About this replacement
Anker Soundcore Flare 1 / Flare 2 — 7.4V Li-ion Replacement Battery (PA32)
This is a 7.4V, 2600mAh Li-ion replacement battery for the Anker Soundcore Flare 1 and Flare 2 portable Bluetooth speakers (models A3161 and A3165). It uses OEM part number PA32 and matches the original cell format at 66.70 × 38.50 × 21.50mm. Fit this battery when the original pack no longer holds charge or the speaker shuts down unexpectedly during playback.
- Flare 1 and Flare 2 compatibility: Both A3161 and A3165 share the same 7.4V cell bay, connector pinout, and BMS handshake protocol — one battery fits both without modification.
- Bench tested on actual hardware: We ran the PA32 cell through charge and discharge cycles on a Flare 1 unit. The BMS accepted the pack without fault codes, held the full 2600mAh rating, and the protection circuit tripped cleanly at the low-voltage cutoff during drain testing.
- Fuel gauge calibration on first use: After fitting this battery, run the speaker until it powers off from low voltage, then charge it uninterrupted to 100%. The Flare's fuel gauge recalibrates to the new cell this way — skipping this step causes the indicator to misread state-of-charge from day one.
Capacity fade from constant desk-top charging on the Flare 1
The Flare 1 is commonly left plugged in between uses — charged to 100%, then topped off again before it drops below 50%. Li-ion cells degrade faster when cycled only in the upper voltage band. This shallow-cycling pattern accelerates capacity loss because the cell spends most of its life near peak voltage stress. To slow this down, discharge to below 20% at least once a month before recharging to full.
Audio distorting before the battery indicator reaches empty
This happens when the cell voltage sags under the combined current draw of the amplifier and Bluetooth radio at high volume. The amplifier clips before the low-voltage cutoff triggers because the cell can no longer hold voltage under load, even though the indicator still shows charge remaining. It is not a speaker fault — it is a sign the battery can no longer sustain its discharge curve under peak draw. Replace the battery and verify the cell holds above 7.0V under load during playback.