This Anker Bluetooth Speaker Is One Of My Faves, and It is Cheaper Than Ever at $75

Proper now, the Anker Soundcore Boom 3i is just $75, which is $65 off its listing value. That is the lowest value we have seen on this portable Bluetooth speaker. In case you’ve been fascinated about upgrading your cellular sound scenario, that is a type of offers that is straightforward to overlook in case you wait too lengthy. I’ve in contrast it to different high Bluetooth audio system just like the JBL Flip 6 and Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen), and the Growth 3i holds its personal with out stretching your price range.

In some methods, Anker’s new Soundcore Boom 3i is the non secular successor to the Soundcore Motion Plus. It is equally formed however has extra of an out of doors journey slant, with Anker touting it as “constructed for the wild” and billing it as the primary Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, because it floats and “auto-corrects” to maintain the speaker drivers dealing with upward simply above the floor. All that provides to an ideal speaker for yard hangouts or scorching tubbing, so that you would possibly need to snag one on a budget whereas Black Friday offers are nonetheless round.

I’ve used the Soundcore Growth 3i for a number of months and have primarily been impressed with it, although the speaker is loads simpler to advocate to CNET readers at $65 off all the numerous coloration choices.

As you’d count on from a speaker that promotional pictures present strapped onto a kayak (it does have a removable carrying strap), the Soundcore Growth 3i is absolutely waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 score. Anker takes issues a step additional, touting the Growth 3i as “5x” saltwater-resistant. “Whereas typical audio system could rust in beneath 5 months, Growth 3i stays corrosion-free for as much as two years of seashore, boat and seaside use.”  

Learn extra: Best Bluetooth Speakers of 2025

You should not count on audiophile sound from a mono Bluetooth speaker of this ilk. However for essentially the most half, the Soundcore Growth 3i offers you what you need from a transportable Bluetooth speaker from a sound perspective. By that I imply it performs loud for its dimension — it weighs about 1.8 kilos and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches — plus it places out an inexpensive quantity of bass and has pretty respectable readability. You’ll find audio system that sound a little bit extra pure, however a majority of these rugged moveable audio system aren’t designed for crucial listening.

I used it open air and inside in a couple of rooms, together with a rest room (it does make for a superb rest room speaker), and it was capable of fill smaller rooms with sound. You’ll be able to tweak the sound with the equalizer settings within the Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android and mess around with the settings for the built-in beat-synched LED gentle present, which I stored turned off more often than not. You can too pair two of those audio system up in stereo mode and get considerably higher sound.  

I examined the speaker’s playback in water by dropping it in a pool. It certainly flipped over, so the speaker drivers have been dealing with up, and the music stored taking part in, although the audio obtained a little bit garbled when a little bit wave handed over the speaker, and the drivers began spitting water out. In different phrases, it definitely sounds higher out of the water than in it.

One of many issues with Bluetooth gadgets is that Bluetooth would not transmit by water, which is why it’s a must to load MP3s into reminiscence when utilizing wi-fi headphones whereas swimming (you possibly can’t stream music to the headphones in case your head is underwater). I do not know the place the Bluetooth antenna is on this speaker, however presumably it is on the facet that stays above the floor when the speaker is floating. 

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You’ll be able to really activate a Buzz Clear mode from the app that makes the speaker vibrate and shed grime and particles, like sand after a day on the seashore. After ending the Buzz Clear, you possibly can then rinse off the speaker to get it really clear. 

The speaker additionally has one other fascinating function: Holding down the “BassUp” bass-boost button for five seconds units off a 96-decibel emergency alarm — Anker says it is clearly audible at as much as 100 meters — with flashing pink LED lights. You’ll be able to hit any button to show the alarm off. 

BLUETOOTH SPEAKER DEALS OF THE WEEK

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Battery life is rated for 16 hours at average volumes, which is first rate for a speaker this dimension. It is also price declaring that the Growth 3i has a Bluetooth vary of 100 ft, which is healthier than the extra typical 33 ft you get with many Bluetooth audio system.