Anker's SoundCore line of audio devices leaves us consistently impressed with their build and audio quality, so we were of course very excited to get our hands on the Soundcore Model Zero+. The Google Assistant smart speaker from Anker promises stellar high-resolution sound quality thanks to official Dolby Audio, a sleek design, and smart connectivity to fit into your connected home.
But can it deliver on those promises? Let's find out.
The first thing you'll notice about the Model Zero+ is that it sports a really strange design. I don't think it looks like a speaker at all, to be honest, but more like an exercise weight or a handbag. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, because I do think the design is very striking and will easily strike up some conversation, but it's a very modern design that's going to command attention. Sometimes that's good, but be careful if you're looking for something to blend into the background.
It's pretty weighty, too, and it packs an internal battery so you theoretically can carry it around and use it as a WiFi speaker in any room or a Bluetooth speaker on the go. You definitely can, but you probably shouldn't, because you will get strange looks if you take the Model Zero+ in public, I promise.
Fortunately Anker has more or less designed the speaker to stay plugged in and act more like a hyped up Google Home, and that's really where it shines. It's a cool design, so it makes sense to put it somewhere out-of-the-way-but-noticeable where it can stay plugged in and answer your questions and blast out loud music.
It's important to note that the Model Zero+ loses the water resistance of its Bluetooth-only sibling, the regular Model Zero. So that's just another argument for keeping it mostly plugged in all the time.
The back of the speaker houses the charging port (no USB-C or microUSB, unfortunately) plus an audio out jack and a reset button. The middle “handle” of the speaker has a capacitive touch surface where you can slide left and right to control volume, plus play and stop music. Clicky physical buttons are on the side for turning the power on and off, setting up Bluetooth, and muting the microphone. There's also a fourth button for Anker's BassUp technology that enhances the bass frequencies of the speaker. You're going to want to leave that on pretty much all the time, unless you're trying to keep the volume and low end down for late night listening sessions.
Design talk out of the way, how does the speaker sound? Honestly, probably one of the best speakers in this price range that I've ever used, and definitely the best Anker hardware I've ever used. I've recently reviewed the Polk Assist Google Assistant speaker and Creative's iRoar Go Bluetooth speaker, and while all three of those have their pros and cons are roughly in the same price range, I think Anker has a leg up on sound quality.
The speaker primarily fires sound forward with passive radiators pushing a bit of sound to the back to help fill the room, but the Model Zero easily sounds the best if you can position it in a corner or against a wall. Keep the BassUp toggle on, and the speaker will easily fill a decently sized room at just medium volume and sound phenomenal while doing it. There's plenty of low-end thump, the mids are clear and defined without sounding too woofy, and the highs are crisp and balanced without making the mix sound too shrill.
The sweet spot for volume seems to be right around 80% where the music really fills out with crisp definition, and even though it still sounds good cranked all the way up you can start to hear certain tunes and sounds beginning to jumble and break up. But unless you're filling up an absolutely massive room or trying to compete with an actual home theater system, 80% is going to be just fine.
Anker does also have their SoundCore app to help you tune the Model Zero+, but for the most part I think it's a pretty unnecessary installation. You can't actually control the EQ but instead just get a movie, music, and voice mode. Movie mode adds some extra thump and I honestly used that even for music. The Music mode is the default equalizer and works pretty well, while Voice isn't really suitable for music but would work well for podcasts. There's also a Media Intelligence toggle that supposedly analyzes the sound and dynamically adjusts the EQ to make everything sound better. I didn't particularly love the sound when that was turned on, so I left that off after the first few hours.
Voice recognition is excellent on the speaker as well, with the microphones managing to pick up my voice even with music playing at close to that 80% volume sweet spot without needing to yell. Anything louder than that, though, and I did have to start screaming.
Battery life for the Model Zero+ is pretty middling, with Anker (accurately) rating the speaker for about five hours. Keeping the volume wide open will shorten that, too, but generally you're not going to be able to make the speaker last for an entire day. Like I said earlier, this really shouldn't be your go-to portable speaker.
At $249, Anker is really asking a lot for a speaker. You can easily get some competitive speakers for less money than the Model Zero+ that have better battery life or are more portable, but where Anker really shines is the pure sound quality you'll get what the Model Zero+ is good at. If you think of the device as a Google Home Max type of device that you're not really supposed to move around (but you can in a pinch) that can put your soundbar to shame, then I think you're going to have a hard time finding anything to beat this one out. And if you do just want the sound quality without the WiFi connectivity and Google Assistant stuff, the cheaper $199 Model Zero is a killer deal. Just keep in mind you're exclusively going to have to deal with Bluetooth on that one.
The only hangup I think most people will have is the design of the speaker. Personally, I'm a pretty big fan. It does stick out, but in a good way. I do also have plenty of smart lights, LED strips, and other gadgets all around my house, so this thing isn't that far out of place. In a more traditional setting, though, you may have a tough time blending it in to the rest of the decor.
Buy it now: Anker
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