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Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)

By Bose · Portable Bluetooth Speakers · Audio & Electronics · More from Bose

  • 12 hours battery life
  • IP67 water and dust resistance
  • 1.3 lbs weight
  • Bluetooth 5.3
  • 3.56" H x 7.93" W x 2.06" D

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Summary

A small IP67 Bluetooth speaker for pool, beach and kitchen use that floats, with multipoint, app EQ and SimpleSync for Bose ecosystems — but measured battery life lands near seven hours, not the claimed 12, and owners flag charging failures after about a year. Check the battery reports before you buy.

Strengths

  • Balanced mids and real instrument separation for a mono speaker this small.
  • Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint, aptX on Snapdragon Sound phones and a useful app EQ are genuine upgrades over the 1st Gen.
  • The strap and 1.291 lb weight make it easy to clip on a bag and carry anywhere.
  • SimpleSync links it with Bose smart speakers and soundbars if you already live in that ecosystem.

Weaknesses

  • Real battery life sits well under the 12-hour claim: 7 hours 3 minutes at 80 dB in SoundGuys testing, roughly 6.5 hours in RTINGS’ 2026 roundup.
  • The buttons feel mushy, and reviewers report accidental presses.
  • No AUX input, and stereo sound means buying a second 2nd Gen unit.
  • DSP trims bass near max volume and the top of the range can sound harsh.
  • PositionIQ cannot be turned off, and some owners dislike the orientation-based EQ.
  • Battery and charging failures after about a year appear repeatedly in community snippets; one SoundGuys verified owner reports both speakers refusing a charge at 14 months, with Bose support declining to help.

Verified specifications

ModelSoundLink Flex Portable Speaker (2nd Gen), Bose model 887612-0100 (black).
Dimensions7.93 × 3.56 × 2.06 in (W × D × H, unpackaged).
Weight1.291 lb (about 589 g per SoundGuys).
Battery12 hours claimed at moderate volume, less at max; about 4 hours to charge with a 1.5 A USB supply.
Bluetooth5.3, range up to 33 ft (10 m), multipoint for two devices.
CodecsSBC and AAC; aptX via Snapdragon Sound with compatible Android phones.
DurabilityIP67 — dust-tight, immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes; floats.
Audiosingle speaker; PositionIQ orientation processing that cannot be disabled.
AppBose app with a 3-band EQ, four presets, shortcut-button customization and SimpleSync.
InputUSB-C for charging only; no AUX or wired audio input.
In the boxspeaker, USB-C (C-to-A) cable, safety sheet; no power adapter listed.
Warrantyone year limited from Bose; BoseCare extended coverage sold as an option.
Colorsblack, white smoke, stone blue, alpine sage, sandstone, blue dusk, petal pink, citrus yellow.
Full research notes and sources

Battery life and real-world runtime

Bose claims 12 hours at moderate volume, and that is a best-case figure. SoundGuys measured 7 hours 3 minutes at 80 dB from one meter in June 2025 testing (firmware 4.3.30); RTINGS reports roughly 6.5 hours in its 2026 Bose speaker roundup. Plan your days around seven hours, not twelve. A full charge takes about 4 hours from a 1.5 A USB supply, and the box includes no power adapter, so you will use one you already own.

Sound, EQ and DSP

Reviewers describe well-balanced mids and clean instrument separation, with treble that can sound slightly piercing out of the box; Consumer Reports called the midrange “fairly even…a bit grainy, hazy, congested” and the treble “fairly extended…a bit subdued”. At high volume the DSP trims bass to hold down distortion, and both SoundGuys and TechRadar note harshness at the top of the range. PositionIQ retunes the output depending on how the speaker is sitting and cannot be disabled. The app EQ is the fix owners reach for — SoundGuys’ Bass +6, Treble +3 tweak is the common recommendation. Volume fills a medium room, and true stereo needs a second 2nd Gen unit.

Build and upkeep

Bose rates the Flex IP67 — dust-tight, immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes — and describes it as drop-proof and rust-proof; it floats, though Bose does not design it to play while floating. Rinse it after salt or chlorinated water and dry it before charging. For the charging port, Bose recommends fresh water or compressed air for debris, a soft cloth for the exterior, and no detergents. No user-serviceable parts documentation exists, so a dead battery means a trip to Bose service.

Is it worth it?

Bose’s MSRP is $149, and the one-year warranty covers mechanical breakdown and battery failure, with BoseCare available as an optional add-on. A December 2024 snapshot had the speaker at $99 from Lenovo and $119 from Best Buy; at that money it undercuts longer-battery rivals like the JBL Flip 7, which carries a $149.95 MSRP. At the full $149 it is fair value if Bose build, the strap and the app EQ matter more than runtime. Above roughly $159 the value gets thin.

Which model this is

This page covers the SoundLink Flex Portable Speaker (2nd Gen), model 887612-0100 in black, sold since September 2024. Bose also sells an SE variant of the 2nd Gen; non-Amazon sources do not confirm how it differs, so do not assume feature parity. It replaces the 2021 1st Gen, which ran Bluetooth 4.2 and the Bose Connect app. Its Amazon listing is ASIN B0F2L6BTSL.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

  • No owner threads were fetched; the owner signals above come from search-result snippets and a SoundGuys verified-owner note.

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