In some ways, Anker's new Soundcore Boom 3i is the spiritual successor to the company's popular Soundcore Motion Plus speaker, which was released in 2020. It's similarly shaped but has more of an outdoor adventure slant. Anker calls it "built for the wild" and bills it as the first Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, as it floats and "auto-corrects" to keep the speaker drivers facing upward just above the surface.
The Soundcore Boom 3i is fully waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 rating. Anker takes things a step further, touting the Boom 3i as "5X" saltwater-resistant.
You shouldn't expect audiophile sound from a mono Bluetooth speaker of this ilk. But for the most part, the Soundcore Boom 3i gives you what you want from a portable Bluetooth speaker from a sound perspective. By that I mean it plays loud for its size -- it weighs about 1.8 pounds and measures 8.3 by 3.1 by 3.3 inches -- plus it puts out a reasonable amount of bass and has fairly respectable clarity.