Bose SoundLink Plus review

When the Bose SoundLink Max burst onto the Bluetooth speaker scene last year, it was one of the clearest indications that Bose could compete with the all-consuming dominance of JBL.

The Max might not have pipped the JBL Xtreme 4 to a What Hi-Fi? Award that year, but its powerful, entertaining sound more than hinted at a brand ready to make its mark in an arena that was in danger of becoming a one-horse race.

Now it’s the turn of the Bose SoundLink Plus, essentially a scaled-down version of the Max, which strives for the same bold, punchy sound that made its bigger brother such a likeable performer.

With other established brands in danger of dropping out of contention, is Bose slyly becoming a serious contender in this portable wireless speaker race?

Price

The SoundLink Plus is something of a middle child for Bose’s Bluetooth speaker range.

Sitting beneath the SoundLink Max, the SoundLink Plus will set you back £249 / £269 / AU$429 at full price, a figure that sees it just edging into the territory occupied by the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (3rd Gen) at £299 / $249 / AU$639.

The rather lovely five-star Dali Katch G2 is still available, and thanks to its advancing years, you can generally pick one up for £299 in the UK, AU$600 in Australia, and a startling $570 - $600 in the US when available.

Our favourite at this price level, the burly JBL Xtreme 4, has seen its price fall to around £249 / $250 / AU$429, also bringing it into direct competition with the Bose.

Build and design

If you’re struggling to get a handle on how the SoundLink Plus looks and how much space it takes up, just imagine a very nicely made brick and you’re pretty much there.

OK, it looks like a brick with a silicone wrap at the top and a metallic grille at the front, all with slightly more rounded off corners, but a nice brick nonetheless.

If you are going to be carrying the SoundLink Plus around, there’s a pleasingly thick and robust carry loop located at the unit’s side. It feels like a quality addition that will survive a good deal of punishment, though making the carry loop adjustable might have been a nice touch for users with, say, slightly larger fingers.

Just like its bigger brother, the SoundLink Plus’s top section houses all of your essential playback, pairing and volume control options embedded onto a robust silicone surface. All buttons respond rather satisfyingly to the touch.

There’s also a shortcut button which you can customise via the Bose app, though you’re limited to two options: accessing Speaker Link for pairing two Bose Bluetooth speakers together, or assigning a Spotify shortcut button.

Customisable, then, but not that customisable.

Whichever way you slice it, the SoundLink Plus is the sort of speaker you’ll feel proud to own. There’s clearly a level of quality and care that has gone into its construction, evidenced by the premium tactility of the speaker’s front grille or the smooth silicone which makes up much of the unit’s main body.

It is understated, yes, but that doesn't mean we find the design boring or uninspiring – clean and simple would be more appropriate adjectives.

Better yet, the Bose has the ruggedness to go with that easygoing style. Poking, prodding and sometimes scratching any given surface demonstrates a reassuring robustness, while an IP67 water and dustproof rating will safeguard the SoundLink Plus from the elements.

Well, it has survived a dunk in the kitchen sink for the purpose of our tests, but the principle is the same.

Features

It’s hard not to look at the SoundLink Plus’s rather anaemic spec sheet and not feel underwhelmed. Bluetooth speakers can do so much these days – just look at the impressive skill sets of the JBL Charge 6 or Xtreme 4 – yet Bose’s portable middle child seems to have skipped a few key modules during its early education.

There’s no in-built microphone, for instance, and while that’s not a dealbreaker, it’s always nice to have speakerphone abilities for group calls. The increasingly popular Auracast audio sharing tech, which allows source devices to broadcast multiple audio streams to an unlimited number of receivers, isn’t on the menu.

That said, the SoundLink Plus can be connected in a Stereo Pair to other compatible Bose speakers if you want to make a proper party of it.

If you desire wired listening, as found on JBL’s recent Flip 7 and Charge 6 class-leaders, which are capable of playback up to 24-bit/96kHz via a USB-C connection, you’re once again going to be left disappointed.

It's Bluetooth or nothing here, though the availability of the hi-res aptX Adaptive codec does soften that blow just a tad to achieve better than standard SBC/AAC quality.

The battery life is at least reasonably solid, clocking in at around 20 hours, although it lags a little behind the 24 hours of the impressive Xtreme 4.

If you do run out of juice, the SoundLink Plus also takes an eternity (metaphorically speaking) to get back to full battery, with Bose quoting a five-hour charge time and not providing any quick charging facilities.

Sound

Rather limited feature set aside, it doesn’t take long for us to enjoy Bose’s latest portable Bluetooth speaker.

It’s an easy presentation to listen to, and while that might have you envisioning us sitting by a fireside in smoking jackets enjoying some smooth jazz through the SoundLink Plus, it’s more the case that it’s an effortlessly entertaining performer.

If this were a person meeting you for the first time, it wouldn’t be avoiding eye contact and giving you a rather limp handshake – straight in for a bear hug is the more likely approach.

Fun is the word we’re after. The SoundLink Plus is fun, and that makes it easy to enjoy.

The sound we receive is rich and full-bodied, and while the price-comparable Dali Katch G2 sounds more open, detailed and, dare we say, sophisticated, the SoundLink Plus’ blending of punch and solidity makes for an invigorating combination.

Plus, this is a speaker that you’d actually feel comfortable taking out and about with you on your travels, and that’s not something we’d wholeheartedly say about the somewhat niche Dali portable – it’s just not as rugged or robust as the Bose.

The SoundLink Plus isn’t a particularly whopping unit – if you want a bigger, punchier and more muscular sound, the Award-winning JBL Xtreme 4 is our recommendation for roughly the same price – but we’re impressed with how loud the Bose is capable of going.

Whether whispering away at low volumes or belting out ABBA with pride, that inherently solid, entertaining character is retained no matter how far you push the dial.

Playing at higher volumes does play to the Bose’s strengths. Muse’s Hysteria sounds appropriately crunchy and meaty as the SoundLink Plus gives it the beans, whereas the rhythmic snap on the opening to Michael Jackson's Billie Jean comes across with force and vigour.

While the SoundLink Plus could be better at differentiating loud and soft notes more effectively – the low-level dynamics on, say, Nick Cave’s Into My Arms are better through the JBL and the Dali rivals – it’s never quite enough to mar out affections for Bose’s ever-personable Bluetooth brick.

And yes, the Xtreme 4 will go louder – it’s a bigger unit after all – and offers a more nuanced and cohesive presentation, especially when the spotlight shines on its tight, snappy bass. But given the Bose’s smaller size and greater portability, its powerful performance is nothing short of admirable.

From Claire de Lune to Chop Suey!, our time with the SoundLink Plus is very rarely boring.

Verdict

If you’re buying a Bluetooth speaker based on what it can do rather than how it sounds, the SoundLink Plus may not be for you. The essentials expected of a portable Bluetooth speaker are there, but if you crave all the bells and whistles, its feature set may be a little too bare bones for customers who have become increasingly accustomed to Bluetooth speakers boasting big bags of tricks, especially from much cheaper models.

At this price level, there are also rival Bluetooth speakers which are capable of beating it for sonic nuance and just pure volume, be they the refined Dali Katch G2 or the hefty, Award-winning JBL Xtreme 4.

That said, we think the SoundLink Plus’s likeable combination of portability, ruggedness and powerful sound will find plenty of fans. Bold, punchy and entertaining, it’s a tough speaker to ignore and, happily, an even tougher one to dislike.

Review published: 25th July 2025

SCORES:

• Sound 4
• Build 5
• Features 3

MORE:

Read our review of the JBL Xtreme 4

Also consider the Dali Katch G2

Our pick of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy