The Bose SoundLink Max is a portable stereo speaker that's designed to be both compact and loud. Its premium price tag comes with a bevy of features and a sound that helps you bring the party wherever you go (and keep it going, as the manufacturer advertises nearly all-day battery life). It's dust-resistant and submergible in water, too, so it seems well-suited to rainy camping trips and wild pool parties alike.
Our Verdict
The Bose SoundLink Max has a punchy default sound profile with balanced mids and highs. While its bass response is solid for a speaker of its size, a boost to the high-bass helps reinforce the attack of kicks and basslines. The smooth mids and detailed highs help bring out vocals and lead instruments well, too, ensuring they don't get lost in the mix. Unlike previous SoundLink speakers, this speaker can play stereo content, and its directivity is decent for a front-facing speaker. Plus, it can get loud enough to soundtrack spontaneous dance parties without compressing too much at max volume. A graphic EQ and presets are also available via the app for more precise sound tuning.
- Gets pretty loud, with minimal compression.
- Graphic EQ and presets in app.
- Directivity isn't the best.
- No room correction feature.
The Bose SoundLink Max is okay for videos and movies. It can get loud enough to soundtrack your movie night in a pinch, and its decent directivity and stereo capabilities help with locating dialogue within the stereo field. While it lacks a deep bass for cinematic sound effects, there's plenty of detail in the mid and treble range to bring out dialogue. Audiovisual synchronization error is relatively low with both iOS and Android devices, too, so you don't need to worry about sync issues between your audio and video.
- Gets pretty loud, with minimal compression.
- Graphic EQ and presets in app.
- Directivity isn't the best.
- No room correction feature.
The Bose SoundLink Max is great for podcasts. It's easy to carry around with one hand and gets loud enough to ensure your favorite podcast hosts aren't drowned out by construction or household appliances. Voices and speech are rendered accurately, thanks to its detailed mid- and treble-range reproduction. While its directivity is decent, you'll need to position yourself carefully to ensure you get consistent audio delivery.
- Sturdy, portable design with detachable carrying handle.
- Gets pretty loud, with minimal compression.
- Over 15 hours of continuous battery life.
- Graphic EQ and presets in app.
- No room correction feature.
The Bose SoundLink Max doesn't feature any voice assistant integration, so it's not suitable for this use.
The Bose SoundLink Max is great for outdoor use. It's designed with portability in mind, and its IP67 certification against water and dust damage means it's prepared for whatever the elements have to offer. With over 15 hours of battery life, you won't have to fret about finding an outlet outdoors, either. With plenty of volume on tap and decent directivity, you can treat your outdoor gathering to stereo sound with minimal compression at max volume.
- Sturdy, portable design with detachable carrying handle.
- IP67 rating for submergibility in water and protection against dust.
- Gets pretty loud, with minimal compression.
- Over 15 hours of continuous battery life.
- Directivity isn't the best.
Changelog
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Updated Jul 08, 2025:
Updates to the Controls, Frequency Response Accuracy, and the App sections have been made to reflect firmware 4.12.4 retests.
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Updated Jun 25, 2025:
The Differences Between Variants and Style boxes were updated to add the 'Citrus Yellow' colorway.
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Updated May 01, 2025:
We mentioned the Lodge Solar Speaker 4 Series 2 in the Battery section of this review.
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Updated Nov 28, 2024:
We referenced the Bose SoundLink Home in the Voice Assistant box.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bose SoundLink Max is available in three color variants: 'Black,' 'Blue Dusk,' and 'Citrus Yellow.' We tested the 'Blue Dusk' variant, but expect all color variants to perform similarly. You can see our unit's label here.
