With the Motion Boom Plus, the company Soundcore adds another model to its portfolio of Bluetooth speakers. It is a visually very similar, larger version of the Motion Boom. In addition to a strong, powerful sound including bass boost, the company wants to convince with a long battery life and practical features for outdoors, such as dust and water resistance. The Bluetooth speaker weighs a hefty 2.28 kg, which still makes it very mobile and easy to take to the park or the lake.
The speaker has been available in black since the end of May 2022, and the RRP is €179.99. Thus, the Motion Boom Plus is significantly cheaper than similar models of the competition, such as the JBL Xtreme 3. Whether Soundcore’s inexpensive outdoor speaker can convince in the test, we clarify in the detailed test.
Soundcore Motion Boom Plus: Technical Specifications
| Audio performance | 80 W |
| Driver | 2 x 30 W woofers 2 x 10 W tweeter |
| Frequency range | Up to 40 kHz |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 |
| Connections | AUX-In, USB-C (charging port), USB-A (charging port) |
| Battery capacity | 13,400 mAh |
| Battery life | 20 hours |
| Features | IP67 certification (dust and waterproof), BassUp technology, PartyCast 2.0 / True Wireless Stereo |
| Size | 38.9 x 14 x 19.56 cm |
| Weight | 2.28 kg |
| Colors | black |
| Scope of delivery | Soundcore Motion Boom Plus, USB-C charging cable, strap, quick start guide |
| Price | € 119.99 * |
Scope of delivery
The packaging of the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is reminiscent of the manufacturer’s other products. It is blue, front and back are light blue. On the front we find a large product photo, moreover, they advertise the main features. On the back, these are explained in a bit more detail, so you can quickly get a brief overview of the Motion Boom Plus.
The inside of the box is almost completely filled by the well-protected Bluetooth speaker. Furthermore, we find a USB-C to USB-C charging cable, a carrying strap and a quick start guide in the packaging. A jack cable is not included, but most users will probably only use the wireless connection via Bluetooth anyway.
Design and Controls
Soundcore goes for a rather angular and cuboid design with the Motion Boom Plus. The Bluetooth speaker is 14 cm deep, while the height is almost 20 cm due to the carrying handle. The latter stretches over the entire width of just under 39 cm and has an eyelet at each end to which the carrying strap can be attached. Furthermore, the handle is slightly ribbed, which makes the Motion Boom Plus easier to hold on the go. Hard plastic is used throughout, only covers, such as the ports on the back or the feet, are made of rubber. Since the latter protrude a bit, the speaker can also be placed at an angle.
The controls are all located on the front of the top panel. From left to right, you’ll find the following:
- BassUp button – easy to disable/enable bass boost
- Bluetooth button – pairing or stereo pairing (long press)
- quiet
- Soundcore button – Pause or resume playback or answer incoming calls, skip to next song (press 2x), skip to previous song (press 3x), invoke voice assistant (long press)
- loud
- Turn on/off
- PartyCast button – pairing multiple compatible Soundcore speakers
On the back, behind the aforementioned rubber cover, we find a USB-C input for charging, a USB-A output, for charging other devices, and an AUX input.
Overall, the design of the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is rather plain and simple. The speaker is completely black, and this even applies to the logos on the handle, on both sides, and on the back. Only the small logo on the front stands out a bit. The surface of the speaker is smooth apart from the handle and the back, which are both textured. The design looks robust, which also makes a very good impression for outdoor use in combination with the IP67 certification, which means dust and water resistance.
Workmanship
The workmanship of the Motion Boom Plus looks very good and clean on our test specimen. The material quality seems good, but could be better or of higher quality, which is due to the hard plastic used. Other plastics feel much better, but the robustness is probably the most important factor. Due to the lack of rubber elements, the hard plastic also quickly comes into contact with stones and other things, which can scratch the surface and wear it out. In the short time of testing, we did not have any problems with it yet, but after several weeks or months of use, it can be assumed.
