Summer outdoor activities are no more, but if you’ve got a fall hike or hay ride coming up, bring Soundcore’s compact new Motion 300 portable speaker. It’s one of the best of its kind.
It’s small, it’s tough, it looks good, it sounds great and it goes on sale today for $80. Soundcore got it right with the Motion 300, a 30-watt speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Certification and 13 hours of playtime.
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Soundcore Motion 300 Portable High Fidelity Bluetooth Speaker
Anker brand Soundcore does a great job with its audio products. When the company announced the Motion 300 portable speaker, I said if it’s anything like its bigger and more powerful sibling, the Soundcore Motion X600 speaker, it’ll be great. I gave the X600 5 stars in a May review.
And the Motion 300 speaker is eerily similar to the larger X600, in its good looks and especially in its identical startup sound that gives an idea of the highs and lows it can emit. The 50-watt X600 is also portable, with a fixed handle, but it’s more advanced, with an upward firing 10W driver to create a sense of spatial audio, plus a $200 price tag.
Note that the $60 Motion 100, which lacks the 300’s SmartTune EQ, is coming, too. It will ship in November, Soundcore said. This review covers the Motion 300.
Compact and portable
For portability, the Soundcore Motion 300 includes a short, detachable carrying strap and a light weight of 1.76 pounds, though it feels solid, with its metal grill and silicon edges. And with its small size — 7.9 inches long by 3.6 inches tall by 1.97 inches thick — it could be the speaker you bring when your bag is pretty loaded.
In fact, size is probably the deciding factor on which speaker I’d bring anywhere. If I’m going to the backyard, it’s the beefier X600. If I’m going further and have a full bag, it’s the Motion 300. And you can hang if off a bag, too.
Solid sound quality
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac
And in the Motion 300’s small form factor, you get Wireless Hi-Res Certification, stereo sound and Soundcore’s SmartTune adaptive EQ. That EQ technology adjusts according to the position of the device — horizontal (laying flat for omnidirectional sound) or vertical (standing up for immersive sound). You also get four EQ presets as well as full-band EQ customization via the Soundcore app for iOS and Android.
Note that a speaker this small features drivers that are close together, so you can’t really expect true stereo separation.
I liked the sound best with the speaker standing upright. And while some folks will probably always use the bass-up functionality, I found it unnecessary most of the time. But it can add some fullness to the sound.
Interestingly, you can set custom EQs using the app, so you can adjust the audio how you like with the device upright or laying flat. The Soundcore Signature preset satisfies me pretty well across the musical spectrum.
30W of stereo sound
The speaker’s two 15W, full-range drivers pump out 30W of stereo sound. The wireless codecs in play via Bluetooth 5.3 are LDAC (Sony’s high-fidelity codec for compatible devices), AAC and SBC, so the speaker will function well paired with both Android and Apple devices. It’s impressive a speaker at this price includes LDAC, too.
Also note, you can connect via Bluetooth to two devices at once, so you and your friend can fire up dueling playlists. You can also create bigger stereo sound with better separation by pairing two Motion 300 speakers together. But I only had the one.
Bottom line, the Motion 300 is surprisingly loud and clear for its small size. Though it’s designed for sound on the go, someone living in a studio apartment — other than a hardcore audiophile — could even get by with it as their main sound source. Guests walking in and looking for the speakers would be in for quite a surprise to find it’s all coming from the little Motion 300 laying flat on the coffee table. Of course, the X600 probably suits that role even better.
Long battery life, waterproofing, USB-C charging
The Motion 300 claims up to 13 hours of playtime from a 3350mAh battery, and that seemed accurate to me over a couple weeks’ of use.
The speaker also carries a waterproof rating of IPX7, so don’t worry about the rain if you leave the speaker outside. You can even float it in the pool. But with no official dust-proofing rating, it’s not super-tough, just tough enough.
The speaker charges at 10W via an included USB-C cable. And that’s its only connector. There is no 3.5mm audio jack for wired connection or headphone use. I found charging fast enough, but from near empty, a full charge takes up to 5 hours.
Motion 300 features and specs:
Photo: Soundcore
- Stereo sound
- Wireless Hi-Res Certification
- LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs
- 30W output
- Auto Adaptive EQ – horizontal / vertical position
- Soundcore Pro EQ
- Up to 40khz
- 13-hour battery life
- Waterproof IPX7 rating
- Choice of 3 colors
- Carrying strap
You can pick up the Motion 300 for $79.99 at Soundcore and Amazon. The Motion 300 comes in Mirage Black initially, with Frost Blue and Fern Green colors expected by early December, Soundcore said.
Where to buy: Soundcore or Amazon
Soundcore provided Cult of Mac with a review unit for this article. See our reviews policy, and check out other in-depth reviews of Apple-related items.
★★★★☆
This little Bluetooth Speaker features SmartTune Technology, 30W stereo sound and IPX7 waterproofing -- great for the backyard, camping and hiking.
