Anker Soundcore Flare Mini Bluetooth Speaker - Blue

Background Information

Soundcore is a daughter company to the main firm Anker Innovations Ltd. Soundcore specializes in developing high quality headphones and speakers with creative-standout designs.

Soundcore originally released the Flare wireless speakers in May 2018. It was a big hit because of its creative design; delivering 360-degree music along with the party LED lights at the bottom. In August 2018, Soundcore released a bigger model Flare+. The Flare+ offers more battery life (up to 20 hr) to keep the party going along with Soundcore app compatibility giving you control over the ambient lights and the speaker’s equalizer. There’s another Flare model called S+, the smart speaker, expected to be released soon, offering Alexa Functionality.

In May 2019, Soundcore decided to expand the Flare family by introducing the smallest member called Flare Mini.

General Information

• Bluetooth Wireless 360 degree Speaker
• Price on Amazon $49.99 (Price dated for this post)
• Dimensions: 141 x 86 x 72 m / 5.5 x 3.4 x 2.8 in
• Weight: 480 g / 16.9 oz

What’s included in the box

• Soundcore Flare Mini speaker
• Micro USB to USB-A charging cable
• User Manuel
• Warranty Card

What’s included in the box

Design & Built

As previously mentioned, the Flare Mini is the smaller version of the Flare. It has the same dark-grey mesh surrounding the speaker all-around. At the top, there’s the control buttons. I like how Soundcore infused three buttons (the power, Bluetooth and light control buttons) with backlight (unlike the Flare model).

Backlight Control Buttons

It would have been a nice touch from Soundcore to make the remaining 3 buttons have backlights. On the bottom, it has the Soundcore logo along with the Ambient LED lights. You can see the Soundcore written infront of the speaker and at the back there is the Micro-USB port for charging the Flare Mini. The port has a rubber coverage to protect it against any water leak.

I really appreciate how Soundcore managed to make a smaller version of the Flare without compromising the sound quality. I tend to travel a lot, hence having smaller products is the first thing I look for. The Flare Mini makes the cut for me. The Flare Mini maintains the same great quality of music as the Flare with similar battery life (up to 12 hour of playtime). However, manufacturing smaller products always comes at a price. The Flare Mini doesn’t have an AUX port. If you’re an iPhone user like myself, that means we gave up on AUX cables a long time ago; ever since Apple released iPhone 7. As a result, I don’t really miss it. That being said, it’s definitely a plus to have an AUX port in any speaker which is available in both the Flare and Flare+ models.

In addition, the Flare Mini is IPX7 waterproof/dust-proof. This means the speakers can withstand full water-splash without malfunctioning. Moreover, it can survive submersion up to 1 meter (3 feet). This makes it the perfect pool/beaches companion. You don’t have to worry about someone splashing water on it and you can use it even if your hands aren’t completely dry.