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 But, if you’re just torn between these outdated models or like our old stuff for the nostalgia, read on…
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.
Update History of This Article
Side-by-Side Comparison: Bose Soundlink Revolve vs. Revolve+
Bose Soundlink Revolve
• Top-rated sound: It’s small, but still often manages to top critics’ lists as the best-sounding speaker of its size
• Portable: 6 in. (15.2 cm.) tall, 3.25 in. (8.2 cm.) in diameter
• Weight: 1.5 lbs. (0.66 kg.)
• Can pair two for stereo: Via iOS and Android apps
• Splashproof: Rated IPX4
• 12-hour battery
• Connections: 3.5 mm aux input, micro-USB for charging
• Recognizes Siri and Google Assistant as long as it is connected to your phone
• Speakerphone
Bose Soundlink Revolve+
• A bit louder, with improved bass: Everyone agrees that its sounds even better than the Revolve, but it’s a bit heftier to carry around
• A bit chunkier: 7.25 in. tall, 4 in. diameter (18.4 x 10.5 cm)
• A bit heavier: 2 lbs (0.9 kg)
• Can pair two for stereo: Via iOS and Android apps
• Carrying handle
• Splashproof: Rated IPX4
• 16-hour battery
• Connections: 3.5 mm aux input, micro-USB for charging
• Recognizes Siri and Google Assistant as long as it is connected to your phone
• Speakerphone
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.
- 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) | |
Bose Soundlink Revolve Plus | 32 | • 16-hour battery • Generally well-liked by Amazon reviewers | 4.1 | 4.1 | 7.2 | Water resistant (IPX4) |

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.
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.
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+.
Hey there! I have a couple of Revolve + speakers that I’m very happy with. The Bose Connect ap is a bit of a pain, but usually a re-boot (or re-install) of that usually helps with connectivity. I have a question regarding compatibility between the Revolve speakers and the Bose Wave music system – i.e.; is there any? I’m looking to inherit a Wave system but would like to know if I can link up my Revolve speakers to it. Can’t find any articles or feature information on this so I’m presuming this is not the case. I’ve still got a CD collection that I’d like to listen to on the odd occasion. I got rid of my “stereo system” a while back and this might be a good way of maintaing some flexibility. Cheers!
I find it humerus that I’ve browsed around the internet and Bose site and can find almost zero information on speaker specs in datasheets or reviews. The only spec I bumped into is there is a 8W speaker (not even sure of that), how many speakers? how many watts? Frequency Range? Everyone wants a speaker to connect and control….but don’t care about audio performance…..amazing how times have changed.
Bose have always been secretive about their specs and will only disclose certain data.
I can confirm though that the Revolve + is definitely not 8 watts RMS sound output.
I have the Revolve + and it is louder than 8 watts RMS, unless there are various speakers inside the body of the speaker and each one has a maximum of 8…
I say this as I have other speaker devices which are inferior in sound quality as well as volume.
Oh man I was thinking the same after a few searches came up empty handed regarding wattage, freq response and all that good stuff 😀
I’m inclined to buy two Soundlink Revolve to play in stero rather than one of the larger models.
Anyone have experience with that?
That’s what I do in my shop. I have two Revolve + and wouldn’t buy this solution again. The speakers sound great and are more than powerful enough but the speakers are paired into party/stereo mode and this pairing needs to be done every single time I come in and connect my phone. And it fails every once in a while so I have to power cycle both speakers and do it again. Once they are connected it works great but I find myself often only using one speaker as it’t too cumbersome to pair them again in the App or using the buttons…
I am unable to adjust sound from my SoundLink revolve when linked with Bluetooth to my TV so I see this is a definite negative
This could be a problem with the TV as well; we haven’t seen other indications of this.
In any case, for TV use we’d much sooner recommend either SoundTouch or Smart Home speakers from Bose.