The Full Comparison: Bose Soundlink Revolve vs. Revolve Plus

Update: Bose released new models of these speakers in 2021. You’ll probably want to instead check out our full comparison review of the new Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ vs. the new Bose Soundlink Revolve II and Revolve+ II. But, if you’re just torn between these outdated models or like our old stuff for the nostalgia, read on…

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We’ve examined the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Bose Soundlink Revolve+ to run a full comparison looking at the reviews, audiophile blogs, and costumer reviews they’ve thus far received. This is in the same spirit as our complete meta-review of the best travel Bluetooth speakers.

Both the Revolve and the Revolve+ have so far gotten great reactions, and we’ll discuss those in more detail below. First, a quick side-by-side comparison; essentially, the Revolve+ is the bigger, louder, more expensive big sister to the Revolve.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Bose Soundlink Revolve vs. Revolve+

Critical Meta-Review: How the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ Actually Perform

These two speakers are single-piece aluminum cylinders with rubberized tops and bottoms. Customers generally fawn over their classy looks. More importantly, they sound great, even to audio geeks. CNET feels that they sound “excellent”, and TechRadar lauds their “detailed and expansive sound” and rich bass.

Nobody is claiming that they sound better than a good set of bookshelf speakers or than the less-portable wireless home audio systems like Sonos, but critics generally think that the Revolve is at the top of the enormous Bluetooth speaker heap for its small hand-held size. And they agree that the Revolve+, which is bigger, sounds even better.¹One notable exception is the contrarians over at Which?, who feel that both speakers overemphasize the bass end, and prefer other speakers that we discuss in the last section.

The Revolve and Revolve+ speakers have dual opposing passive radiators and a powerful transducer that faces down towards an acoustic deflector (so they don’t necessarily need to be placed on a hard surface, though that can certainly improve the bass too). The idea is that these speakers can be placed anywhere in the center of the action and sound just as good to everyone who is around them.

At 12 and 16 hours, both have more battery life than you’ll likely need for an all-day or all-night party, and they’re splashproof (with an IPX4 rating, which is a binding claim for a certain degree of water-resistance). Many other good Bluetooth speakers (like the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 mentioned later) are fully IPX7 waterproof and can be dunked underwater — but not too many listeners realistically need this level of protection. Other features to be aware of for both Soundlink Revolve speakers:

• Threaded Tripod Mount: This, we think, is genius. You can mount the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ anywhere that you can mount a camera, by screwing into the standard threaded mount on the bottom. This means that you could place the speakers on a tripod in the yard, or, interestingly, use a flexible clawed tripod to attach them anywhere else. Do consider, however that both units sound a just bit better when placed on a solid surface in order to leverage the downward-facing driver.
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• Google Assistant and Siri Integration: Pushing the multi-function button on the top of the speakers triggers whichever is the relevant assistant for your linked phone. This could actually be considered superior to the always-on, gimmicky home speakers (“assistants”) like the Apple Homepod, Google Home or Amazon Alexa speakers. But if you really want to chat with your speaker, see more on other smart speaker options below.
• Speakerphone: The Revolve and Revolve+ speakerphone function works great, but most people never use it. Your smartphone already has a speakerphone function that works fine.
• Handles multiple inputs: The Revolve and Revolve+ can both switch flawlessly between multiple Bluetooth sources, such as phones, tablets, and laptops. You can also connect them directly to a computer via USB.
• Apps: The Bose Connect iOS or Android apps allow you to pair any two Bose Soundlink speakers, including the Revolve and Revolve+. This allows you to create a wide stereo soundstage anywhere, on the go, or to simply double up the sound in “party mode”. These apps can also be used to update the firmware of the speakers (and it’s recommended that you do so upon purchase).

Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ Spec Comparison

Speaker	Weight (oz.)	Notes	Length (in.)	Width (in.)	Height (in.)	Waterproof?	Pricing
Bose Soundlink Revolve	23.4	• 12-hour battery • Generally well-liked by Amazon reviewers	3.2	3.2	6	Water resistant (IPX4)	Revolve
Bose Soundlink Revolve Plus	32	• 16-hour battery • Generally well-liked by Amazon reviewers	4.1	4.1	7.2	Water resistant (IPX4)	Revolve+

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

These are hardly the only Bluetooth speakers out there — there are plenty of other options even from Bose itself.

