Bose SoundLink Micro to Max: 12 to 20 Hours, All IP67

Bose sells four current SoundLink portable speakers in the US, and they step up in size, battery and price: the Micro (2nd Gen), Flex (2nd Gen), Plus and Max, rated at 12 to 20 hours. All four are rated IP67, and two of them, the Plus and Max, can charge a phone over USB-C. For Wi-Fi with a battery, Bose sells a different speaker, the Portable Smart Speaker.

Prices are what Bose’s US store showed on 25 October 2026. None of the four SoundLink models was on sale that day. Black Friday is 27 November, and a list price is the figure to measure a deal against.

The four SoundLink speakers

	SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen)	SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)	SoundLink Plus	SoundLink Max
Bose US price, 25 Oct 2026	$129	$159	$269	$399
Battery, as Bose rates it	12 h	12 h	20 h	20 h
Charge time	3 h	4 h	5 h	5 h
Water and dust rating	IP67	IP67	IP67	IP67
Floats	No, it sinks	Yes	Yes	Yes
Weight	0.73 lb	1.29 lb	3.37 lb	4.9 lb
Height × width × depth	1.69 × 4.09 × 4.09 in	2.06 × 7.93 × 3.56 in	4.11 × 11.17 × 3.40 in	4.73 × 10.42 × 4.13 in
Charges a phone	No, charge-in only	No	Yes, USB-C at 15 W	Yes, USB-C in/out
Microphone for calls	No	Yes	No	No
Sound, per Bose’s table	Mono	Mono	Mono	Stereo
Aux input	No	No	No	Yes
Bose’s “group size”	Up to 2 people	Up to 10	Up to 15	Up to 20

Specs are from the Technical Specifications and FAQ on each speaker’s page on bose.com, and from the comparison table on Bose’s speakers listing for sound, aux and group size. The weights round Bose’s own figures, which run to three decimal places.

What each step up adds

Micro to Flex: a microphone and a longer body. Both are rated at 12 hours and IP67, so battery is not the difference. The Flex (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) adds a built-in microphone with speakerphone, which Bose says lets you answer a call with the play/pause button, and its page lists PositionIQ. It is about twice the width and weighs 1.29 lb against 0.73. The Micro (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) has a strap and, per Bose, sinks if dropped in water; the Flex floats.

Flex to Plus: battery and phone charging. The rated battery rises from 12 hours to 20, and the Plus can charge another device over USB-C at 15 W, which Bose says covers typical phones and tablets but may not charge laptops. It loses the microphone: Bose says there are none in the Plus. It weighs 3.37 lb and has a rope loop.

Plus to Max: stereo sound and an aux input, not battery. The Max (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab) has the same 20-hour rating as the Plus. Bose’s comparison table lists it as the one stereo speaker of the four and the one with an aux input, and its handle is a removable rope. It weighs 4.9 lb, and Bose includes a USB-C power supply in the US box. Its page says it supports Snapdragon Sound, which streams with aptX Adaptive from a certified device; a codec badge names what a speaker accepts, not what a given connection delivers.

Linking two speakers: Party Mode and Stereo Mode

Bose says any two of the Micro (2nd Gen), Flex (2nd Gen), Plus and Max can link in Party Mode, playing the same audio in sync, with each speaker’s volume set separately. You can link to one other speaker at a time. Stereo Mode, with one speaker playing left and the other right, needs two of the same model: two Plus speakers or two Micros, per their pages, and the Flex page lists Stereo Mode “when enabling two speakers”.

The Micro, Flex and Max pages also say they can join a Bose smart soundbar or smart speaker through SimpleSync; the Plus page we read does not mention it. The older Revolve II has its own Party Mode list, which names SoundLink models without the “2nd Gen” label, such as the Flex and Micro. Bose’s pages we read do not say whether the two lists link with each other.

