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Bose SoundLink Flex vs SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)

Which Speaker Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      PicturesStylePortabilityBuild QualityControlsIn The Box
    Sound
      Frequency Response AccuracyRaw Frequency ResponseSoundstageDynamics
    Active Features
      BatteryVoice AssistantApp
    Connectivity
      WiredBluetoothWi-Fi
    Comments

Products

Bose SoundLink Flex
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 31, 2024 02:49 PM

SEE PRICE
Walmart.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 26, 2025 01:01 PM

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Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Flex Picture
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
Yes
Voice Assistant
Yes
Battery Powered
Yes
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Shower
  3. Golf
  4. Bose

Our Verdict

Bose SoundLink Flex

Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)

The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) is a better speaker than the first-generation Bose SoundLink Flex. The 2nd Gen comes with an app that lets you EQ the sound to your preferences, support for AAC and aptX codecs (with compatible devices), and an improved control strip. That said, the first generation gets a little louder. 

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Variants

  • SoundLink Flex (Black)
  • SoundLink Flex (Carmine Red)
  • SoundLink Flex (Chilled Lilac)
  • SoundLink Flex (Cypress Green)
  • SoundLink Flex (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Flex (White Smoke)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Alpine Sage)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Black)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Blue Dusk)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Citrus Yellow)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Petal Pink)
  • SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) (Sandstone)

Review

See Bose SoundLink Flex Review
See Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Review
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Check Price

Black
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Alpine Sage
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Blue Dusk
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Citrus Yellow
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Petal Pink
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Sandstone
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.3
6.6

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
7.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Style Photo
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.2
9.3

Dimensions Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Dimensions Photo
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

57 in³ (942 cm³)
56 in³ (919 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)
1.3 lbs (0.6 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.7
8.7

Build Quality Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Build Quality Photo
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Controls 
 

8.4
8.6

Controls Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex Controls Photo
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Bose SoundLink Flex Controls Photo 2
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Okay
Okay

Feedback 
 

Decent
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Tactile)

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Bose SoundLink Flex In The Box Photo
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.9
7.1

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Slope 
 

0.22
0.49

Std. Err. 
 

2.85 dB
1.97 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

60.8 Hz
64.4 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

15.6 kHz
17.5 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.5
5.3

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Directivity Index 
 

4.59 dB
5.05 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.4
6.2

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

87.5 dB SPL
84.5 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.02 dB
2.73 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.7
6.4

Battery Life 
 

7.2 hrs
6.6 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.7 hrs
2.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

5.7
5.7

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Yes (Requires Smartphone)
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
7.9

App Picture  

Bose SoundLink Flex App Picture
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) App Picture

App Name 
 

Bose Connect
Bose

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.0
8.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

236 ms
119 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

109 ms
135 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

255.9 ft (78.0 m)
275.6 ft (84.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Black
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Carmine Red
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Alpine Sage
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Chilled Lilac
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Blue Dusk
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cypress Green
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Citrus Yellow
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Stone Blue
SoundLink Flex
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Petal Pink
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
SoundLink Flex
SEARCH
Amazon.com
Sandstone
SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Back to Top

Bose SoundLink Flex

Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

Bose SoundLink Flex vs Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen): Main Discussion

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