Amazon Prime Day sale: The Anker Soundcore Growth 3i speaker is accessible for $95 as a part of Amazon’s Prime Day sale occasion. That is equal to 32% off. We named this mannequin the “greatest compact rugged Bluetooth speaker that floats,” and it is now at one of the best worth we have seen because it launched.
Rather less than 5 years in the past, Anker launched a Bluetooth speaker known as the Soundcore Movement Plus that turned out to be common as a result of it delivered surprisingly good sound for its compact dimension and $100 worth. In some methods, Anker’s new Soundcore Growth 3iSoundcore Growth 3i is the non secular successor to that speaker. It is equally formed however has extra of an out of doors journey slant. Anker calls it “constructed for the wild” and billing it as the primary Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, because it floats and “auto-corrects” to maintain the speaker drivers going through upward simply above the floor.
I have been utilizing the Soundcore Growth 3i for the previous few days and have primarily been impressed with it, however the speaker is loads simpler to advocate to CNET readers with a reduction of $45 off the black mannequin, dropping the value to $95. In the meantime, the blue, yellow or pink fashions are $100 or $40 off for Prime Day.
As you’d count on from a speaker that promotional images present strapped onto a kayak (it does have a removable carrying strap), the Soundcore Growth 3i is totally waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 ranking. Anker takes issues a step additional, touting the Growth 3i as “5x” saltwater-resistant. “Whereas typical audio system could rust in below 5 months, Growth 3i stays corrosion-free for as much as two years of seashore, boat and seaside use.”
Learn extra: Finest Bluetooth audio system of 2025
You should not count on audiophile sound from a mono Bluetooth speaker of this ilk. However for essentially the most half, the Soundcore Growth 3i provides you what you need from a conveyable Bluetooth speaker from a sound perspective. By that I imply it performs loud for its dimension — it weighs about 1.8 kilos and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches — plus it places out an inexpensive quantity of bass and has pretty respectable readability. You could find audio system that sound slightly extra pure, however most of these rugged moveable audio system aren’t designed for crucial listening.
The speaker has some colourful LED lighting on either side.
I used it outside and inside in a number of rooms, together with a rest room (it does make for a very good toilet speaker), and it was in a position to fill smaller rooms with sound. You possibly can tweak the sound with the equalizer settings within the Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android and mess around with the settings for the built-in beat-synched LED mild present, which I stored turned off more often than not. You may also pair two of those audio system up in stereo mode and get considerably higher sound.
I examined the speaker’s playback in water by dropping it in a pool. It certainly flipped over, so the speaker drivers have been going through up, and the music stored enjoying, although the audio bought slightly garbled when slightly wave handed over the speaker, and the drivers began spitting water out. In different phrases, it definitely sounds higher out of the water than in it.
One of many issues with Bluetooth gadgets is that Bluetooth would not transmit by way of water, which is why it’s important to load MP3s into reminiscence when utilizing wi-fi headphones whereas swimming (you’ll be able to’t stream music to the headphones in case your head is underwater). I do not know the place the Bluetooth antenna is on this speaker, however presumably it is on the aspect that stays above the floor when the speaker is floating.
The Soundcore Growth 3i not solely floats however auto-corrects to an upright orientation.
You possibly can really activate a Buzz Clear mode from the app that makes the speaker vibrate and shed grime and particles, like sand after a day on the seashore. After ending the Buzz Clear, you’ll be able to then rinse off the speaker to get it actually clear.
The speaker additionally has one other fascinating characteristic: Holding down the “BassUp” bass-boost button for five seconds units off a 96-decibel emergency alarm — Anker says it is clearly audible at as much as 100 meters — with flashing pink LED lights. You possibly can hit any button to show the alarm off.
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Battery life is rated for 16 hours at average volumes, which is first rate for a speaker this dimension. It is also price declaring that the Growth 3i has a Bluetooth vary of 100 ft, which is best than the extra typical 33 ft you get with many Bluetooth audio system.
The Soundcore Growth 3i in black, which is simply $95 with the low cost code.
