review: Soundcore Motion Boom Plus - THE JBL killer? (2024)

Soundcore has created quite the stir lately in the audio world and no doubt the Motion Boom Plus is trying to continue that trend. This Soundcore Motion Boom+ review will cover everything such as battery life, performance, bass, and build quality.

The original Soundcore Motion Boom seriously impressed me as it came quite close to the performance of the Minirig 3 + Subwoofer at half the cost. The new model will launch at $179 which is slightly above the original at $110.

Open my best Bluetooth speakers megaguide in a new tab because those are the main competitors for this new unit! Lets get into the details now.

Note: This review is unpaid and unsponsored but if you click the affiliate link it will help me out with commission 🙂

Sound quality of the Motion Boom+

The most important thing about any speaker is the sound quality IMO. I can usually deal with bad softwares, weird connectivity, or lack of waterproofness in favor of raw fidelity. How is the Motion Boom+ sound quality you ask?

It’s great! The addition of those tweeters really give more brilliance up top and allow the woofers to focus a bit more low. The result is a cleaner, deeper, more detailed sound. More dynamic overall and generally quite good! It hits those deep 40Hz notes quite well – as it should for the size!

• 80W power (2 x 30W woofers, 2 x 10W tweeters).
• Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC, aptX codecs.
• Aux-in support!

As they advertise 80W of power output, I’m inclined to believe that. Supposedly the two titanium woofers draw up to 30W each and the 2 tweeters 10W a piece. Seems realistic and while maybe exaggerated a bit, it definitely feels like more than 60 watts.

At maximum volume the speaker compromises deep bass extension for upper bass and mid-bass hit. While this translates very well for house and pop-type music, deep tunes like hiphop or dub will feel this sacrifice. Of course EQ and the BASSUP function can help mitigate this pretty well!

Someone here has uploaded sound quality comparisons of the Motion Boom+ vs Motion Boom, the Motion Boom+ vs JBL Extreme 3, and a couple of others. Worth checking out, though it’s no surprise it embarrasses all these speakers which are a good bit smaller.

Overall the sound quality of the Motion Boom is absolutely good. I wouldn’t say excellent quite yet because those sub-basses need some work (the limits of 4″ drivers), however it still does great for music like dub, hiphop, trap, etc. I would say 2 of these would be phenomenal for small-medium improptu parties and raves!

Build quality of the Motion Boom Plus

Just like every other Soundcore product, the Motion Boom Plus doesn’t exactly scream premium anywhere. That’s completely okay too since that reflects on the savings and final product. The plastic is tough, impact-resistant, and fairly lightweight.

• USB-C
• IP-67 waterproof, dustproof
• Tough and well-made

IP67 waterproof and dustproof means it’s beach and boat-ready but it’s always good to not leave your speaker floating in water for too long.

They’ve also rounded off the package with Bluetooth 5.3, included TWS for wireless stereo, and have some other small features like Partycast and whatnot.

Overall the build quality is solid as expected from Soundcore. I will make the mention that everything is Made in China without sustainability or ethical practices on their agenda.

Battery life of the Motion Boom+

Bigger is better, isn’t it?

Sort of. While they’ve packed in more battery in terms of total juice, the Motion Boom+ draws more power too. The Motion Boom Plus has a 46.1Wh battery while the original Motion Boom has a 37Wh battery, so about 20% more.

At low volumes you’re across the board going to have better battery life than smaller speakers, but at high volume that 80W power draw kicks in.

Still, all things said and done the battery life is fairly good, hitting about 2-4 hours on 75-100% volume with a slight emphasis to bass on the EQ.

Overall this is fairly decent and most speakers lose juice within 4 hours at full tilt. You can easily go a whole day or two of playing tunes in the park before having to top up, and weeks at home if playing at casual listening volumes.

USB-C charging is happily found again and it charges at 5V/3A, so ~4 hours to charge from dead.. Will have to keep testing to give more accurate numbers. Oh yeah and it can also be used as a powerbank for your phone!

Portability of the Motion Boom Plus

This is where some big opinions are to be had – is it too big?

