The Anker Soundcore Motion is a portable speaker with an advertised battery life of 24 hours and a built-in carrying handle, making it a great fit for camping trips and weekend excursions. It's rated IPX7 for protection against water and dust, meaning it's waterproof and can even float if dropped in water. It also features Anker's proprietary BassUp technology, which promises to bring plenty of rumble and thump to your audio when enabled.
Our Verdict
The Anker Motion Boom is adequate for music. When placed horizontally and with its BassUp feature enabled, it has a balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments sound present in the mix, though they can also sound a bit dull and veiled. It struggles to reproduce low bass, so you can't feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like EDM. Fortunately, there's a graphic EQ and presets to customize its sound to your liking.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Gets loud.
- Lacks low bass.
- Narrow soundstage.
The Anker Motion Boom is disappointing for videos and movies. While it can get pretty loud, there's compression present at max volume, so your audio doesn't sound as clean at louder volumes. With BassUp enabled, it struggles to produce low bass, so you can't feel the thump and rumble in action-packed scenes. Also, it has high AV synchronization error with iOS and Android devices, so the sound you hear may not sync with the video you see. Some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may differ.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Gets loud.
- Lacks low bass.
- Low latency with iOS and Android devices.
- Narrow soundstage.
The Anker Motion Boom is okay for podcasts. This portable speaker has a balanced mid-range that ensures voices and lead instruments are clearly and accurately reproduced with its BassUp feature enabled. However, higher-pitched voices and instruments can sound dull and veiled. Fortunately, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets in its companion app, you can tweak its sound to your liking. It can also get quite loud, though there's some compression present at max volume.
- Graphic EQ and presets.
- Incredibly portable.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Some compression present at max volume.
The Anker Motion Boom is poor for voice assistants. It doesn't have any voice assistants built-in, so it uses those that come with your smartphone and struggles to understand your commands from far away and in noisy environments.
- Gets loud.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Bad far-field and ambient noise performances.
The Anker Motion Boom is alright for outdoor use. It's decently built and is rated IPX7, meaning it's certified to be immersible for 30 minutes in up to a meter of water. It can get pretty loud, though there's some compression at max volume that may create some pumping artifacts at louder volumes. It's also remarkably portable and has an incredibly long battery life, making it suitable for long days spent outdoors. Battery performance varies depending on usage, and your experience may differ. Unfortunately, it struggles to reproduce a thumpy and rumbling low bass, even with its BassUp feature enabled. You can customize its sound thanks to its graphic EQ and presets.
- IPX7 rating.
- Incredibly portable.
- Fantastic Bluetooth range.
- Lacks low bass.
- Narrow soundstage.
- Some compression present at max volume.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 14, 2024: We've updated this review to ensure it remains accurate and consistent. We've also added relevant comparisons to other similar speakers.
- Updated Sep 12, 2023: Retested the speaker's Battery with BassUP turned on to match our Frequency Response tests. The battery life dropped from 39.9 hours with BassUP off to 22 hours with it on.
- Updated Sep 05, 2023: Added market comparison with the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus to the Style box.
- Updated Jun 29, 2023: Added market comparison with the Tribit StormBox Blast in the Dynamics box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Anker Motion Boom comes in one color: Black. You can find the label for the model we tested here.
If you encounter any other variants of this speaker, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Anker Motion Boom is a decently built portable Bluetooth speaker with a built-in carrying handle. While it's smaller and more portable than its more premium cousin, the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus, it has a slightly lower build quality, and its sound profile isn't quite as balanced. It also lacks Bluetooth multi-device pairing, a feature that's present in the more compact Anker Soundcore Motion 300, but it compensates by having a long 22-hour continuous battery life.
See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, and the loudest Bluetooth speakers.
The JBL Xtreme 3 and the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom are similar speakers with different strengths. The JBL has somewhat better directivity, resulting in a more open-sounding soundstage. It's also better built and has a shorter charge time, though battery performance can vary depending on usage. That said, the Anker can get louder with less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. Its companion app also features additional presets to adjust its sound.
The JBL Charge 5 and the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom are similar speakers. The JBL has a more neutral sound profile out of the box that's suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. It's smaller, making it a bit more portable. You can also pair it to up to two devices at once, so you can easily switch between audio sources. However, the Anker can get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't great.
The JBL Flip 6 is better for most uses than the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom. While both speakers are similarly portable, the JBL is better built, has more intuitive controls, and features Bluetooth multi-device pairing. That said, the Anker can get louder and has some voice assistant support, although you'll need to rely on your smartphone's voice assistant and it often struggles to pick up your voice. The Anker does have a longer continuous battery life though, so it's better suited to weekend camping trips, where you won't be able to charge for a few days.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is the more premium cousin to the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom. As its name implies, the Plus is larger and better built. It supports multi-device pairing, too, unlike the standard Boom. Its overall sound quality is a touch improved, too.
Test Results
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