Since this is the first real review I’m doing I’m not really sure where to start. I’ve been wanting a Bluetooth speaker for a while now. With a trip to the beach coming up I decided it was time to pull the trigger. There is nothing better than sitting on the beach with a cold beer and listening to good music. I am the type of person who likes good sound quality and that is going to be the number one thing I look for before I consider aesthetics or brand. There is an exception here – budget.When I first came across the Anker SoundCore on Amazon I was skeptical mostly because of the $35 price point. The next speaker I consider was the JBL Clip 2. The JBL did satisfy a requirement I had which was to be waterproof. However I decided that sacrificing this to save a little cash. Another deciding factor was the reviews that I read on Amazon. While one reviewer (krwhome) did a comparison of the JBL Flip 3 speaker to the Anker. Their initial observation was higher sound quality with the JBL (as I would expect). However after further testing they edited the review to state that the Bluetooth range on the SoundCore was superior. This is a bonus for me so I went with the Anker. Full disclosure – I have not been able to test this claim so I’m taking their word for it. I have been using it for several days without a recharge simply cutting it off when not in used. Very impressed with the battery life so far.Initial Thoughts:The packaging is very nice. Everything has its place and no space is wasted. There is just enough room for the speaker and charging cable with a small manual (who needs those things anyway?). The design of the speaker is very satisfying. I like how simple and sleek it is. The logo on the front is a really cool touch to me. It literally takes up a large portion of the front but still manages to not be overstated or obnoxious. If anything it really adds something to the look in my opinion. Some things I did not notice when shopping for the speaker are that it has a 3.5mm aux plug on the side as well as a microphone. For me this is a nice surprise since I wasn’t expecting it. I never really thought of using it for making calls or using the Google Assistant but that definitely makes it even more useful! The buttons on the top are responsive. I do like that they are the same color so it doesn’t take away from the sleek look but my initial impression was that this may make them harder to distinguish after a few beers. After handling the speaker it has a very dense sturdy feel. Overall my initial impression of the Anker SoundCore is very positive.Testing & Use:Right out of the box pairing with my Samsung S8 was very quick and simple. Right when it powered on the blue LED on the front was flashing. Almost immediately it showed up on the phone and paired right up. The LED is solid once paired. First thing I did was fired up Amazon Unlimited Music and listened to the new Imagine Dragons album in an effort to test the range and see how good the lows are. The highs sound great and overall sound quality is very good. The lows do leave a little to be desired in my opinion. Though I wouldn’t really hold it against the speaker due to its size and price point. The lows are At the time of this review I see a new model (Anker SoundCore 2) has been released and it advertises better base and 66ft Bluetooth range. The price is only a little higher at $45.99 it would be worth a try but I’m still very happy with the original SoundCore.The call quality was decent on both calls I made in testing. I don’t really have a baseline here but compared to the speakerphone on my S8 it is similar. Callers reported a little better microphone quality from the S8 as I would expect. However they had no complaints when talking through the SoundCore. Testing outdoors on the patio by the pool as well as on the beach was very impressive. The volume is plenty for several people to enjoy and adjusting is easy thanks to the large pronounced buttons on the top. One thing to keep in mind is the fact that it is not waterproof or water resistant. So if you’re taking this to the pool or beach as I am keep it safe!The battery life thus far has been fantastic. I’ve listened for several hours at a time and not had it go dead on me. They advertise 24 hour battery life. I have not put this to the test but have no reason to doubt it is obtainable at a reasonable volume. I don’t have a lot of negatives for the SoundCore. If the volume is up to maximum and you press the volume up button it has a very loud beep to let you know you’re as high as you can go. It is in my opinion an obnoxious beep but I understand it’s purpose and don’t see a point in docking points for that. The very first time I connected to the SoundCore I was testing the and went a couple rooms over to see how well it would pick up. Once I got 25 or 30 feet away it began to break up some but bear in mind this was through several walls as well. The thing that initially concerned me was that it did not reconnect once I came back into range. Instead the blue LED was back to flashing but when I selected the devices in my S8 Bluetooth menu it never would connect. Since then I have re-paired with the device and gotten out of range several times and it reconnected just like it should. I’ve tried several scenarios and been unable to reproduce the problem at all.To sum it all up I’m sitting here listening to some music with my lady writing this review and I am very happy with my purchase. If you’re budget-conscious and want a quality Bluetooth speaker you can’t go wrong with the Anker SoundCore.