Design & Construction

The Bose Soundlink lineup has been going strong since the beginning of time and Bose is clearly not resting on its laurels either. This time, they are bringing out the most popular form factor for an everyday speaker to fit the lifestyles for their younger demographic. Having a conventional rectangle design like every other portable speaker out there, can the Soundlink Flex live up to the rest of the Soundlink reputation? Well, there is only one way to find out. Diving straight into the design, the Flex features a hybrid mix of material, smooth silicone wraps around the back to the sides while the speaker's front is a powder-coated steel grille. The steel grille being the durable front-face is said to be resistant to the corrosion and UV light, while having a drop-proof design that will not peel or flake. Now, because of how the speaker is constructed, the entire set-up is IP67 dust and waterproof so you can take it with you to a hike or the beach. Alongside a handy utility loop on the right, you can be assured that the speaker will hang on backpacks. camping tents or even beach umbrellas with ease. Yes, if you are wondering the speaker does float in the water so you don't need to dive into the pool to get the speaker should it fall in accidentally. Moving onto the controls found on the top of the Flex, there is the (From Left to Right) power button, volume buttons, the multi-function playback button as well as a Bluetooth pairing button. Controlling the music playback function are on the multi-function button where a single press will play/pause your music, a double press skips forward and a triple press will skip backwards. Holding it down will activate your phone's smart assistance. For calls, there is yet another set of controls that the multi-function buttons enables. A single press will answer the call and while in the call, a single press will end the call. If you would like to reject the call, pressing and holding does the job. Now to put the speaker in Bluetooth Pairing mode, a single press will quickly allow the speaker to be discoverable. To mute the microphones, simply hold down both volume button will enable the function. Should you also wish to pair another Bose speaker in Party mode, you can enable it by holding down the Bluetooth and Volume up buttons until the voice prompt tells you to do so on the second speaker. The entire process takes 10 seconds and both speakers will sound off 'Party Mode' to indicate a successful process. Now, if you are using another Soundlink Flex, the same process applies just that you will have to hold down until the prompt sound off as 'Stereo Mode'. On the right side, you will find the handy utility loop that let you easily hook the speaker to any backpack, shower or even an beach umbrella. Back to the speaker, a USB-C port is located on the left side solely for recharging purpose only, no wired music playback unfortunately. And if you are wondering, there is no 3.5mm audio-in port on anywhere else of the speaker either. In terms of battery life, we are looking at 12 hours per use at moderate listening volume of 50%-65% on Spotify. To charge up on from a dead battery, the Soundlink Flex takes 4 hours to do so. 

Sound Quality

Moving on to sound quality, the Soundlink Flex II features a single transducer towards the right side of the speaker and dual passive radiators that are positioned facing the front and the back to produce deep, punchy and tight bass. The low frequencies does a great job of not bleeding into the mids while at low volume levels as well as not distorting even at max volumes. The bass, however does hit a depth limit at around 90% volume where the mids and highs become significantly louder and the bass peaking on the other side of the frequency spectrum. The highs sounds bright and forward with great detail especially with a low and high pitch vocals. While the mids on the other hand are crisp with a filling and open soundstage. However, since the speaker is a mono set-up, there is no distinct left and right channels that can be perceived. I do have to commend on how great the instrument separation is as all the frequencies blend well together without distortion or getting jumbled in fast-paced songs. One of the biggest features Bose has been promoting is PositionIQ where the speaker automatically detects the orientation of the placement to tune the sound to match. Whether it is placed horizontally, laying flat or vertically hung to a backpack, the speaker volumes also gets plenty loud for a medium-sized bedroom, requiring only a 50% volume to fill the entire room. Of course, as mentioned earlier, you can utilise Party Mode which lets you connect to other Bose speakers such as the Soundlink Micro, Colour II and Revolve Series so you and your friends can jam out together or use Stereo Mode if you happen to have another Bose speaker for louder and much wider soundstage with distinct left and right channels. Like its competitors, the Soundlink Flex does work with a compatible Bose Connect app that enables more functions. In the app, you will first be greeted with the option to connect your speaker of you have not done so. The home screen will then display the Soundlink Flex in the colourway that you own together with a music player found at the bottom of the app where you can skip songs and change the volume. There are 2 discreet buttons that enables you to switch and pair 2 devices to the speaker as well as a Party mode button. Towards the right, anm estimate of the remaining battery life is indicated. At the top, the left is where you the profiles are located to change from user to user. In the settings, you can change the speaker name, switch connections, take a recap of the speaker with a Product Tour, enable Party Mode, set the Auto-Off Timer from as short as 5 minutes to a maximum of 3 hours or just never auto power-off. Enabling or disabling voice prompts is possible together with the option to switch its language. Should you need to check the guides for detailed use, update the firmware, the app will notify you to do so. If you are looking to use the speaker as a speakerphone, you are in for a treat sunce there is a built-in mic for you to take quick phone calls and even a full-on business meeting with cilents. I have to say I am pretty impressed with the quality of the voice pickup since my voice comes off sounding rather natuaral with good clarity and loudness. 

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Connectivity & Portability

In terms of connectivity, Bluetooth 4.2 together with the standard SBC and AAC codecs are offered and not the latest Bluetooth 5.3 or with any AptX codec support unfortunately. However, on the bright side, the Flex doesn't have any latency when watching videos and movies. The speaker supports Bluetooth Multi-point connection so you can take calls on your phone and listen to music on your laptop. With the move to a wireless world, there is no 3.5mm audio-in port available. On the left side of the speaker, the USB-C port is for charging purposes only with the package including a USB-A to USB-C cable. 

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PROS​

• Dynamic Sound Signature

• Slim and Iconic Design

• Rugged Build

• App Support

• Customisable Equaliser Presets

• Party Mode

• Stereo Pairing

• Long Battery Life

• IP67 Dust and Water Resistant

• Bluetooth Multi-Pairing

• USB-C Fast Charging

• Speakerphone

• Four Colours Available

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CONS​

• No Audio-In Port

• No Bluetooth 5.3 Support

• No Smart Home Integration

• No AptX Codecs Support

 

The Bottom Line

In all, the Bose Soundlink Flex is a top-tier all-weather lifestyle speaker that satisfies users with great features. The top selling features include its dynamic and energetic sound signature, long battery life, tough durability as well as hassle-free user experience. Four colours of Black, White Smoke, Stone Blue and Carmine Red are available to fit users of different genders and styles.