Bose SoundLink Mini II Bluetooth speaker updated with speakerphone, longer battery life and USB charging

The next generation of Bose's popular $200 Bluetooth speaker now has 10 hours of battery life and a built-in microphone for taking phone calls.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.

Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials

Maggie Award for Best Regularly Featured Web Column/Consumer

See full bio

David Carnoy

June 4, 2015 7:38 a.m. PT

The Bose SoundLink Mini II ships on June 21 for $200, £170 or AU$299. Bose

Bose's SoundLink Mini was one of the best portable Bluetooth speakers, but it did have a few small shortcomings. Now Bose is addressing them in the new SoundLink Mini II, which ships June 21 for $200, £170 and AU$299 and comes in two colors: carbon and pearl.

The new 1.5-pound (0.67kg) model looks nearly identical to the original SoundLink Mini and should sound very similar, but it now has a built-in microphone for speakerphone capabilities. Another improvement is its 10-hour battery rating, up from 7 hours in the previous model.

The other important change is that it now charges via a standard USB cable rather than a proprietary AC adapter. Bose says it "charges with most USB power sources and includes a charging cradle, so it's ready to go when you are."

The speaker comes in two colors, including this carbon version. Bose

The new speaker allows you to pair two devices to it at the same time -- you can switch back and forth between the devices, alternating audio streams -- and it can remember up to eight devices. Bose also says it's streamlined the pairing process with new voice prompts and the speaker identifies your devices by name using text-to-speech.

Preorders begin today on Bose.com, with soft covers in deep red, energy green, navy blue, charcoal black and gray, sold separately for $25, £21 or AU$30 each.

We'll have a full review of the Bose SoundLink Mini II in the next few weeks.

The optional softcovers cost $25, £21 or AU$30 each. Bose