The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker that's a budget entry into Anker's speaker lineup. It's a small and lightweight device that lets you bring your tunes with you, and its IPX7 rating for water resistance adds some protection from the elements while you're on the move. The customizable light rings around the top and bottom of the speaker even pulse to the beat, adding a visual element to your favorite songs.
Our Verdict
The Anker Flare 2 is fair for music. It offers a balanced sound out of the box, especially in the mids, where voices and lead instruments are reproduced. As a result, it's suitable for listening to lots of different genres. With its 360-degree design, it has an excellent soundstage, too, so your audio content will sound consistent from every angle. You can also use its graphic EQ and presets to customize its sound or hit the BassUp button on the back of the speaker. That said, given its small size, this device can't bring much rumble in the low-bass, even with BassUp enabled, and it doesn't get as loud as other models on the market.
- Amazing soundstage.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Not loud enough to fill larger spaces.
The Anker Flare 2 isn't designed for use with videos and movies, but if you want to watch content on a paired smartphone, it can do the job. The speaker reproduces dialogue clearly, though there isn't much bass to bring action-packed scenes to life. There's also relatively high latency with iOS and Android devices, meaning you'll likely notice lip-synching issues.
- Amazing soundstage.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Not loud enough to fill larger spaces.
The Anker Flare 2 is satisfactory for podcasts. It's easy to follow along with your favorite shows as the speaker reproduces detailed dialogue right out of the box. Given its portable design, you can bring it from room to room as you listen, and its excellent soundstage means you'll hear podcast hosts well from any angle. You can easily stream podcasts from your phone over Bluetooth, and while it pairs with only one device at a time, its impressive range ensures a stable connection even when your phone is further away.
- Well-built, portable design.
- Not loud enough to fill larger spaces.
The Anker Flare 2 has poor voice assistant performance. The speaker uses the voice assistant from your paired smartphone but doesn't have built-in support. Also, as part of our methodology, we use recorded voice prompts to test the assistant's efficiency. However, it didn't respond to some commands, even with no ambient noise present. It answered to a normal speaking voice, but this isn't part of our testing process.
- Amazing soundstage.
Unresponsive voice assistant.
Poor ambient noise performance.
The Anker Flare 2 is decent for outdoor use. This portable Bluetooth speaker has a lightweight and sturdy design that makes it easy to bring with you to the park or your backyard. It's rated IPX7 for water resistance, so it's capable of withstanding some light exposure to the elements. However, it isn't rated for dust or impact resistance, so this speaker isn't ideal for a day at the beach, and you'll want to be careful not to drop it when you're on the go. Additionally, it doesn't get as loud as some of the other speakers we've tested, so it's best to stay close by to enjoy your favorite tunes.
- Well-built, portable design.
- Not loud enough to fill larger spaces.
Changelog
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Updated Feb 20, 2025:
We've updated the text for accuracy and detail, but our scores haven't changed.
- Updated Sep 04, 2024: We've updated the Battery scores and text, as we've reevaluated how the Battery Life, Charge Time, and Power Saving scores are weighted. We've also updated the relevant usage boxes that were affected by this recalculation.
- Updated Dec 01, 2023: Added market comparison with the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 in the Soundstage box.
- Updated Jan 17, 2023: Updated review text for accuracy and clarity. No changes in test results.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Anker Flare 2 comes in Black and Blue color variants. We tested the Black model, and you can see its label here. We expect the other color variants to perform similarly.
If you come across another version, let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Anker Flare 2 is a portable Bluetooth speaker with customizable RGB lights priced in the lower mid-range of Anker's lineup. It's not as compact, portable, or well-built as the Anker Soundcore Select 4 Go, but it offers a better soundstage and more low-frequency extension. Compared to Anker's other offerings, the Soundcore Flare 2 has a less impressive battery performance, lasting for roughly half of the Anker Soundcore Boom 2's 16-hour battery life. Overall, this speaker is well-suited to social settings where its light show and soundstage really shine.
See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best waterproof speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers under $100.
The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is slightly better than the JBL Flip 6. With its 'Bass Up' feature enabled, the Anker can produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more immersive soundstage. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. However, the JBL is smaller and better built, making it easier to bring outdoors with you. Its out-of-the-box sound profile is better balanced, ensuring a variety of audio content sounds good right away. Additionally, it can get slightly louder than the Anker. You can also pair it to up to two devices at a time, which is handy when you need to switch between audio sources quickly.
