For starters, the A7909 comes with everything you need to fully utilize this Bluetooth speaker including a couple 2.3ft cables (microUSB and 3.5mm auxiliary), soft carrying pouch, and a welcome guide to help you get things set up. The speaker is fairly light, weighing in at nearly 10 ounces, and compact enough to carry with you at only 6.4 x 2.6 x 2.6-inches. It uses Bluetooth v4.0 to pair up to your devices or the much quicker option (if your device supports it), NFC. For direct connections there's a 3.5mm port on the back as well. The housing is smooth, but a real stickler for fingerprints and smudges, making it a chore to keep clean.
Since a wall wart isn't included, you can use the bundled microUSB cable to charge up the A7909 via USB port on your computer or existing wall/car adapter. Inside are dual 5W drivers for stereo sound along with a dedicated bass port that opens up to the left side of the speaker. The front grill is made of metal, painted gray with an Anker logo in the middle. Keeping the speaker from shifting on flat surfaces is a large rubber pad on the bottom. There isn't much for buttons on the A7909, only a power/play/pause and volume up/down as a matter of fact, but they're big — really big. The power button lights up blue when in use, changing to red when charging or the battery is low.
The Anker A7909 Bluetooth Speaker packs a 6,200mAh battery inside that allows up to 24 hours of continuous playback at around 60% volume. Charging from critical battery levels takes a little over 4 hours, which isn't bad at all. It also supports A2DP and AVRCP Bluetooth profiles, staying connected to your device up to 33ft — given there aren't many walls between you and the speaker. In terms of quality the speaker sounds great, even at higher volume levels, but the dedicated bass port doesn't seem to do very much for the lower tones. With the A7909's smaller size, you can't expect anything too outstanding for bass, but it still delivers full range quality sound that's impressive.
Final thoughts
Currently priced at $56, the Anker A7909 is actually a great portable speaker for the cost. It's certainly loud enough for most uses and the impressive battery life is a bonus when you're pulling an all-nighter. Some extra buttons couldn't hurt, but it's still a super-easy speaker to use. If you're after something with more bass, you may want to look into something a bit bigger.
