Bose SoundLink III Bluetooth Speaker
There are so many Bluetooth speakers out there, deciding on a premium portable model with great battery life has now been made easier. Enter the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III.
Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III Unboxing
Disclosure: I was sent a Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III at no cost for review. I have not been compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Bose.
Bose SoundLink Speaker III With Case
Overview
The Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III is a medium sized (10” wide, 2” deep, 5” high at 3lbs) portable wireless gadget with room-filling sound and a long lasting battery. Setting up this Bluetooth speakers with an iPhone, iPad or iPod is straightforward and can be done in moments. This Bose speaker paired with my iPhone and Samsung Galaxy Note 5 in a few taps.
The box contains:
• Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III
• Power Adapter
• Setup Guide
Bose is known for quality and rich sound from small speakers. I have been a Bose fan for more than fifteen years. I remember going to an invite only Bose audio event where they were showcasing a yet unreleased speaker system. They played a music sample for the small group and we were asked to guess which speakers in the room produced the sound. All of us were wrong. It came from a single speaker cluster under a sheet directly in front of us.
Ever since that Bose speaker preview event, I have been tracking their consumer releases. A few years ago I saw that Bose released the SoundLink Mini. I was lucky enough to test one for a few weeks. The sound was nice and the battery life was ok, but it was missing something.
Bose SoundLink Speaker III Portability
Now that the Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III became available, I knew it was time to hear the difference between the first generation mini and this larger model. The sound that it created filled my entire living room and a fair amount of volume was audible into the kitchen.
I tested it against audio produced from a several year old iHome speaker unit. It beat it hands down and then some. It produced a fair amount of bass from the edge of the living room to about three quarters of the room away.
Bose SoundLink Speaker III Snack Time
Connecting my home docked Sirius XM radio through the SoundLink III’s auxiliary port produced a better quality sound than the iHome unit it was attached to previously. Many of the portable speakers I have tested also act asked a speaker phone and can charge via a micro USB cable.
Bose SoundLink Speaker III At Brunch
The SoundLink III is not equipped with speakerphone capabilities, a skip track or play pause buttons or a micro USB port that can charge it. Those are features built into almost every portable speaker shipped today. The micro USB port on the back of the speaker is only there to upgrade its firmware.
Bose SoundLink Speaker III Dancing
Buying a medium sized portable premium speaker is much easier now with the Bose SoundLink III on the market. Its 14 hour battery life, great sound quality, Bluetooth wireless connection and a sleek design that looks good in an office or at home is why I would choose this over cheaper options. If you are looking for bigger bass and the ability to pair multiple portable speakers together, get a UE Boom speaker.
Final Thoughts
Bose has elevated their mid-sized premium portable speaker game with the SoundLink III. I liked the larger sound it produced over the SoundLink mini and iHome speakers. It produced nice sound at lower volume, but it did not pump out huge bass while playing techno tracks.
Sure, it has a few misses, but I would rather use the speakerphone on my Galaxy Note 5 than lean over and speak into the SoundLink III. My audio app has the skip track feature and what I need in a portable speaker is battery life and high quality sound. The Bose SoundLink Bluetooth Speaker III has both of what I need in a nice metal case with rubberized plastic on the top and bottom.
Rating: 4.5/5
Price: $299.00 – Available from AT&T. It carries a one year warranty.
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Pros:
- Small With Room Filling Sound
- Clean highs & Full Bass
- Sturdy Design
- Long Lasting Battery
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Cons:
- Micro USB Port Will Not Charge The Speaker
- No Track Skip Button
- No Speakerphone Feature
- Requires AC Adapter To Charge