Soundcore Boom 3i – A new floatable waterproof speaker
With an IP68 rating, a floatable design, Buzz Clean, Emergency Alarm and more, could Soundcore’s new Boom 3i be the best outdoor speaker?
The audio brand of Chinese electronics company Anker, Soundcore’s Boom 3i comes packed with many features that may make this wireless speaker one of the best in its price bracket. The Boom 3i sits near the top-end of Soundcore’s speakers, with only the Boom 2 Plus as more expensive, physically larger and presumably louder. If you’re looking for something smaller and less expensive than the new Boom 3i, Soundcore has many in-expensive portable speakers. The launch of this speaker comes just days after Soundcore dropped their new P41i earbuds, which doubles as a power bank.
The Soundcore Boom 3i measures 210 x 85 x 78.5 mm. It comes with a detachable and adjustable strap for easy carrying. On each end of the speaker there are beat-synched lights. Using the Soundcore app, you can choose between six rhythm-synched light presets, four ambient light options or take control and customize the color and brightness yourself.
Continuing on the exterior design of the speaker, there are physical controls on the top, including power, Bluetooth, volume up/down, and a play/pause button that doubles as a skip forward/backward with multiple presses. There’s also a lights button that turns them on, off, or switches preset, a button to enable BassUp, which can also turn on an alarm with a long press, and a PartyCast button to pair two speakers for stereo sound.
The Soundcore Boom 3i is both waterproof and floats, while keeping the speaker facing upwards, so your tunes can still be heard if the speaker joins you in the pool or sea. It’s IP68 waterproof and dustproof, which protects the speaker against salt water, sweat and spray. It can be safely submerged in up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. It has also been drop-tested at one meter. If your speaker gets dirty, a pretty nifty feature can help remove some of the grit from the speaker grill. Buzz Clean uses the speakers to shake off dust and debris.
On the inside of the speaker there’s a 3.7-inch 40W woofer and 10W tweeter, for a combined 50W of power and maximum volume of 96dB. Available in the app, BassUp 2.0 doubles the bass output, hitting frequencies as low as 56Hz. There’s also an Emergency Alarm feature, which can play either a siren, whistle or Emergency Alert System noise that’s audible at up to 100 meters. Alternatively, if you want to send a message to someone standing far away, there’s a Voice Amplifier feature that acts like a megaphone. You simply record and broadcast a message through the app.
In terms of battery, the Boom 3i will last for 16 hours of playtime with the volume at 50%, and the BassUp and light effects turned off. Included in the box is a 2ft USB-C to USB-C cable.
The speaker connects over Bluetooth 5.3. While not required to start playing tunes, the Soundcore app provides additional features such as the ability to customize the lighting effects, start Buzz Clean, enable BassUp 2.0, switch on the Emergency Alarm, use Voice Amplifier, browse white noise soundscapes, and alter the EQ, which has both presets and a fully custom mode. There are also device settings and firmware updates available through the app.
The Soundcore Boom 3i is currently only available in the Canadian and Australian Soundcore stores. No word on when or if this speaker will launch in the US or UK. It’s $189.99 Canadian or Australian dollars, which works out at around $120 – $140 USD.