We saw a host of excellent Bose discounts during Amazon’s so-called Big Spring Sale last month; however, none of them were quite as steep as the current price drop we’re seeing on the latest Bose Soundlink Flex. Right now, the portable speaker is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $119 ($40 off), nearly matching its best price to date.
A few years back, we crowned the original Soundlink Flex the best portable Bluetooth speaker under $200. It was an impressive speaker with expansive sound and a surprising amount of low-end thump, not to mention a rugged, IP67-rated design that allowed you to take it pretty much anywhere. It was a real winner in many respects, particularly for its compact size, which is probably why Bose didn’t feel the need to completely reinvent the wheel with the second iteration.
The second-gen Flex is nearly identical to the first-gen model, only with a few subtle refinements. The travel-friendly speaker features a redesigned control strip with a new play / pause button and a power button that’s easier to locate — a welcome upgrade, given that the buttons on the original weren’t easy to use by feel alone. The 2nd Gen version also features adjustable EQ and support for higher-res AAC and aptX codecs, though you still get up to 12 hours of battery life, stereo pairing (if you own two), and weatherproofing, making the silicone-wrapped speaker a great picnic or poolside companion.