The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a small and lightweight speaker that's easily portable. It's well-suited for outdoor use thanks to its over 15-hour battery life and IPX7 rating for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this. Although it can get fairly loud, there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. Like many small speakers, it struggles to produce low-bass, although its mid-range is well balanced, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present. There's also a graphic EQ in its companion app that lets you customize its sound profile.
Our Verdict
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is reasonable for music. It has a well-balanced mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments are reproduced clearly. However, like many small speakers, it lacks some low-bass, so you may not feel the deep thump and rumble of bass-heavy genres like EDM. Also, its treble range is a bit underemphasized, so higher frequencies may sound a bit dark. Fortunately, its companion app comes with a graphic EQ that lets you customize the sound to your liking.
- Amazing battery life.
- Can get quite loud.
- Well-balanced mid-range.
- Very portable.
- Graphic EQ.
- Lacks low-bass.
- Fairly narrow soundstage.
- Some compression at max volume.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is passable for watching videos/movies. Its latency with iOS and Android devices is quite low, although some apps compensate differently for this. It can also get quite loud, although there are some compression artifacts present at max volume. Its soundstage is quite narrow, so it may not feel very immersive when watching movies. Also, it lacks low-bass, so you may not feel the deep thump in action-packed scenes. Fortunately, it can clearly reproduce vocals thanks to its well-balanced mid-range.
- Can get quite loud.
- Low latency over Bluetooth.
- Some compression at max volume.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is good for podcasts. It has a well-balanced mid-range, so it can clearly reproduce vocals. However, sibilants like S and T sounds may sound a bit veiled due to the speaker's underemphasized treble range. It can also get quite loud, and its small, lightweight design makes it easy to bring with you on-the-go.
- Can get quite loud.
- Well-balanced mid-range.
- Very portable.
- Some compression at max volume.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is bad for voice assistant. It uses the voice assistant from your smartphone over Bluetooth since it doesn't have voice assistant capabilities built-in. As part of our methodology, we use prerecorded voice commands to test the speaker. This speaker didn't respond to these commands, even at a close distance and without much background noise. While it responds to commands in a normal speaking voice, this isn't part of our testing process.
- Can get quite loud.
- Voice assistant may have trouble understanding you.
- Voice assistant requires a smartphone.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is good for outdoor use. It has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, although we don't test for this currently. It's remarkably portable and it has an amazing battery life, lasting over 15 hours on a single charge. It can also get quite loud, which makes it well-suited to playing music for lots of people. However, there are some compression artifacts present at max volume, and it lacks some low-bass.
- Amazing battery life.
- Can get quite loud.
- IPX7 rating for water resistance.
- Very portable.
- Fairly narrow soundstage.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 01, 2023: Added market comparison with the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 in the Portability box.
- Updated May 30, 2023: Added market comparison with the Anker Soundcore Motion X600 in the Frequency Response Accuracy box.
- Updated Feb 10, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus comes in 'Black', 'Red', and 'Blue' color variants. We tested the 'Black' variant; you can see the label for the model we tested here. We expect all three variants to perform comparably in our tests.
If you come across a version not listed, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is a fairly small speaker that's well-suited for outdoor use. It has a very long battery life, and it's rated IPX7 for water resistance, although we don't currently test for this. It can also get quite loud, though there are some compression artifacts at max volume. Like many small speakers, it struggles to produce low-bass, but its companion app has a graphic EQ that lets you adjust its sound profile. See also our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best cheap speakers, and the best home speakers.
The Anker Soundcore Motion X600 is a premium alternative to the Anker Soundcore Motion+. The X600 has additional features, including a Spatial Audio tool designed to provide a more immersive feel to your audio. It also has a built-in handle, unlike the Motion+, so it's easier to transport. The sound quality is better out-of-the-box, too, since it reproduces a better low-frequency extension in the bass and emphasizes the treble more.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5. The JBL is better built and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It also has a better-balanced sound profile than the Anker out of the box. However, the Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. Additionally, it supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though it doesn't do a good job of hearing you from afar and in noisy settings.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore 3 overall. The Motion+ can get louder with slightly fewer compression artifacts at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner during louder listening sessions. It also has a wider sounding soundstage than the Soundcore 3, and you can pair it with another speaker to create a stereo pair. It's slightly larger and heavier than the Soundcore 3, which also comes with a carrying strap to help transport it.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 3 overall, though they perform similarly. The Anker has a slightly wider-sounding soundstage and comes with additional presets you can use to adjust its sound. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. That said, the JBL can produce deeper bass than the Anker. It's also better built and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
Test Results
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