The smallest Bose portable Bluetooth speaker is the Bose Soundlink Micro. It can fit in a coat pocket and yet manages to offer something close to the Bose signature soundstage and quite a bit of loudness. We review the Micro here as our pick for best speaker for its petite size.

Next up in terms of size, the Soundlink Color II creates an excellent soundstage for such a small speaker but doesn’t go quite as loud as the Revolve speakers, nor does it kick out 360-degree sound; you’re meant to listen to it from the front. We compare the Soundlink Color II to its Bose sisters here. Note that if you already have any of these current Bose speakers, you can now pair them (via iOS or Android apps) with the Revolve or Revolve + for bigger sound, or to create a stereo pair. So it can be worthwhile to stay in the Bose universe just for that reason.

Bose also offers a personal, wearable speaker, the Bose SoundWear Companion. It’s expensive and isn’t meant to fill a room with sound like the Revolves do; it rather works more as a headphone alternative, giving you a cone of sound to carry around. We discuss it as well as some cheaper alternative wearable speakers here.

Just slightly larger than the Revolve+ is the new Bose Portable Home Speaker, which goes louder and allows you to talk to Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant; we compare the Revolve+ and Portable Home Speaker here.

We think that the strongest non-Bose competition to the Revolve and Revolve+ is from Ultimate Ears. Our overall favorite small cylindrical speaker for travel is the smaller and more portable Ultimate Ears Boom 3. It also pushes out loud, even, punchy 360-degree sound, and it is much lighter, more durable, completely (IP67) waterproof and dustproof, and not at all incidentally cheaper than the Bose Soundlink Revolve. If you want to move up a notch in size and sound, check out the differences between the Boom 3 and the Megaboom 3, also from Ultimate Ears.

JBL also has some good options we review here; in particular at this size you could be interested in the much cheaper JBL Flip 4 or Flip 5, or else move up a step to the larger Charge 4 or Xtreme 2. 

Finally, if you’re considering the Bose Soundlink Revolve+, know that there are also a few other speakers on the larger end that we think sound great, and have different tradeoffs.

FAQ on the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+

We’ve compiled some of the questions we most get asked about these speakers in messages or comments. Feel free to drop us a line and we’ll try to answer and continue to improve this article as needed.

Are these “smart” speakers (i.e. with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa)?

No, the Bose Soundlink Revolve and Revolve+ do not have any smart speaker features, but you can push a button to talk to your phone’s smart assistant via the speakers.

We think smart speakers are a bit overrated; you can just talk to your mobile phone instead, which is also very likely to be handy. Also, your Android or Apple’s voice assistant works anywhere with your phone, whereas smart speakers only work when connected to WiFi.

But if you want a hands-free assistant on your Bose Soundlink Revolve or Revolve+, you can pair either of these speakers with an Echo Dot to reach Amazon’s Alexa, but over the better-sounding Bose speakers.

You could also instead opt for the smart speakers Riva Arena or Concert, which we like a lot, or if you want to stay in the Bose universe, go for the Bose Portable Smart Home Speaker, which we compare to the Revolve+ here.

How can I charge the Revolve or Revolve+?

Both speakers charge via mini-USB, and can be charged anywhere you can plug in a USB cable (like your laptop or wall charger).

Should you lose your charging plug, you don’t need to replace it with Bose’s very overpriced wall adapter. Opt for a cheaper multiplug (that also works in any country) like the one in the question just below.

Can I use the Revolve and Revolve+ in other countries?

Both of these speakers are light and thus great for travel.

If you want to charge them in another country (or if you’re buying them while on a shopping trip in the USA but for use abroad), you might also want a plug adapter with multiple USB-outs (we love the Nierbo).

Compare Pricing (Yes, There Are Sites Other than Amazon!) and Latest Deals

Pricing for these speakers has gone down a bit over time, but overall been pretty stable (whereas other Bluetooth speaker brands vary widely from week to week and dealer to dealer). Nevertheless it’s always worth a quick peek to shop around. We’ve got links to a range of outlets below that have had these at good prices; click through for the latest for each (they open in new windows).

Latest Revolve pricing: Amazon, BestBuy, Bose, B&H Photo, Walmart

Latest Revolve+ pricing: Amazon, BestBuy, Bose, B&H Photo, Walmart

Wrap-Up: Which Revolve Is Your Cup of Tea?

In the end, choosing between the two really comes down to price, size, and sound quality. All of these are greater with the Bose Soundlink Revolve+.