- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared To Others
- Deals
- Discussions
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.
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Amazing battery life.
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Can get quite loud.
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Well-balanced mid-range.
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Very portable.
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Graphic EQ.
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Lacks low-bass.
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Fairly narrow soundstage.
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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.
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Can get quite loud.
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Low latency over Bluetooth.
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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.
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Can get quite loud.
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Well-balanced mid-range.
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Very portable.
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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.
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Can get quite loud.
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Voice assistant may have trouble understanding you.
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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.
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Amazing battery life.
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Can get quite loud.
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IPX7 rating for water resistance.
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Very portable.
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Fairly narrow soundstage.
- 6.7 Music
- 6.1 Videos/Movies
- 7.5 Podcasts
- 3.8 Voice Assistant
- 7.6 Outdoors
- Updated Feb 10, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 08, 2021: Early access published.
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Test Results
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is a fairly small speaker with a rectangular shape. It's meant to sit horizontally, and its edges are rounded. The control buttons are on top of the speaker, including a multifunction button and a BassUp button.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus is outstandingly portable. It's small and lightweight, so you can easily carry it in one hand. Also, it's battery-powered, so you can bring it out and about without having to find an outlet.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has decent build quality. It feels solid, and there's a metal grille covering the two drivers. Most of the speaker's exterior is made of silicone, and the buttons on top are texturized, making them easy to find by touch. It also has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. Though it lacks a rating for impact resistance, the manual suggests you should be careful not to drop it.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has very good controls. On top, there's a multifunction button to play/pause your audio, which you can also press twice to skip ahead and three times to backtrack. You can also use it to accept and end a call. At the top left, there's a BassUp button advertised to increase the bass in your audio. On top, there are also three separate buttons for adjusting the volume and pairing a device over Bluetooth. The power button is located on the side. There's also a light that turns solid blue when the speaker is connected to Bluetooth, solid white when it's connected to True Wireless Stereo, and solid red when it's charging. The light flashes red when the battery is low and flashes blue when it's searching for a Bluetooth pairing or when there's an incoming call.
- Anker Soundcore Motion+ speaker
- USB-C to USB-A charging cable
- 3.5mm AUX cable
- User Manual
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has an adequate frequency response accuracy. With the BassUp feature turned on, it still struggles to reproduce low-bass. Because of this, you may not feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy genres like hip-hop or EDM. It has a fairly well-balanced midrange, so vocals and lead instruments are reproduced clearly. However, its treble is a bit underemphasized, so higher frequencies are perceived as a bit dark. Fortunately, its companion app includes a graphic EQ that lets you customize sound to your liking.
The Anker Soundcore Motion has a decent soundstage. Its directivity is okay, so its soundstage is perceived as somewhat narrow rather than open and spacious. Fortunately, it can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono.
The Anker Soundcore Motion has okay dynamics. It can get quite loud, which is useful for playing music at a party or outdoors. However, there are some compression artifacts when you play it at max volume. If you're looking for an Anker speaker with a better dynamics performance, check out the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has amazing battery life. The manufacturer advertises a battery life of 12 hours, but in our tests, the speaker lasted over 15 hours. Battery life can vary depending on usage, so user experience may vary. There's also a power-saving feature that you can adjust through the app. You can set it to automatically shut off after 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes without audio.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has terrible voice assistant capabilities. It uses the voice assistant from your smartphone when it's paired via Bluetooth. As part of our methodology, we use recorded voice messages to test the speaker's response. It wasn't able to register any of these commands, even while close by and without any background noise. It can register questions from a normal speaking voice, but this isn't part of our testing process.
The Soundcore companion app is okay. It's compatible with iOS and Android and it comes with some preset EQ settings like 'Bass Up', 'Bass Off', 'Voice', 'Heavy', 'Classic', and 'Original'. There's also a full graphic EQ that lets you customize the sound to your liking. While you can pair two speakers together to create a stereo pair, this can only be done using Bluetooth, not through the app. Also, the app doesn't include features like Party Mode or Multi-Room, which allow you to connect multiple speakers for a louder sound or between rooms.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has an AUX port that you can use to connect your smartphone to the speaker to play audio.
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus has excellent Bluetooth connectivity. It has an incredible range, staying connected to your smartphone even from a distance. Its latency with iOS and Android devices is also quite low, making it suitable for watching movies or videos. That said, some apps compensate for latency differently, so your experience may vary. You can also pair it with two devices at a time, which is really convenient when you're frequently switching your audio source between your phone and laptop.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Anker Soundcore Motion Plus comes in 'Black', 'Red', and 'Blue' color variants. We tested the 'Black' variant, and 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.
Compared To Other Speakers
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+ is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 5. The JBL is better-built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies 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 far and in noisy settings.