If you encounter another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Bose SoundLink Max is one of the larger speakers in the SoundLink lineup. While it's larger and heavier than the Bose SoundLink Flex and the SoundLink Mini II Special Edition, it's still very portable and comes with a detachable carrying strap. It has a more balanced default sound profile than either of these speakers, with a lower bass extension. While it's quite a bit pricier than these other Bose speakers, this price tag comes with improved battery life, soundstage performance, and a louder sound with less compression at max volume. Though there's a decent amount of punch in the low-end, users who want a bit more rumble and thump should check out the slightly heftier Brane X.
You can also see our recommendations for the best Bluetooth speakers, the best waterproof speakers, and the best Bluetooth speakers for bass.
The JBL Xtreme 4 and Bose SoundLink Max are both stylish and durable portable speakers with modern features. That said, the Bose is a better choice for most use cases, unless you plan on taking advantage of the JBL's longer battery life to take long hikes or own other JBL speakers you'd like to pair with. While the two speakers are similarly portable, the Bose has a more balanced sound overall, with a more prominent bass range and better directivity. It also features an aux input and lower latency with iOS and Android devices. That said, the JBL's 27 hours of battery life can't be overlooked, as it's almost double that of the Bose, and will surely be a deciding factor for users that value multi-day performance.
The Sonos Move 2 and Bose SoundLink Max are both portable but larger speakers with different strengths. The Sonos is designed as a Wi-Fi hub with a dedicated dock that you can also take outside. It sounds a bit more balanced out of the box, and you can even replace its battery down the line. The Bose has a longer-lasting battery and doesn't require an adapter to connect to analog line-in sources, but it can't connect to Wi-Fi.
The Bose SoundLink Plus is a better portable option than the Bose SoundLink Max, though the latter is a better choice for listening to music. While both speakers feature nylon carrying handles, the Plus is a fair bit lighter and smaller. The two have a very similar frequency response, though the Max has a bit more bass on tap. As the larger speaker, it can get louder without as much compression at max volume. It can also play back stereo content without downmixing to mono, which will be a boon for music lovers. Though the two speakers have a similar build quality, the Plus's longer battery life can make it a better companion for longer expeditions or camping trips, though be wary that it'll need the best part of five hours to charge.
The Bose SoundLink Max is a lighter weight speaker than the Sony ULT FIELD 5, with an integrated handle, compared to the Sony's removable strap. Which speaker is better depends on your preferences. Both are well-built with IP67 ratings. The Bose is primarily coated in silicone, while the Sony is wrapped in a durable mesh. Only the Sony will float, though. The controls on the Bose are more comprehensive, and there's support for voice assistants. The Bose has a more balanced default tuning than the Sony, but you can EQ either. The Sony has a more involved 10-band EQ, and lower Bluetooth latency, alongside support for LDAC for higher-quality streaming. While the Bose has a longer battery life, the Sony's 'Stamina' mode can extend the battery life much longer than the Bose.
Test Results
The Bose SoundLink Max sports a sleek, oblong design that's somewhere between a purse and a lunchbox. It features a detachable nylon rope handle with a rubber grip, which can be swapped out for different colored variants, as well as a longer rope carrying strap (although these are purchased separately). The speaker is intended to be used standing horizontally. It's constructed from high-quality materials like aluminum, fabric, nylon, plastic, silicone, and steel. It's available in three color variants: 'Black,' 'Blue Dusk,' and 'Citrus Yellow.'
This speaker is very portable, and its detachable carrying handle is designed to help you carry it around with one hand. While it's not as lightweight as the Bose SoundLink Flex, it's not exactly hefty and can be easily slipped into a bag or backpack.
This speaker has excellent build quality. The silicone, metal, and plastic used for its body and grilles are high quality, non-slip, and resilient. It also comes with a small, thick nylon rope handle with a rubber grip that feels durable. It's also rated IP67 for full submergibility in water and for protection against dust. Like the Anker Soundcore Boom 2, it can also float in water, which can be handy for your next pool party.
