The Bose SoundLink mini II is a little Bluetooth speaker, among the best in sound that you can get within the portable category.
Launched in 2015, the Mini II has survived the test of time and was launched as the second generation to the Bose SoundLink Mini. The Mini II addressed many of the shortcomings that its predecessor had, making it still a competitive buy to make today.
The Mini nametag is also associated with the most recognisable Bluetooth speaker series that Bose has ever put on the market.
Build quality.
On the outside, the device has a unibody aluminium shell that gives for a premium and well-crafted build. In terms of hardware, Bose went full steam with the Mini II although it would take an attentive eye to tell the Mini II from its predecessor.
The device has a metal grill on the front housing the drivers that produce the sound that the device is famous for. On the top, you have a rectangular section with curved edges and has the ‘SoundLink Mini’ name imprinted on along with a neat button selection. These include a power button, a pair of volume adjusters, a speakerphone initiator and a Bluetooth pairing button.
The speakerphone function is another addition that the Mini II has which lets you receive and take calls from your smartphone using the Mini II’s speaker function.
General use
With the Mini II, you are able to simultaneously pair two devices, giving you the option of quickly switching from one device to the other. The device also remembers up to eight devices, so you will not have to keep repairing them.
A new addition to the pairing process is voice prompts which use text to speech technology to audibly let you know which device the speaker is currently paired onto. The Mini II comes in two colours, which are carbon grey and pearl.
With the speaker, you will get a desktop charging cradle onto which the device can sit and charge. You also have the option of plugging the charging adapter directly into the side of the device. One of the improvements that the Mini II came with is the ability to recharge using a standard USB cable, which was not possible with the first generation device that used the wall adapters proprietary pin inlet.
The battery fully charges in about three hours and will last you 10 hours of continuous playtime, three hours more than the older Mini. The playback time overall is not too bad but the recharge time could be better. For alternative connectivity, there is an auxiliary input that you can use with any device that is not Bluetooth enabled.
Sound
The Mini II has really good sound, which comes as a refreshing surprise due to its small size. The bass is rich and well balanced with the device producing an impressive low end.
The highs are clear and crisp, enabling the device to register sound from both ends of the spectrum. The sound also does not distort even when you crank the volume all the way up as some speakers do. The Mini II produces enough sound to comfortably fill a room with guests.
Pricing for the Mini II was about Shs730,000 at launch, although currently, you can get a new unit going for Shs550,000 on Amazon.