You may prefer either the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the JBL Charge 5, depending on your listening habits. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box that can produce a slightly more extended low-bass than the Anker. It's better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance and can also get a bit louder. That said, the Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and offers a wider-sounding soundstage, thanks to its 360-degree design.
The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore 2 overall. WIth its Default EQ and BassUp feature enabled, The Flare 2 has a somewhat better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than that of the Soundcore 2. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. It's also more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. That said, the Soundcore 2 has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.
The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 and the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 are both solid wallet-friendly options from the manufacturer. The Flare 2 boasts a 360-degree design with customizable RGB lights. Meanwhile, the Motion 300 is designed for on-the-go listening with a detachable strap. The Motion supports multi-device pairing, unlike the Flare 2, and it has a longer-lasting battery life. Plus, it gets louder. However, its low-frequency extension isn't as impressive as the Flare 2, so you feel less punch in the mix.
Test Results
The Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is a fairly small speaker with a cylindrical shape. It's meant to sit vertically, with its RGB light rings at the top and bottom. The lights are customizable and flash rhythmically when you play music, but you can also turn them off. When they aren't on, the rings blend in nicely with the speaker's body. The speaker itself has a tight fabric wrapping around it, and you can find it in either Blue or Black color variants.
This is an incredibly portable speaker. It's small and lightweight, so you can easily carry it in one hand. Also, since it's battery-operated, you can bring it from room to room without worrying about plugging it into an outlet.
This speaker has a good build quality. It seems solid and durable, and it sits on a rubber base. The tight fabric wrapping around the speaker feels nice and doesn't seem like it would rip easily. It even has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, meaning you can submerge it in up to a meter of water for thirty minutes without issue. Additionally, it has a flap to cover the USB-C port, providing extra protection against the elements. However, the manual warns to avoid dropping it.
The controls are very good. On top of the speaker, there are controls to turn the speaker on/off, adjust the volume, and start/switch/stop the lights. You'll also find a button with the Soundcore logo, which controls a variety of functions:
- Press once to play/pause or answer/end calls
- Press twice to skip a track and three times to go back
- Hold for two seconds to activate the voice assistant
On the speaker's rear, there's a Bluetooth pairing button and a BassUp button that also doubles as a charging indicator. You can hold the Bluetooth button for three seconds to pair other Flare 2 speakers together. Overall, the buttons are responsive and easy to use.
Out of the box, the speaker has a fairly balanced sound, making it suitable for listening to a wide range of music genres. Voices and lead instruments are clear and present in the mix. Like most small speakers, there isn't much rumble in the low-bass, which is especially noticeable with genres like EDM and hip-hop. Even with its BassUp feature on, this is still the case.
The soundstage is amazing. This stereo speaker has a 360-degree design, meaning that you can set it in the middle of a table or a room for consistent sound all around. It performs better in this regard than front-facing speakers like the Anker Soundcore Motion 300.
The speaker gets loud enough to fill an average-sized room with sound, but it isn't suitable for larger or more open spaces. Also, as you turn up the volume, you notice more pumping and compression artifacts in the mix.
The manufacturer advertises a battery life of 12 hours, but in our tests, the speaker lasted for just over eight hours. However, battery life can vary depending on usage, so your results may differ. The speaker also shuts off after about twenty minutes without audio, which helps conserve its battery life. If you want a speaker with a longer battery life, consider the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 or the Sony SRS-XB100.
This speaker uses the voice assistant from your paired smartphone. As part of our methodology, we test the speaker using recorded voice messages. However, the speaker didn't respond to some of these commands, even when there wasn't any ambient noise. While it responded to a normal speaking voice, this isn't part of our testing process. For a speaker with better voice assistant performance, check out the Beats Pill.
The Anker Soundcore app is very good. It has several EQ settings, including 'Default,' 'Voice,' 'Chill,' and 'Flat,' as well as a full graphic EQ. You can turn the BassUp setting on and off from both the app and speaker. Create a stereo pair by connecting two speakers within the app, or use Party Mode to link multiple speakers for more powerful audio in large, crowded spaces. You can also use the app to customize the speaker's lighting.
This speaker doesn't support any wired connections. Its USB-C to USB-A cable is for charging only.
This speaker's Bluetooth range is outstanding, so it stays connected to your device, even from far away. Unfortunately, its latency with iOS devices is likely too high to be suitable for gaming. It performs a little better with Android devices, but you might still notice some lip-synching issues. However, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary. Consider the Marshall Emberton II if you want a speaker with lower Bluetooth latency.