David Carnoy/CNET

Anker’s original Soundcore Motion Boom speaker (see below) has been on this list for a while and is still a decent value at a little more than $100. But the new-for-2022 Motion Boom Plus is significantly improved, particularly in terms of sound quality. It’s easily one of the best new Bluetooth speakers of 2022. 

Weighing 5.29 pounds (almost a pound more than the Motion Boom), it uses Bluetooth 5.3 and is equipped with upgraded dual 3.5-inch woofers and newly added dual 1-inch tweeters, delivering up to 80 watts of audio output (60W for the woofers and 20W for the tweeters). Battery life is rated for 20 hours at moderate volume levels. It’s also IP67 waterproof and dust-proof and floats if you happen to drop it in a body of water.

I was impressed with the sound quality, which measures up well against a few more expensive — and some larger — speakers on this list. You can tweak the sound profile (with EQ settings) and upgrade the speaker’s firmware in Anker’s Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android. I tended to go with the bass boost engaged — there’s a button on the speaker to activate it — and found that the speaker delivers full sound with good clarity in the mids and highs and good bass definition. For its size, the speaker is able to put out a lot of sound and mostly manages to avoid distorting at higher volumes (I tended to keep the volume in the 50-75% range). 

If you’re sitting within a few feet of the speaker, there’s a bit of stereo separation. But if you really want to up the sound quality, you can wirelessly pair two Soundcore Motion Boom Plus speakers to create a real stereo pair. Be sure to apply the $20 instant coupon when purchasing with Amazon to get the $160 price.