Yeah, kind of. Depends on who you are. Most Bluetooth speakers like the Minirigs, JBL units, and OG Motion Boom are small enough to carry with 1 hand or throw in a backpack.

The Motion Boom Plus is a bit cumbersome to say the least. Meaning – it’s not so easy to carry on my bike, in my backpack, or just around town in general. Yeah it has the shoulder strap, but then it’s pretty much a backpack on its own.

It weighs in at 2.5kg/5.5lbs so it’s still not really heavy at all! The original Motion Boom is 1.5kg/3.5lbs so a slight increase from added battery and body.

Personally I love the form factor and size of the Motion Boom and Minirig + Subwoofer, and the Motion Boom Plus is slightly too big – if I’m dedicating an entire ‘slot’ to something, it might as well be something a little bigger and more powerful. This is where having 2 of these comes in…

Overall it’s definitely portable enough unless you have nice use-cases, but it’s not something you want to bring onto planes, busses, or your Sunday bike ride.

Motion Boom vs Motion Boom Plus

Bigger, bassier, and badder overall, the Motion Boom Plus is exactly that – plus sized. Deeper bass extension, better crispness on the trebles, louder output. The form factor is pretty well the same, just scaled up.

What do you prefer – portability or power? Food for thought is 2 x Motion Boom vs 1 Motion Boom Plus and honestly that’s a hard one. The stereo pair would sound better with that L/R separation, but the Boom Plus will still play lower.

To add to that, adding a second Motion Boom Plus changes the game there since you can also have L/R stereo in that big package. Now you’re pretty well ready for a decent sized party anywhere you go! It’s not exactly as easily portable as the 2 smaller ones, but it’s not too bad overall!

Criticisms of the Motion Boom+

No holds barred, here are some criticisms of this speaker!

1. It’s ugly
2. At home it’s lost
3. It’s cumbersome
4. Ethics

It’s ugly – it doesn’t look premium and in fact it looks cheap. Black plastic, no curious designs, nothing. There is something to be appreciated about its rugged and robust look – it fits into a construction site very well.

At home it’s lost – Is it a narrow-sound one-speaker center channel? If you have two for TWS stereo then you’re going to have a harder time finding the right positioning by your TV or space for the best performance.

It’s cumbersome – All these boombox-style shoulder strapped speakers aren’t the best for taking around since they don’t fit in bags or the hand so easily. When you take it out it’s an event, not something you toss in your bag just in case.

Ethics – Soundcore is your standard China-based megacompany owned by Anker. Profits are the most important thing and while that absolutely doesn’t take away from the greatness of the speaker, it just lets you know where the money goes. Ethics & sustainability is not in their best interests.

To add to that there is no microphone support, XLR/line-in for instruments, or other features which bring it closer to a professional/performance speaker. Of course, you shouldn’t and cannot really expect these things for the low price of the Motion Boom+.

Overall

At the end of the day, this small giant puts out phenomenal sound at only $179 – half the price of some competitors like the JBL Extreme 3, Boombox 3. It’s very hard to recommend the JBL speakers when things like the Minirig 3 and Motion Boom Plus exists.

However, in the JBL Boombox 2 vs Motion Boom Plus, the JBL Boombox 2 does still have better bass extension and is louder at maximum volume. It is also more than twice as expensive and larger, so it’s not quite apples for apples.

I think it’s a wonderful speaker and if the form factor speaks to you then I’d say go for it! For me it’s a bit too large to easily bring on planes, trains, and around town in general. If you have a car and just plan to use it for camping trips, random raves, and other similar scenarios then I’d say go for it.

Two of these are absolutely stellar when setup in TWS and in the right acoustic space. At $360 for a pair, they happily compete with the big boys at very, very, very respectable price point – hell I think 4 (or 6) of these could maybe take on a Soundboks 3!

I’m deliberating whether or not to place it on my best Bluetooth speakers megalist – we’ll have to wait for the JBL Boombox 3 to come out before it knocks it off its spot!

Anyways, I hope you liked my Soundcore Motion Boom Plus review – if you have any questions or thoughts please let me know – I’m always glad to help out!

Peace!