Amazon Prime Day sale: The Anker Soundcore Growth 3i speaker is offered for $95 as a part of Amazon’s Prime Day sale event. That is equal to 32% off. We named this mannequin the “finest compact rugged Bluetooth speaker that floats,” and it is now at the perfect value we have seen because it launched.
Rather less than 5 years in the past, Anker launched a Bluetooth speaker known as the Soundcore Motion Plus that turned out to be standard as a result of it delivered surprisingly good sound for its compact measurement and $100 value. In some methods, Anker’s new Soundcore Boom 3iSoundcore Boom 3i is the religious successor to that speaker. It is equally formed however has extra of an outside 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 dealing with 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 worth to $95. In the meantime, the blue, yellow or purple 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 absolutely waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 score. 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 seaside, boat and seaside use.”
Learn extra: Best Bluetooth speakers 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 transportable Bluetooth speaker from a sound perspective. By that I imply it performs loud for its measurement — it weighs about 1.8 kilos and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches — plus it places out an affordable quantity of bass and has pretty respectable readability. You will discover audio system that sound a little bit extra pure, however all these rugged transportable audio system aren’t designed for important listening.
The speaker has some colourful LED lighting on both sides.
I used it outdoor and inside in a number of rooms, together with a rest room (it does make for a great toilet speaker), and it was capable of fill smaller rooms with sound. You’ll be able to 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 gentle present, which I stored turned off more often than not. You can too 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 had been dealing with up, and the music stored enjoying, although the audio bought a little bit garbled when a little bit wave handed over the speaker, and the drivers began spitting water out. In different phrases, it actually sounds higher out of the water than in it.
One of many issues with Bluetooth gadgets is that Bluetooth does not transmit by water, which is why you need to load MP3s into reminiscence when utilizing wi-fi headphones whereas swimming (you may’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 facet 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’ll be able to 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 seaside. After ending the Buzz Clear, you may then rinse off the speaker to get it really clear.
The speaker additionally has one other fascinating function: 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 purple LED lights. You’ll be able to hit any button to show the alarm off.
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Battery life is rated for 16 hours at reasonable volumes, which is first rate for a speaker this measurement. 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 barely $95 with the low cost code.