The Sony SRS-XB43 and the Anker Soundcore Motion+ are similar speakers. The Sony is better-built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in a meter of water for 30 minutes. It also has a ClearAudio+ feature advertised to adjust the speaker's sound field to better suit your audio content. That said, the Anker has a wider-sounding soundstage than the Sony. It also has a slightly longer battery life, though this can depend on your usage habits. Additionally, it's smaller and more portable than the Sony.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL Flip 5. Unlike the Anker, the JBL has to downmix stereo content to mono, which doesn't sound as immersive. The Anker also has a longer battery life, and its sound profile can be adjusted using the graphic EQ in its companion app. It also supports voice assistants, although it may have some trouble understanding you.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Marshall Emberton. The Anker can get louder with fewer compression artifacts present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. It's more customizable, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured on its companion app. That said, the Marshall Emberton has better directivity, resulting in a wider and more natural-sounding soundstage. It's also a bit smaller, making it slightly more portable.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL Charge 4. The Anker has a better-balanced sound profile than the JBL, and you can customize it thanks to the graphic EQ and EQ presets available on its companion app. It can get louder than the JBL and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. That said, you can use the JBL's Connect+ feature to pair up to 100 compatible speakers, which can come in handy if you want your audio to fill a large room without increasing its volume.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker for most uses than the Sonos Roam. The Anker gets louder and supports stereo content. It also has longer battery life. While the Sonos comes with bass and treble adjustments, the Anker has a graphic EQ for sound customization. However, the Sonos has a better voice assistant performance, and it's better built.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom overall. The Motion+ has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. You can pair it to up to two devices at once, so you can easily switch between audio sources. Also, it has lower Bluetooth latency with Android devices, making it better-suited for watching videos over this connection. That said, the Motion Boom can get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Flip 6 overall. The Anker can get louder and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. It can produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. That said, the JBL has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. It's better-built and is smaller, making it easier to bring along with you on the go. It also comes with a removable carrying strap to help transport it.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Flare 2. The Motion+ is better suited to outdoor use since its battery lasts longer and it can get louder than the Flare. While the Flare has a more open soundstage thanks to its 360-design, it has more latency with iOS and Android devices, although some apps compensate differently for this.
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 that of the Soundcore 3 and can be paired with another speaker to create a stereo pair. That said, it's slightly larger and heavier than the Soundcore 3, which also comes with a carrying strap to help with transporting 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, with 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.
The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion+ overall. The Ultimate Ears has an amazingly wide and spacious-sounding soundstage, thanks to its 360-degree design. It's also better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't currently test for this. That said, the Anker has a better-balanced sound profile with its BassUp feature enabled and can produce deeper bass than the Ultimate Ears. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ and the Bose SoundLink Flex have different strengths. The Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono and can get louder than the Bose. Its sound profile is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of over 15 hours, though this can vary depending on your usage. That said, the Bose is smaller, better-built, and has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. It's also better for voice assistant support.
The Marshall Emberton is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion+. The Marshall has better directivity, resulting in a much wider and open-sounding soundstage. It has a longer-lasting battery life and is better built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It's smaller too, making it more portable. That said, the Anker gets a bit louder with much less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner-sounding audio at louder volume levels. Also, the Anker gives you more control over its sound profile thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion+ overall. It offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than that of the Anker. It can get somewhat louder with slightly less compression at max volume. It also offers a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage, and your experience may vary. That said, the Anker is smaller and more portable than the JBL. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ and the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 2 are two portable speakers with different strengths. The Anker comes with a graphic EQ to customize its sound profile, and it can get louder. However, the Ultimate Ears has fewer compression artifacts at max volume. The Ultimate Ears also has a more open soundstage, although it struggles more to produce low-bass.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB33 overall. The Anker has a better-balanced sound profile, a wider-sounding soundstage, and gets louder than the Sony. It also has a longer battery life lasting over 15 hours from a single charge, though this can depend on your usage, and your experience may differ. That said, the Sony is better built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't test for this.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL Flip 4 overall. With its BassUp feature enabled, the Anker can produce a more extended low-bass and can get louder than the JBL. You can also customize its sound to your liking using the graphic EQ and presets in its companion app. That said, the JBL has a more neutral sound profile out-of-the-box. You can also connect it to multiple other JBL speakers that support JBL Connect+.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB23 overall. The Anker can produce a more extended low-bass than the Sony. It can also get louder with less compression at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels. That said, the Sony has better directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 overall, though they're very similar. With its BassUp feature enabled, it has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce deeper bass than the Ultimate Ears. It can also be paired to up to two devices at once, which can come in handy when you need to switch between audio sources. That said, the Ultimate Ears offers a wider and more natural-sounding soundstage, thanks to its 360-degree design. It's also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, though we don't test for this.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Revolve+ II overall, though they have different strengths. The Anker is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured on its companion app, so you can tweak the speaker's sound to your liking. It can also get louder than the Bose, and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. That said, the Bose offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a slightly more extended low-bass. It also has better directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, resulting in a wider and more natural-sounding soundstage.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore 2. The Motion+ has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a deeper bass than that of the Soundcore 2. It can also get louder, and is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets you can use to adjust its sound to your liking. However, the Soundcore 2 is smaller and more portable than the Motion+.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Harman/Kardon Onyx Studio 6. The Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, and can get slightly louder than the Harman/Kardon. Its sound is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It's also smaller, making it more portable. That said, the Harman/Kardon offers a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box, and can produce a more extended low-bass than the Anker. It also has slightly less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volume levels.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Color II overall. It has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass than that of the Bose. It comes with a graphic EQ and presets you can use to customize its sound to your liking. It also has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage. That said, the Bose is smaller, making it more portable than the Anker. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, and does a better job of understanding your commands from far and in noisy environments.
