Bose Soundlink Revolve vs. Mini II vs. Color II: Bose’s More Portable Speakers Compared

We ran an exhaustive meta-analysis on Bose’s Bluetooth speakers, and what  major European and American consumer organizations had to say about them. We also took into account the commentary from all sorts of audiophile critics and tech bloggers.

Which is best for whom among the Bose Soundlink Revolve, the Bose Soundlink Mini II, or the Bose Soundlink Color II? To answer, we considered the reviewers’ contexts and biases, and averaged out the opinions.

We’ll start with a quick side-by-side comparison, then sum up our findings.

We’ve also run a separate comparison of the Bose Soundlink Color II with the smallest Bose speaker yet, the Bose Soundlink Micro.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Bose Soundlink Revolve, Bose Soundlink Mini II, and Bose Soundlink Color II

Critical Meta-Review: How the Bose Soundlink Revolve Beats Out the Mini II and Color II in (Almost) Every Way

Critics’ comparisons of these speakers to each other vary, even to the point of contradictory (see the popdown box below if you want your head to hurt, or skip it if you just want the conclusions).

Here are the agreed commonalities of the Bose Soundlink Revolve, Mini II, and Color II:

• All offer excellent speakerphone functions.
• Testing shows that the battery-life for all three is as Bose claims.
• All offer easy Bluetooth pairing with voice prompts to guide you along.

And here’s what’s pretty safe to generalize about what various listeners hear as the speakers’ differences. The Bose Soundlink Revolve is the best-sounding of the lot in the ears of most critics; they find it “detailed”, and “expansive”, with “rich bass” (though it’s also slightly over-emphasized bass for some tastes). They are particularly impressed with how it evenly distributes sound at 360 degrees, so it sounds great no matter which side of it you’re standing on (and for the best sound, should be placed on a solid surface, which gives the bass more resonance).

The Revolve is definitely better than the other two speakers for outside use; aside from performing best when placed in the middle of the action, it’s rugged and splash resistant.

Another key point: If you buy two Revolves (now or eventually) you can link them up to create true stereo sound, or else just a bigger party, via the Bose Connect iOS or Android apps.

Most critics think that the Bose Soundlink Mini II also sounds excellent, delivering one of the most careful, detailed soundstages of any speaker its size. They point out that while the Revolve will better animate a party (sound better to a group when it’s placed in the middle), the Soundlink Mini II sounds better when you’re directly in front of it, giving a sense of “placement” to the various instruments in a complex piece of music. ¹Also, some lovely YouTube geeks have made videos allowing you to “listen” to both the Revolve and the Mini II side-by-side, which makes no sense as the Bose speakers’ effect will be lost in the camera mic and in whatever speakers you hear the video over, but in any case these YouTubers observations generally concord with those of other critics. The Mini II might not be as powerful on the bass department, but it’s not skimping on bass either and delivers a powerful low end for such a small speaker.

If you’re looking for great sound that you can use in the corners of various rooms in the house, and take sometimes on trips to use in a hotel room, this is the best Bose to choose.

Reviewers generally feel that the cheaper Bose Soundlink Color II is a quality speaker that delivers reasonably good mids and highs for its size and price; it’s a bit more portable but not as powerful or durable as my favorite travel speaker.

Compared to the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Bose Soundlink Mini II, the Bose Color II offers reasonable detail, although it’s a bit harder to pick out all of the instruments in a crowded song, and it doesn’t provide as fulfilling an experience on the bass end. The Color II has a rubberized housing so it’s the most rugged of these three speakers — it’s likely to survive getting knocked off a table and keep playing. It’s also splash resistant.

How the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve + Stack Up Against their Competition

The Bose Soundlink Revolve+ is a larger, more expensive, fantastic-sounding version of the Revolve. As we mention in that review, we think it’s better in every way — but it’s also more expensive and a lot more speaker to lug around. Depending on your tastes, a better upgrade pick might be to buy two Revolves and pair them via the app for a portable stereo experience. Or for a larger, but still portable, speaker for your home you may want to compare the Bose Revolve + with the larger Bose Portable Home speaker.

The JBL Charge 3 or Charge 4 go louder, have better battery life, and are more rugged than these Bose speakers. They’re also generally cheaper.

The Fugoo Sport is practically indestructible and has an insane 40-hour battery, far more than most people actually need.

Wrap-Up

Get the Best Deal on Bose Speakers by Checking These Shops

While Bose prices tend to be about the same no matter where you shop, you can check various options for the latest by clicking through here.

Also, using our links to Amazon or other vendors when you buy helps keep our little obsessive research project afloat. Thanks!

Speaker	Also Available At	Pricing
Bose SoundLink Revolve	B&H Photo Video NORDSTROM	The Bose SoundLink Revolve, the Portable Bluetooth...
Bose SoundLink Mini II	B&H Photo Video NORDSTROM	Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker II (Carbon)
Bose SoundLink Color II	B&H Photo Video NORDSTROM	Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth Speaker (Black)
Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus	B&H Photo Video Newegg NORDSTROM	Bose SoundLink Revolve+ Portable and Long-Lasting...