When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, you really aren't short of options — but that's not necessarily a good thing. There is such a thing as too much choice. Then again, it's better to have too much choice than not enough, especially when the choice on offer is excellent.
Whether you opt for Sonos, Bose, JBL or Ultimate Ears, you're going to have a Bluetooth speaker that's superb at delivering your favourite tracks, and that applies if you're an Elvis fan or a Swiftie. None are quite as pretty or as versatile as the Bose SoundLink Flex though, and despite it being over two years old, it's still one of the best Bluetooth speakers around.
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| Dimensions | 20.1 x 9 x 5.2cm |
|---|---|
| Weight | 600g |
| IP rating | IP67 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery life | Up to 12 hours |
| Charging | USB-C, 4 hours |
| Colours | Chilled Lilac, Cypress Green, Black, White Smoke, Stone Blue |
A lot of Bluetooth speakers opt for a rugged exterior when it comes to their designs, which makes sense: they are created to be portable and many are destined for outside use. By default, that requires a level of protection to allow them to withstand the elements, and the precarious British weather.
The Bose SoundLink Flex takes a slightly different direction. The rear and edges still opt for a soft-to-touch silicone that caters for a bit of rough and tumble. But the front of the Bose SoundLink Flex is a powder-coated steel grille and as a result, offers a slightly more premium finish compared to the Sonos Roam 2 or the JBL Charge 5.
Physical controls sit on the top within the silicone so you'll have no problem controlling the SoundLink Flex if your hands are wet (it's also waterproof), and they are simple controls, with raised elements to help guide you if you aren't looking at them. The middle button allows for a multitude of options depending on how many times you press it, from playing and pausing music or answering and ending calls (this Bluetooth speaker can act as a speakerphone), to skipping tracks and launching your phone’s voice assistant.
The last thing to mention on the design front — because really, you only have to look at it to see how elegant it is — is that there's a convenient loop hole on the right edge, which you can use to carry it around on your finger or attach a carabiner clip to. It's easy to carry without the loop thanks to the flat and lightweight build, but the loop is handy for attaching to a bag.
There's also a lovely range of colour options — I'm personally a huge fan of the "Chilled Lilac" of my review model, which has a contrasting orange loop, but if you want something a little bit more serious, there are darker colours available that will create less of a statement on the mantelpiece when you're using this speaker at home.
It's all well and good for a speaker to look the part, but it needs to perform too. Thankfully, as you would expect from Bose, there's a great sound performance here.
The sound is clear and detailed across a variety of genres and the speaker adapts whether it’s standing upright or lying flat. I played everything from Ed Sheeran to The Beatles and the SoundLink Flex delivered decent bass, good mid-range and crisp vocals. The Sonos Roam 2 (the latest Bluetooth speaker from Sonos) that I used alongside it offers more bass, but the SoundLink Flex delivers clearer vocals.
I mentioned the SoundLink Flex being waterproof (and it floats too) so it can be taken into the shower, the bath, the pool or the beach. Set up is also lovely and simple — as is the case with most Bluetooth speakers, but we're talking a matter of minutes from out of the box to playing music, and it's easy to use once set up too. There's a companion app called Bose Connect, which gives you step-by-step instructions for setting up if you need help, along with a range of extra features.
These include pairing another SoundLink Flex for stereo mode, grouping a couple of Bose Bluetooth speakers for Party Mode, controlling music playback and checking the battery of the SoundLink Flex. This speaker will give you around 12 hours of playback on a single charge, but it’s always handy to know for sure how long you have left before you need to grab the charger. You can't control equaliser profiles (EQ) through the app like you can with Sonos, but the sound performance is good enough that you probably won't want to fiddle too much.
The Bose SoundLink Flex is an excellent Bluetooth speaker. It not only looks the part — and more premium than some of its closest rivals — but it delivers when it comes to performance too. It is simple to set up, easy to use, offers great sound quality and has an elegant design while being waterproof and dustproof.
It's a couple of years old now, there's the newer Bose SoundLink Max to consider and it could be more rugged so you don't feel bad when it gets muddy or sandy, but none of those are deal breakers. This is a super Bluetooth speaker with a lovely look, great sound delivery and a versatile set of features.
