beside my swimspa and be able to control via Alexa to avoid it getting wet. It is waterproof but too expensive to take any chances. Easy to setup and generally good with voice commands. The sound is typical Bose - a little compressed and 'thick' but nice all the same. Carries really well, does not need to be loud. You can hear it well and still chat. I spent a long time looking at the alternatives - Sonos etc. but am very happy with is. Battery seems to last forever, works from wifi or bluetooth (from phone if out of wifi range) and is perfect with Spotify.