Would you like Bluetooth speakers with clear, spatial and high-resolution sound? Then the Soundcore Motion+ with aptX codec, Hi-Res and dedicated tweeters is a good choice! It is currently on sale at Amazon in black for €72.99.
- dedicated tweeters
- aptX
- hi res
- IPX7
That’s what she says about the Soundcore Motion+ speaker: ” After more than 2 years, the part is still great ” or ” Can only recommend it. Great for the price .”
With the Anker Soundcore Motion+, the Chinese manufacturer has finally catapulted itself to the top of the Bluetooth speaker manufacturers from China and is starting to really annoy even established manufacturers. With 30 watts of power, Hi-Res certification, aptX, USB-C and IPX7, the speaker offers a lot of useful extras.
- You may interested: Haylou S35 ANC
Soundcore Motion+ Speaker Review, Specs & Price
- Anker Soundcore Motion+
- at Amazon for €72.99 (black)| Amazon for €79.99 (red & blue) | Soundcore for €72.99 (voucher: WS7D0U76SN | black)
- Anker Soundcore Motion+ overhauled
- at Amazon – currently unavailable
- Technical specifications
| Surname | Anker Soundcore Motion+ |
| driver | 2 x 5 watts, 2 x 10 watts |
| frequency range | 50-40,000Hz |
| impedance | |
| connectivity | Bluetooth 5, AUX |
| battery capacity | 6700mAh |
| Weight | 1.05kg |
| Dimensions | 257x79x81mm |
| IP protection class | IPX7 |
Packaging And Scope Of Delivery
While the focus of the Anker Soundcore Boost and Pro+ was still on the “Anker” brand, this has changed with the current speakers. The Chinese company now seems to focus on establishing the “Soundcore” brand as an independent brand for audio gadgets.
The anchor logo can only be found in one place on the box and can be found below the Soundcore logo in the same font size. It seems likely that Anker as a brand name will disappear completely with the following speaker generations. However, the color of the packaging remains anchor/soundcore blue.
The loudspeaker, which we received directly from Amazon, survived the transport undamaged. Inside the packaging you will find, in addition to the Motion+ itself, a user manual, a USB-C charging cable and an AUX cable. Unfortunately, as always, a power supply unit is not included in the accessories.
Design And Processing
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ measures 257 x 79 x 81mm, making it larger than the Tribit MAXSound Plus, but still not as long as the JKR KR – 1000. With a weight of just over a kilo, however, it is by no means lightweight and is therefore not the most portable speaker.
As is so often the case, the speaker is only available in black, while the entire front is equipped with a metal grille. The rest of the speaker is covered with a rubbery plastic that gives the speaker a good grip.
Compared to other speakers, the metal grille is coarser, so the front speakers are clearly visible. A passive radiator sits in the middle, on which the Soundcore logo is shown. In addition, there is the Soundcore lettering a little further down, which is attached to the metal grille. The speaker has an angle of inclination of 15°, which the manufacturer justifies with an improvement in sound, more on that later.
Overall, in my opinion, the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is processed at an absolutely top level and has no material defects whatsoever. The design may be a bit unspectacular, but some design elements (like the tilt angle) also have a functional component, which I like.
Sound of the Anker Soundcore Motion+
Inside the speaker there are 2 x 5 watt tweeters and 2 x 10 watt midrange and woofers. There are also two passive radiators, one of which is in the middle of the front and the other in the middle of the back of the speaker.
I’ve been using the Anker Soundcore Motion+ for about a week now and I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with Anker’s new Bluetooth speaker. The Chinese manufacturer promises a “room-filling sound”, i.e. a room-filling sound and the speaker actually has it.
This spatial sound is mainly due to the position of the tweeters, which are placed on the far left and right. They sit so far out that they not only emit the sound to the front, but also slightly to the outside. This makes the sound “bigger” than the Bluetooth speaker itself.
