Soundcore Motion 300 Review

Introduction

The portable speaker market is vast, with plenty of options to choose from. Don't own one yet? Or wondering whether one is right for you? In this review, we put the Soundcore Motion 300 to the test and walk you through our findings…. and who knows…. you might decide to pick one up yourself.

What's in the Box

The Soundcore Motion 300's fairly compact packaging immediately gives you a good idea of the speaker's size, which raised a few questions for us. What can you really expect from such a compact wireless speaker…. but more on that later…. first, let's see exactly what you get:

• Soundcore 300
• USB-C to C cable

  

Specifications

• 30W Hi-Res sound
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 13 hours of playtime
• Automatic EQ with SmartTune
• Customizable 9-band pro EQ
• IPX7 Waterproof

Overview

In this section, I'll share some information and my experience with a few of the specifications listed above.

What is IPX7, and what exactly does a 9-band pro EQ do? Let's start with IPX7, as this is a rating that appears frequently but isn't understood by everyone. Think of your mobile phone, for example. Here's a handy overview:

• IPX1 Drip-resistant – No damage when exposed to vertically falling drops
• IPX2 Drip-resistant – No damage when exposed to drops falling at an angle of 15°
• IPX3 Spray-resistant – No damage when sprayed (10 l/min) at an angle between -60° and 60°
• IPX4 Splash-resistant – No damage when sprayed (10 l/min) from any angle
• IPX5 Water jet-resistant – No damage when sprayed (12.5 l/min) from any angle for 3 minutes at a distance of 3 meters.
• IPX6 Water-resistant – No water ingress when sprayed (100L/min) from any angle for 3 minutes at a distance of 3 meters.
• IPX7 Immersion-resistant – Immersion for a maximum of 5 sec. at a depth of up to 1 meter.
• IPX8 Waterproof – Equipment in a bag remains usable for continuous operation underwater at depths of up to 5 meters.

There are also the following ratings:

• IP23 is rain-resistant.
• IP44 is splash-resistant.
• IP54 is dust-tight and can withstand a downpour.
• IP55 is water jet-resistant.
• IP65 is dust-tight and can withstand water jets.
• IP66 is waterproof and dust-resistant.
• IP67 is waterproof and dust-tight.
• IP68 is resistant to pressurized water and dust-tight

You'll often see these IP ratings on mobile phones, particularly the last one. The Motion 300 is rated IPX7.

The Soundcore Motion 300 offers a 9-band pro EQ. It took a little digging to work out exactly what that means. And what benefit does it actually offer?

Testing and Results

Since it's quite difficult to let you hear what we're hearing….. I can only describe my experience with the Soundcore Motion 300. For just around EUR 89.99, you get a very solid device. The sound the Motion 300 produces is genuinely surprising! Good bass paired with clear sound rounds out the package, at least to my ears. The app works with Android or iOS, but you don't need it to pair the speaker with your phone. The speaker has a bass boost button that gives the low frequencies a little extra punch. However, I actually thought it sounded slightly better without bass boost enabled, as it seemed to distort a little with the boost on. We noticed this in our unboxing video too, but didn't go into detail—it's an unboxing video, after all :).

It's also worth noting that, although it's described as a stereo speaker, linking 2 Motion 300 speakers together gives you true stereo sound. That's not to say a single Motion 300 is a drawback, but apparently the experience is a little different. I haven't been able to test this myself; it's simply what I've read online. Don't let that put you off, though: I'm really impressed with the Soundcore Motion 300 and would certainly recommend it to friends and family looking for a compact wireless speaker.

Conclusion:

I've said it before…. are you looking for an affordable wireless speaker? Then go for the Soundcore Motion 300! Quite simply, you get good sound and a reasonably compact design, all for EUR 89.99. One thing I do miss is a 3.5mm jack connection. Still, the question is how much of a future that connection has, given that most devices now use Bluetooth.