Bose’s other speakers

	SoundLink Home	SoundLink Revolve II	Portable Smart Speaker	Lifestyle Ultra Speaker
Bose US price, 25 Oct 2026	$179	$219 list ($149 sale)	$399 list ($349 sale)	$349 in Black; $379 in Driftwood Sand
Stock on 25 Oct	Sold out in the colour shown	Out of stock in the colour shown	“Only a few left!”	No stock warning shown
Connection	Bluetooth	Bluetooth	Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Bluetooth	Wi-Fi (AirPlay, Google Cast, Spotify Connect), Bluetooth, aux
Battery, as Bose rates it	9 h	13 h	12 h	None listed
Water and dust rating	None; Bose says keep it dry	IP55	IPX4	None listed
Weight	1.93 lb	1.46 lb	2.34 lb	Not listed
Stereo pair	With a second SoundLink Home	Yes, two speakers	No, per Bose’s table	With a second Lifestyle Ultra Speaker
App	None	Bose Connect	Bose Music	Bose

The SoundLink Home is a Bluetooth speaker with no water rating and a microphone for calls. Bose says it pairs only with another SoundLink Home, does not work with SimpleSync and is not compatible with the Bose app. It is not on Bose’s speakers listing, and its page showed it sold out.

The Revolve II charges over micro-USB, lists Bluetooth 4.2 and uses the Bose Connect app rather than the Bose app. Bose’s page showed it out of stock in Luxe Silver, with the sale price marked “while supplies last”.

The Portable Smart Speaker is the one with both a battery and Wi-Fi. Bose says it works as a Bluetooth speaker away from Wi-Fi, but voice assistants and other smart features need the network. Its IPX4 rating is lower than the SoundLinks’ IP67.

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is a home speaker. Its page lists Wi-Fi first, with Bluetooth and a 3.5 mm input as well, and names no battery. Bose says two can form a stereo pair, or act as surround speakers for its Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar (how Bose’s five soundbars differ), but that it is not designed to work with a TV by itself. For a TV, our soundbar shortlist is the closer fit; for a Wi-Fi system built from separate speakers, how Sonos’s seven speakers differ is set out the same way as this page.

Bose’s listing also carries the S1 Pro+, a portable PA system, and in-ceiling speakers, which are left out here.

Who each one suits, by the specs

• A pocket or a bag strap: the Micro (2nd Gen), at 0.73 lb.
• Taking calls on the speaker: the Flex (2nd Gen), the one of the four with a microphone.
• A day out with a phone to top up: the Plus, which pairs the 20-hour rating with a 15 W charge-out.
• Stereo from one speaker, or a wired source: the Max, the one listed as stereo and with an aux input.
• Wi-Fi at home and a battery to take outside: the Portable Smart Speaker.

How the Flex (2nd Gen) and Max fare in published reviews, and why neither makes our three-outlet cut, is on our portable speaker shortlist.

Questions people ask

What is the difference between the Bose SoundLink Flex and SoundLink Plus?

Battery, size and phone charging. Bose rates the Plus at 20 hours against the Flex’s 12, and the Plus can charge a phone over USB-C at 15 W. The Plus weighs 3.37 lb to the Flex’s 1.29 lb. The Flex has a microphone for calls; the Plus has none. Both are IP67.

Which Bose speaker has the longest battery life?

The SoundLink Plus and SoundLink Max, which Bose rates at up to 20 hours each. The Revolve II is rated at 13, the Micro (2nd Gen), Flex (2nd Gen) and Portable Smart Speaker at 12, and the SoundLink Home at 9.

Can I connect two different Bose speakers together?

Yes, in Party Mode, if both are among the SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen), Flex (2nd Gen), Plus and Max. Bose says you can link to one other speaker at a time, and that Stereo Mode needs two of the same model.

Is the Bose SoundLink Micro waterproof?

The SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen) is rated IP67, like the Flex, Plus and Max. Unlike those three, Bose says it sinks rather than floats. The SoundLink Home has no water rating, and Bose says to keep it dry.

Which Bose speakers work over Wi-Fi?

Of the speakers on Bose’s US store, the Portable Smart Speaker and the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker. The Portable Smart Speaker has a battery and lists AirPlay 2 and Bluetooth; the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker lists AirPlay, Google Cast and Spotify Connect, with Bluetooth and aux. The SoundLink models are Bluetooth.

Can a Bose SoundLink speaker charge my phone?

The SoundLink Plus and SoundLink Max can. Bose says the Plus charges out at 15 W, and the Max lists a USB-C port for charging in and out. The Micro (2nd Gen) port is charge-in only, and Bose’s comparison table lists no charge-out for the Flex (2nd Gen).

Does the Bose SoundLink Max have a microphone?

No. Bose says there are no microphones in the SoundLink Max, so it cannot take calls; the Plus and Micro (2nd Gen) have none either. The Flex (2nd Gen) is the one of the four with a built-in microphone and speakerphone.