A Portable Audio Companion on a Budget

There’s a misconception that just because a Bluetooth speaker is small, it’s not worthwhile for serious music listening. Of course, this isn’t true in the slightest, and the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 Bluetooth speaker is setting out to prove this isn’t true while doing so on a budget.

Coming in at under $100, the Motion 300 isn’t without competition, but it does have some features that you’d be hard-pressed to find at a similar price, like a speakerphone. This feature seems to be disappearing on portable speakers but is present here. The Motion 300 does a lot right, and while it’s not perfect, it could be the perfect speaker for anyone on the move, especially on a tighter budget.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300

The Soundcore Motion 300 is a good-sounding compact Bluetooth speaker with a solid, waterproof build, speakerphone support, and custom EQ, all for the low price that this line is known for.

Bluetooth Connectivity?

Bluetooth 5.3

Brand

Soundcore

Power

30W

Connectivity

SBC, AAC, LDAC

Voice Assistant

Yes

Colors

Green, Black, Blue

Measurements

2.2 x 7.9 x 3.9 inches

Battery

Up to 13 hours

Waterproof Rating

IPX7

Speaker configuration

Dual driver stereo

Wireless capabilities

Bluetooth

Frequency response

65Hz-40kHz

Pros

• Great sound for the size and price
• IPX7 waterproof
• Support for the LDAC codec
• Speakerphone feature
• Handy in-app EQ

Cons

• Can distort at high volumes or with BassUp
• No wired input
• Hi-res LDAC codec is somewhat wasted

A Rugged Build With a Handy Design

When I pick up a Bluetooth speaker for the first time, there’s a certain expectation of how much it should weigh and how it should feel. The Soundcore Motion 300 is lightweight, but not so light that it feels fragile. It also has a grippy, rubberized feeling outer chassis that feels less likely to drop.

Soundcore has leaned in hard on the waterproof angle, with the Motion 300 featuring a waterproof rating of IPX7. This means that if you want to bring the speaker to a pool party, there’s no need to worry about a few splashes or submersion. In keeping with its waterproof nature, the USB-C port is covered, protecting it when not in use.

This speaker offers multiple stand options. Two sides of the speaker feature rubber feet, with one making for a traditional forward-facing orientation, and the other with the speaker facing the ceiling. The speaker is capable of knowing its orientation and automatically applying EQ profiles to maximize the sound quality of how it’s sitting.

You can also hang the speaker from the built-in strap, which has a third orientation option in the Soundcore software. Given the waterproof rating, this means you could potentially use it as a shower speaker, but you’d want to keep it out of direct streams of water.

Hi-Res Certified, But How Does It Sound?

The Motion 300 uses a pair of dynamic drivers, delivering a claimed frequency range of 65Hz on the low end up to 40kHz in the highs. The lows are where you’ll notice the most difference, as most people can hear lower than the limit on this speaker. A pair of passive bass radiators help combat this, and there is a DSP-powered BassUp feature for even more booming bass.

Where things get interesting is the wireless connectivity: The Motion 300 supports Bluetooth 5.3 and the standard SBC and AAC codecs, but also the less common LDAC codec. This is a higher-resolution codec that manages to snag a Hi-Res Certified qualifier for the Motion 300, but realistically, this doesn’t add much.

Listening to the Sleaford Mods song “Mork n Mindy” featuring Billy Nomates is a great way to test this speaker thanks to the song’s simple, dry-sounding production. On the default “signature” EQ setting, the song sounds good, period. That said, enabling the BassUp feature accentuates the slides in the bass line for a more physical presence.

Turning to my copy of Mahavishnu Orchestra’s “Vital Transformation,” played from my Sony NW-A35 Walkman using the LDAC codec, I couldn’t notice any difference between playing the song from my phone, which doesn’t support LDAC. Even with higher-end listening equipment, picking out the differences between standard and hi-res songs can be tricky, but on the Motion 300 it was impossible.

Technically, the Motion 300 is a stereo speaker, but like any speaker this size, you’re not going to hear true stereo from a single unit. If you’re looking for actual stereo audio, you can pair two Motion 300 speakers together, but of course, this means buying two speakers.

Finally, seeing that a Bluetooth speaker features built-in speakerphone functionality shouldn’t be as surprising as it is, but it’s still nice to see here. If you’re frequently making and taking calls while moving from place to place, this can be an essential feature, and fortunately, it works well on the Motion 300.

Easy Onboard Controls and Solid Software

To make the most out of the Motion 300, you’ll want to download the Soundcore app, which is available for Android as well as iPhone and iPad. That said, thanks to the built-in controls, you can control most of the key features from the speaker itself.

On top, you’ll find the power and Bluetooth buttons on the left, as well as the BassUp control. The right side features playback and volume controls. These all have a slight delay between pressing them and the feature actually working. This is mainly due to the rugged build of the speaker, but the lag was never slow enough to be annoying.

As mentioned above, the speaker has three orientations: standing, hanging, and lying. If you choose one of the built-in Soundcore EQ presets, the speaker will automatically switch between the ideal EQ curves for each orientation. If you’d rather have more control, you can also choose custom EQ curves for each.

Unlike many companion apps that only give you a five-band EQ, the Soundcore app gives you nine bands for each orientation. If you like to tweak EQ, you can spend quite a while with this. If you don’t like tweaking, it’s easy to stick to the presets.

Good Battery, But Hi-Res Takes a Toll

Soundcore claims a maximum battery life of up to 13 hours, which is quite a bit of listening time. Of course, this is just an estimate, and in this case, Soundcore is assuming the speaker’s volume is at 50% or less, and that LDAC is disabled. I didn’t notice a significant extra battery drain when listening via LDAC, but I didn’t spend hours listening this way.

Unfortunately, there isn’t any sort of fast charging support, so you’ll need to put aside a few hours to charge the speaker. Charge time will vary based on how you’re charging, but even with a slower charger, it shouldn’t take longer than four hours.

Price and Availability

The Soundcore Motion 300 retails for $80, and comes in three color varieties. I tested the green color, but it’s also available in black and blue finish options. All three colors retail for the same price.

Sure, this is slightly more expensive than plenty of similarly priced speakers, like most of our picks for the best budget speakers. That said, there are plenty of features you’ll find on the Motion 300, like speakerphone, that you won’t likely find on many cheaper speakers.

Should You Buy the Soundcore Motion 300?

If you’re looking for a speaker companion to follow you wherever you go, the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 has a lot to offer. Multiple orientations allow for the best sound in various conditions, especially when combined with the EQ presets and custom EQ. The IPX7 rating means you don’t have to worry about taking it to the pool, either.

The one area where the Motion 300 fails to deliver is when it comes to hi-res audio. Yes, the speaker supports it, at least technically, but I’d be surprised if even the most critical ear could reliably pick out the difference between hi-res and CD-quality audio on this speaker.

Even with its minor downsides, the Motion 300 beats most of its competitors on price. You can buy more expensive options that will get you diminishing returns in sound quality, but for most people, this is the perfect combination of features, portability, and a low price.

Anker Soundcore Motion 300

The Soundcore Motion 300 is a good-sounding compact Bluetooth speaker with a solid, waterproof build, speakerphone support, and custom EQ, all for the low price that this line is known for.