This speaker's controls are located on the top panel. They're intuitive and make it a breeze to input most functions. There's a helpful tutorial in the companion app that runs you through how the physical controls work. The 'Play/Pause' button also has some additional functionality: pressing it twice skips a track, and pressing it three times lets you skip back. There's visual feedback in the form of small LEDs over certain buttons that indicate when you've reached max/min volume. There's also a shortcut button located next to the Bluetooth button that lets you switch between Bluetooth and AUX sources by default. However, it can be remapped in the app to be a 'Spotify tap' function that gives you instant access to your Spotify playlists. You can also allocate the shortcut button via the app to pair a second compatible Bose speaker via the 'Speaker Link' function (essentially, party mode), or you can create a stereo pair with a second, identical speaker.
The Bose SoundLink Max has a decent frequency response overall. We tested it on its default setting with no EQ applied and found that it offered a relatively balanced sound, with an even mid- and treble-range response that's well-suited to reproducing vocals, whether in music or podcasts. A peak in response around the high bass helps bring out some punch in kicks and basslines. While the bass range extends lower than the Bose SoundLink Flex, it still lacks a bit of low-end heft. This is to be expected from a speaker of this size, though, and it can be counteracted somewhat by boosting the bass in the companion app's EQ. That's not to say the bass is underwhelming; there's still enough on tap to inject energy into the rhythms in electronic and hip-hop tracks. Sadly, there's no room correction tool to compensate for any resonances in your listening room. As an aside, as of firmware 4.12.4, the sound profile of the speaker remains unchanged.
The soundstage performance is very good. This speaker is capable of playing stereo content without downmixing to mono. However, the positioning of the tweeters means that you won't get quite as much separation between the left and right channels as with a wider speaker. Its directivity is also decent, so while audio won't sound perfectly consistent from every angle, it's more consistent than other small, front-facing speakers.
This speaker has a good dynamics performance. It gets loud enough to fill a large room with sound, plus there's minimal compression even at max volume. As a result, while you'll hear some pumping artifacts in the bass range, there's not too much degradation of audio quality, even if you like to crank your tunes.
The battery life performance is excellent. The manufacturer advertises 20 hours of battery life at around 65% volume, which seems roughly accurate considering we achieved 15.5 hours at a higher volume. That said, the battery life will vary based on an array of factors, so your experience may vary. There's also an auto-off timer that's accessible via the app that can help you get the most out of the battery. You can set it to turn off at increments of 5, 20 (default), 40, 60, or 180 minutes.
During our testing, the charging LED indicated a full charge before charging was complete. It takes around 3.5 hours to fully charge the speaker, but the LED stops flashing after just over 2.5 hours. The speaker only accepts up to 20W of power, so using higher-wattage power bricks doesn't lead to a reduced charging time.
If you're looking for an outdoor-focused speaker with an even longer battery life, the Lodge Solar Speaker 4 Series 2 is worth checking out. It's solar-powered and lasts over 80 hours on a single charge.
This speaker doesn't have a built-in microphone. Consider the Bose SoundLink Home if you'd like a speaker that you can use with your phone's Siri or Google Assistant.
The Bose app is very good. It's easy to use and gives you access to a broad range of features. Using the app, you can adjust the sound via graphic EQ and presets, remap the shortcut button, and change the Bluetooth source. Plus, you can sync it with another compatible Bose speaker or soundbar via Speaker Link for a more expansive sound, which you can also add as a 'Shortcut' command (as of firmware 4.12.4). Using the app, you can pair two identical SoundLink Max units to get left/right stereo playback, with one speaker acting as the left speaker and the other as the right.
This speaker features a single AUX input, so you can connect an external audio source via a 3.5 mm TRS cable. There's also a USB-C input that's used to charge the speaker.
The Bluetooth integration on this speaker is excellent. You can connect up to two devices at once this way, making it easy to split DJ duties. Audiovisual synchronization error is fairly low with iOS devices and even lower with Android devices, meaning you should encounter minimal lip-sync issues when watching video content.