Setting up and setting options
Using the on/off button, we turn on the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus. By pressing the separate Bluetooth button, we enter Bluetooth pairing mode and can now select the Bluetooth speaker on the desired device and establish a connection. Soundcore does not offer a fast connection via NFC, as we know it from headphones, for example.
Soundcore also provides an app for smartphones, which can be found directly under the name Soundcore in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. The app shows you, if available, already set up Soundcore products and also allows you to add the Motion Boom Plus. All that is required is a Bluetooth connection and location sharing. Soundcore allows you to control playback in the app and offers an equalizer with four different modes and the option to increase bass, which activates the BassUp function. Creating and saving your own equalizer profiles is also possible, but BassUp is not available here.
Practical test and sound quality
Easy setup
Connection and setup take, with the Soundcore app mentioned above, only a few seconds and ran very straightforwardly. We were subsequently offered another firmware update, which took only a few minutes to install and then required a reboot.
The speaker can be operated directly on the device or also on the smartphone. The buttons are placed centrally on the upper side and are thus easily accessible. Since their number is manageable, the buttons have to be pressed several times for some actions. This is sometimes a bit awkward, but can be neglected since most users probably operate the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus via their music app anyway. The buttons themselves are rubberized, have a good pressure point and are not too hard to press, but also not too easy.
Good and balanced sound, even at high volume
Sound-wise, the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus is noticeable for its size. The sound can be described as detailed, clear and also voluminous. It also has a relatively spatial effect, even though this is of course only possible to a limited extent for a single speaker. Overall, we like the sound and it lives up to the price. The speaker enables a very high volume, which is more than sufficient indoors in most cases and is also well suited for garden parties or evenings with friends in the park or at the lake. The sound quality remains good even with increasing volume, as long as you don’t fully exhaust what’s possible here.
Without the BassUp function, the sound is balanced and we consistently liked it in various genres or even with podcasts. No piece of music stood out negatively during the test. The bass is rather restrained and less powerful than expected. If we activate the BassUp function, the bass is increased by a well-chosen level in our opinion and not too much. It now pushes much more into the foreground and is permanently well noticeable. Whether you like this is of course a matter of taste. We prefer the sound without BassUp, because it simply seems more natural. You can also further adjust the sound to your own preferences in the EQ and create additional profiles.
The connection via the current Bluetooth version 5.3 was consistently good and stable.
Battery Life
Soundcore claims a long battery life of up to 20 hours for the Motion Boom Plus. In the context of the test, we can confirm this value at a volume of ~40%. However, since the battery life also depends on the volume, it will be a bit below 20 hours in outdoor use with presumably higher volume, but still in a good range. A full charging process takes ~5.5 hours, and the charging port uses the current USB-C standard.
The Motion Boom Plus can also be used as a power bank with its 13,400 mAh battery and thus charge other devices, such as smartphones or headphones. A USB-A output that supports Anker’s own fast charging technology PowerIQ is available for this purpose. In the self-test, our smartphone was charged reliably and without interruptions with a charging current of 1.4 A.
Summary of the Soundcore Motion Boom Plus Test
All in all, the Motion Boom Plus is a good and also attractively priced Bluetooth speaker. This one offers a consistently good sound quality, a long battery life, the possibility to charge other devices and is also robust, dustproof and also waterproof. Thus, Soundcore should hardly leave anything to be desired; we do not miss anything here ourselves. The choice of materials, on the other hand, is not quite convincing. The Motion Boom Plus is very well manufactured, but Soundcore mainly uses simple hard plastic. Other plastics seem to be of a higher quality. Furthermore, rubber coatings and the like, which offer better protection against scratches and drops, are largely omitted. However, it is difficult for us to assess how this will work in practice after a few weeks.
Overall, Soundcore offers a lot at a low price, so we can clearly recommend the Bluetooth speaker. If you’re still looking for a bigger speaker for upcoming barbecues, festivals or other occasions, you should definitely take a look at the Motion Boom Plus.
Soundcore Motion Boom Plus
Workmanship
Sound quality
Features
Value for money
87/100
Well-equipped and outdoor-ready Bluetooth speaker that can also convince in terms of sound and battery life.
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