Bose has just released the heavily anticipated follow-up to the SoundLink Flex, a speaker that has become one of the brand’s best-selling products since its release in 2021. The new generation retains the same outdoor-centric design, balancing a focus on durability with that of modern technological innovation.
This comes from several new upgrades by Ultimate Ears that saw the Boom, Wonderboom, and Megaboom get minor improvements. JBL has also dominated the market in 2024, with noticeable upgrades to their PartyBox, Xtreme, Go, and Clip series. Bose has also seen success this year, with the recent release of their SoundLink Max.
What’s Changed On The SoundLink Flex Gen 2?
The new version retains the same overall design and looking at these two speakers head-on, they look indistinguishable. However, new features and updates in technology ‘under the hood’ offer distinct improvements.
Upgraded Bluetooth With Improved Latency and Sound Quality
The hottest talking point for the new generation of the Flex is its improved codec support, facilitated by the upgrade from Bluetooth 4.2 to 5.3. Bluetooth codecs relate to the compression and transfer of audio data, with more sophisticated codecs able to reduce latency and improve audio quality. The original Flex supported SBC, while the new version supports both AAC and aptX, which are both improvements.
A New Shortcut Button To Make Your Life Easier
Although the two speakers are nearly identical in their design, the SoundLink Flex Gen 2 gets a new button on the control panel. This new shortcut button can be programmed to perform several tasks. By default it works as a multispeaker pairing button, linking other Bose speakers with the same shortcut feature. However, through the Bose app, it can also be customized to toggle the voice assistant or as a Spotify shortcut. This is similar to the ‘magic button’ on Ultimate Ears releases.
Improved Bass
Bose has also alluded to improvements to the bass on the new model, an area many considered a weak point in the initial SoundLink Flex release. While the original Flex had some punchy lows, we hope the new changes improve the bass extension.
Important Features That The SoundLink Flex Gen 2 Retains
Most of the core features remain unchanged. These are the core features of the SoundLink Flex that are carried over onto the second generation:
- Waterproof and dust-proof (IP67) for reliable outdoor use.
- 12-hour battery life for a full day’s worth of playtime.
- Built-in microphone with voice assistant.
- USB-C charging port for global compatibility.
- Party Mode for pairing two speakers together.
- Stereo Mode for pairing two speakers together with each speaker becoming a separate channel.
- PositionIQ technology that adjusts the sound depending on the speaker’s orientation.
- SimpleSync for quick and easy connection to other Bose speakers.
You can get the Bose SoundLink Flex (Gen 2) for $129.00 on Amazon. Although its upgrades aren’t dramatic, the upgrade to more modern connectivity protocols and subsequent improvements to sound quality make it a worthwhile consideration for new customers and those looking to upgrade from the first-generation Flex.
