Anker Soundcore Nano: A wireless speaker that can fit in your pocket for just $20 (review)

With hundreds of wireless speakers to choose from, there’s certainly one that fits your specific needs. Anker, a well known mobile accessory maker with highly rated products on Amazon.com, has made a speaker so small that it literally can fit in your pocket. It can even fit in your skinny jeans. The Anker Soundcore Nano is one of the smallest usable wireless speakers I’ve come across and it’s just $20.99. What do you get for your money? Let’s find out.

Anker Soundcore Nano

• $20.99 at Amazon
• Colors: Silver, Pink, Gray, Gold, and Black
• Dimensions: 2.13 x 2.13 x 1.1 in
• Weight: 2.88 ounces
• Rechargeable battery via micro USB
• 4-hour playback (depends on volume level)
• Bluetooth 4.0

At first glance, the Anker Soundcore Nano is truly one of the smallest wireless speakers I’ve ever tested. It’s small enough to fit in the palm of my hand. In fact, it’s so small I didn’t have any expectations when it came to sound performance. The Nano has the signature Anker high-quality build with an alloy metal body that is as sturdy as it looks. It’s also rather good looking with polished metal edges that give it a refined look, much more than you’d expect for such a diminutive price tag. Let me reiterate, this is a very small speaker. At 2.88 ounces, it’s lightweight enough to not notice in a backpack and is certainly pocketable.

You can see the Nano placed next to my iPhone X where it’s easy to tell just how small it is. In the image, you can also see there are no built-in controls on the speaker itself, with exception to the soft power button on the back. On the top is where you will find the micro USB charging port (a micro USB cable is included in the box), and on the left is a spot for inserting the included lanyard so you can wear this speaker on your wrist. It’s a small speaker, but no corners were cut on build quality.

When it comes to sound performance, the Nano is a bit of a surprise. It gets loud enough to fill my office at 50% of maximum volume, and it gets loud enough so I can hear Netflix clearly on my iPad Pro. Maybe it’s age, or maybe Netflix just doesn’t play that loud on my iPad these days, but I find myself struggling to hear clearly when I’m binge watching on weekends. I’ve found that using the Nano as a speaker for my built-in iPad speakers is one that enables me to hear everything loud and clear. The Nano performs well at 80% and below; anything above that and sound distorts, but not so much that it’s unpleasurable.

For music performance, don’t expect concert hall sound quality. The Nano certainly sounds better than you’d guess from a speaker so small with decent bass, mids, and highs. It’s good enough to still enjoy music, but if you’re truly a sound nut, you might want something a little bigger. The Nano is designed to be a portable speaker first, which no other accessory does this as well as it.

Overall for $20.99, if you’re looking for a small package that is portable then look no further. Keep in mind battery life is modest at 4-5 hours at 50%, but I don’t think Anker could squeeze any more lithium into this tiny guy. I bring the Nano along my business trips when I don’t want to pack a large speaker, and I use it at home in place of my iPad and iPhone speakers.

Get your own Anker Soundcore Nano and Amazon.com.