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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Pictures
    2. Style
    3. Portability
    4. Build Quality
    5. Controls
    6. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Frequency Response Accuracy
    2. Raw Frequency Response
    3. Soundstage
    4. Dynamics
  6. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. Voice Assistant
    3. App
  7. Connectivity
    1. Wired
    2. Bluetooth
    3. Wi-Fi
  8. Comments

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bose SoundLink Micro

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Apple HomePod (1st generation)
Bose SoundLink Micro

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:33 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 15, 2024 01:02 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Picture
Bose SoundLink Micro Picture

Variants

  • HomePod (1st generation) (Space Gray)
  • HomePod (1st generation) (White)
  • SoundLink Micro (Black)
  • SoundLink Micro (Bright Orange)
  • SoundLink Micro (Midnight Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (Stone Blue)
  • SoundLink Micro (White Smoke)

Our Verdict

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bose SoundLink Micro

The Apple HomePod (1st generation) and Bose SoundLink Micro have different strengths, and you may prefer one over the other. The Apple speaker has a better-balanced sound profile out-of-the-box. It has Siri built-in, which is great if you use voice assistants, and you can stream audio to the bar via Wi-Fi. However, it may be harder to find in new condition since it's been discontinued. The Bose is battery-powered, so it's more portable and better suited for outdoor use. It also has an IP67 rating for water resistance that certifies it to be immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.

0

Main Differences for

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

7.0
5.8

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.6

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Style Photo
Bose SoundLink Micro Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No

Show text

Portability 
 

4.2
9.4

Dimensions Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Dimensions Photo
Bose SoundLink Micro Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

203 in³ (3,332 cm³)
26 in³ (418 cm³)

Weight 
 

5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
0.7 lbs (0.3 kg)

Power Source 
 

AC Only
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Build Quality 
 

6.4
8.5

Build Quality Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Build Quality Photo
Bose SoundLink Micro Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Good

Water Resistance 
 

No
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

No
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

No
No

Show text

Controls 
 

8.0
7.9

Controls Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo
Bose SoundLink Micro Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  Controls Photo 2
Bose SoundLink Micro Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Tactile)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes

Show text

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  In The Box Photo
Bose SoundLink Micro In The Box Photo

Show text

Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.3
5.6

Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Slope 
 

0.19
-0.63

Std. Err. 
 

2.35 dB
4.44 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

53.4 Hz
91.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

19.1 kHz
16.0 kHz

Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.5
7.5

Directivity Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.97 dB
1.04 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)

Show text

Dynamics 
 

6.8
5.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

88.5 dB SPL
78.6 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

2.41 dB
2.27 dB

Show text

Active Features

Battery 
 

0.0
6.5

Battery Life 
 

N/A
7.8 hrs

Charge Time 
 

N/A
5.4 hrs

Power Saving 
 

No
Yes

Charging Port 
 

No Battery
Micro-USB

Battery Powered 
 

No
Yes

Show text

Voice Assistant 
 

10
4.9

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Speakerphone 
 

Yes
Yes

Siri 
 

Built-in
Yes (Requires Smartphone)

Voice Assistant 
 

Yes
Yes

Voice Activation 
 

Yes
No

Microphone Mute 
 

Yes
No

Far-Field Performance 
 

Excellent
Excellent

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

Excellent
Decent

Show text

App 
 

6.6
6.6

App Picture  

Apple HomePod (1st generation)  App Picture
Bose SoundLink Micro App Picture

App Name 
 

Apple Home
Bose Connect

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

No
Yes

EQ 
 

No
No

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

Yes
No

Show text

Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No

Show text

Bluetooth 
 

0.0
8.7

Bluetooth 
 

No
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

No Bluetooth
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

N/A
67 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

N/A
98 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

N/A
187.0 ft (57.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

Show text

Wi-Fi 
 

8.1
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

Wi-Fi 5
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

2.4GHz & 5GHz
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

Yes
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

Yes
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

37 ms
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Show text

Apple HomePod (1st generation)

Bose SoundLink Micro

Comments

  1. Comparison

Apple HomePod (1st generation) vs Bose SoundLink Micro: Main Discussion

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