The treble of the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is the highest resolution I’ve ever had the chance to test for a speaker from China. Compared to the JKR KR – 1000 or the Tribit MAXSound Plus, the sound is a lot more detailed. In the test, I particularly noticed this in the area of the drums, for example, here snare drums and/or hi-hats are played back in a much more differentiated way and do not disappear in the tonal mush.
The stereo qualities of the compact speaker are also remarkable. The tweeters make it possible to determine, for example, with good orchestral recordings whether an instrument is to the right or left of the microphones. With other Bluetooth speakers in a similar format, this is less differentiable.
In the midrange, I find voices to be authentic with a similarly good resolution as in the treble range. For my taste, the speaker could already sound a bit more bassy in the lower midrange. However, the way the speaker is tuned, it’s a more realistic sound than what I personally like. There is also the option of customizing the sound via the equalizer in the Soundcore app.
The bass is similar to the midrange, it seems authentic to me. The bass is clear and in sufficient form, but it could be a bit more present for my personal taste. However, as it is, it is differentiated and does not overlay the midrange, so there is no blurring of the individual frequency ranges. You can achieve a bit more bass with the BassUP button, which I activated almost permanently in the test, or in the app’s Soundcore Equalizer settings.
Overall, as you can probably tell, I’m a little fan of the Anker Soundcore Motion+ Bluetooth speaker. Unlike the JKR KR – 1000, it is not simply designed to combine a bass tone that is as present as possible with a Bluetooth speaker that is as small as possible, but has an overall authentic, differentiated and high-resolution sound right into the frequency peaks, which no other Bluetooth speaker has been able to offer so far Loudspeakers from China could afford in this form.
Anker Soundcore Motion+ compared to the JBL Xtreme
As the name of JBL’s branded speaker suggests, the speaker is extreme. For me, especially in the bass range, it is the reference if you just want to be mobile with a Bluetooth speaker. Personally, I’ve been using the JBL Xtreme privately for a few years, because of my penchant for bass-heavy music, it seemed perfect to me and I’m still satisfied to this day!
The good piece cost me ~250€ at the time and has already been replaced by the second generation today. On the tonal level, the Xtreme 2 has been slightly improved in the treble; however, when I had the opportunity to compare the two, I didn’t notice a significant difference.
Comparing my JBL Xtreme and the Anker Soundcore Motion+, I noticed that the Anker speaker definitely produces a more spacious sound. As already mentioned, this is due to the slightly outward-facing tweeters. Overall, the treble is also more high-resolution and is not lost as much due to less bass.
In the midrange, the speakers are up to a certain point. However, due to its construction, the JBL Xtreme is already significantly more bass-heavy in the lower midrange. Voices sound fuller and more powerful with the JBL Xtreme than with the Anker Soundcore Motion+. The question I asked myself: What sounds more authentic now? And I have to admit that voices simply sound more realistic and real with the Soundcore Motion+.
It is similar in the low-frequency range, the JBL Xtreme booms so much that details in the mid-range and treble are simply lost. Overall, the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is more reserved, has less “bang”, but sounds much more differentiated and realistic. What you prefer is up to you, but the Anker Soundcore Motion+ convinced me personally. Not least because it costs less than half compared to the JBL Xtreme 2.
Anker Soundcore Motion+ vs. DOSS SoundBox XL
When comparing the Doss SoundBox XL and the Soundcore Motion+, I noticed that the bass of the Doss Soundbox XL is a bit stronger. On the other hand, this slightly cheaper Chinese speaker can in no way match the qualities in the treble and midrange.
The Anker Soundcore Motion+ offers a more spatial and differentiated sound. The overall sound of Anker’s loudspeakers also makes a more complete impression on me and is simply rounder and more coherent overall.
Bluetooth range and connections
With Bluetooth 5, the Soundcore Motion+ is equipped with the latest Bluetooth standard. In the test, the connection between the smartphone and speaker remained stable over a distance of around 20 meters. As always, it is a little less in closed rooms.
When it comes to connections, Anker is unfortunately not quite as generous as, for example, Doss or Tronsmart. While most Bluetooth speakers from these manufacturers are also equipped with a micro-SD slot, the Soundcore Motion+ does not have one.