The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is a better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion+ overall. The Ultimate Ears can get louder with less compression present at max volume, so your audio sounds cleaner at louder volumes. It also has a better-balanced sound profile that can produce a more extended low-bass. However, the Anker is smaller, making it easier to take with you on the go. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good.
Depending on your listening habits, you may prefer either The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 or the Anker Soundcore Motion+. The Bang & Olufsen offers outstanding voice assistant support with Alexa built-in, and does an excellent job of understanding your commands from far and in noisy environments. It's also smaller, more portable, and better-built than the Anker. That said, the Anker can get louder, and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono which is more immersive. It also has a longer-lasting battery life, though this can depend on your usage and your real-world experience may differ.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL GO 3. The Anker has a better-balanced sound profile and can produce a more extended low-bass than the JBL. You can customize its sound to your liking, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It can also play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which is more immersive. That said, the JBL is smaller and comes with a small, built-in carrying strap, making it more portable. It's also better-built with 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.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore. The Anker has a somewhat better-balanced sound profile and lasts over 15 hours from a single charge, though this can vary depending on your usage, so your experience may differ. It also supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't very good. However, the Beosound Explore has a more open and natural-sounding soundstage. It's also better-built, with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, though we don't test for this.
The Bose SoundLink Revolve II is a slightly better speaker than the Anker Soundcore Motion+, though they have different strengths. Out-of-the-box, the Bose offers a somewhat better-balanced sound profile. Thanks to its 360-degree design, it has excellent directivity, resulting in a wide and natural-sounding soundstage. It also offers better voice assistant support, since it does an excellent job of understanding your commands from far and in noisy environments. That said, the Anker comes with a graphic EQ and presets to tweak its sound to your liking. It can also get louder than the Bose.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Bose SoundLink Micro overall. The Anker can produce a more extended low-bass, and you can tweak its sound to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It can also get significantly louder and can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono. That said, the Bose has better directivity, resulting in a more open-sounding soundstage.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the JBL Clip 4. The Anker has a more balanced sound profile, and it's more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ in its companion app. Also, it has a longer battery life than the JBL, and it can get louder. However, the JBL's soundstage is perceived as more open, though its bass can sound a bit muddy. Although both speakers are outstandingly portable, the JBL has a clip that lets you attach it to your bag.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Xtreme 2, though they have different strengths. The Anker's sound is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app. It's also smaller, making it slightly more portable. That said, the JBL can produce a slightly more extended low-bass than the Anker. It also has less compression present at max volume, resulting in cleaner audio at louder volumes.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Amazon Echo Gen 4 for most uses. The Anker is far more portable than the Amazon since the Amazon needs to be plugged into an outlet to be used. While the Amazon has bass and treble adjustments through its companion app, the Anker has a graphic EQ, which gives you greater control over the speaker's sound profile. However, the Amazon performs far better as a voice assistant, as it has Alexa built-in.
Depending on your preferences, you may prefer either the Bose SoundLink Revolve or the Anker Soundcore Motion+. The Bose offers better voice assistant support, since it does a better job understanding you from far and in noisy settings. It also has better directivity thanks to its 360-degree design, so your audio sounds clear from most angles. That said, the Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono which is more immersive. It can also get louder, and is more customizable thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is more versatile than the TREBLAB HD-Max overall. The Anker is smaller and lighter, making it more portable. It can produce a more extended low-bass than the TREBLAB, and offers a wider-sounding soundstage. It also comes with a companion app that features a graphic EQ and presets to customize its sound to your liking. It supports voice assistants through your smartphone too, though its performance isn't very good. That said, the TREBLAB offers a longer-lasting battery life of over 22 hours, making it better for multiple long listening sessions. You can use its USB output to use the speaker as a power bank to charge your devices. It also comes with a removable carrying strap with a built-in bottle opener which is handy when enjoying music and drinks with friends.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better overall speaker than the Limitless Innovations TikiTunes. The Anker can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, and it has a more balanced sound profile out-of-the-box. Thanks to its graphic EQ and presets, it offers more sound customization features, and it also supports voice assistants from your paired smartphone. It gets louder, too, albeit with more compression at max volume. That said, some users may prefer the TikiTunes' unique torch light design, which can blend in more easily with your outdoor decor.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ is a better speaker than the Bushnell Wingman overall. The Anker's sound profile is more balanced with its BassUp feature turned on. It can produce a significantly more extended low-bass, and there's a graphic EQ and presets you can use to customize its sound to your liking. It also offers a wider and more open-sounding soundstage. However, the Bushnell gets a touch louder with significantly less compression present at max volume. It's also designed with golfers in mind, with golf-oriented capabilities like a built-in GPS. You can also use its app to save scores and calculate distances on the court.