All that remains is a 3.5 mm AUX connection and a USB Type-C charging connection. Not only am I very happy that Anker is finally using the uniform USB-C standard for the Bluetooth speakers, but so is Alex from the editorial team.
Service
There are a total of five control buttons on the top of the speaker, plus the power button on the right. Unfortunately, with the top of the speaker tilted backwards at a 15° angle, the buttons aren’t clearly visible from many positions. It also doesn’t help that the buttons aren’t highlighted in color from the rest of the speaker.
While the multifunction button with the Soundcore logo has multiple functions, the others only have one function.
| Button | 1x | 2x | 3x | Press for 3 seconds |
| BassUp (Bass boost) | switch on/off | – | – | – |
| Quieter | Quieter | – | – | – |
| multifunction knob | play/pause | next title | previous title | – |
| volume up | volume up | – | – | – |
| Bluetooth | pairing mode | – | – | – |
| power | switch on/off | – | – | Stereo pairing with 2 speakers |
Operation via app
Like the Anker Soundcore Flare, the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is integrated into the Soundcore app. It is available for both Android and iOS and offers a few added values for the Bluetooth speaker.
In the app you can:
- the equalizer individualized
- Music started/stopped
- volume adjusted
- Sleep timer set up
- Firmware updated
- connection lost
become.
The app is in perfect German and also translated into many other languages. All in all, a nice feature for firmware updates, equalizer settings and the sleep timer. However, you don’t need them for everyday use of the Motion+ speaker.
Battery Pack
A 6700 mAh battery is installed inside the Anker Soundcore Motion+. According to the manufacturer, this should be enough to listen to music for around 12 hours.
During the practical tests, the Bluetooth speaker lasted about 10.5 hours at a volume of 50%-70%, a solid value. The recharging process via USB-C charging cable then took about four hours. Of course, the charging speed depends on the respective power supply unit and could vary slightly.
Overall, I’m happy with the runtime. In case of hardship, you can get through the day with it and in case of doubt, the speaker can of course also be charged with a power bank.
IPX7 protection in practical testing
Although the protective grille on the front is completely water-permeable, the speaker still has an IPX7 rating. This means that the speaker is protected from water ingress during submersion.
In plain language, this means that splashing water can’t harm it at all and even if it lands in a lake, pool or sea, that’s no problem. The anchor Soundcore Motion+ floats on the water surface and is just waiting to be rescued by you.
In the test, we let the speaker swim in a water bath for half an hour. He survived the challenge without any problems, just a quick dry and he’s completely his old self.
Conclusion
In my opinion, with the Soundcore Motion+, Anker has finally risen to become one of the top manufacturers of Bluetooth speakers and can compete with manufacturers such as JBL, Bose or Sony. The Motion+ has absolutely flawless workmanship and is in no way inferior to speakers from other manufacturers.
In terms of sound, it is a bit more reserved in the bass range than the DOSS Soundbox XL or the JBL Xtreme, but it performs much better in the high and mid-range. I am particularly impressed by the spatial sound, the tonal differentiation and the stereo qualities of the Anker Soundcore Motion+.
A modern USB-C charging connection, a dedicated smartphone app and the IPX7 certification underline once again that the Motion+ has everything it takes to play with the big ones.
In the end, as always, it comes down to your personal requirements for a Bluetooth speaker. For example, if you prefer listening to bass-heavy music like I do, then the DOSS Soundbox XL might even be the better choice for you. For my part, I wouldn’t want to do without my JBL Xtreme either.
However, if you listen to acoustic music, pop, rock or even classical music, then the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is the much better choice in my opinion. Basically, it has a higher resolution in the high and mid-range and simply delivers the more realistic sound.
Meanwhile, the bass-heavy speakers from DOSS/JBL deliver rather undefined noise. In terms of price, the Anker Soundcore Motion+ is no longer a real “no brainer”, but it still convinced me in terms of price/performance ratio compared to the JBL boxes.
