One interesting phenomenon thats cropped up in the last few years is the addition of legacy guitar brands to the Bluetooth speaker space. Its small size doesnt mean small sound, however, as the speaker gets extremely loud and sounds great and it can be paired to other Wonderboom speakers to amplify your music even more. JBLs speakers are always loud, and this one is no exception. It's also rough and tough for outdoor use. Benjamin Zeman, Product Tester, Great battery life and power bank capabilities. Accessories aren't super prevalent in this space for a couple reasons. A 12-hour battery life and water and dust resistance makes this an ideal speaker to take to the pool or beach, and it's available in an array of eye-catching colors. Olivia Tambini One final note on amps: while speaker systems and home theater setups will usually center on a dedicated amp unit to power a series of multiple, passive speakers, Bluetooth speakers are almost always standalone units. The human ear can hear as low as 20Hz and as high as 20kHz, theoreticallythough most peoples range is much narrower due to outside forces. If you want a really loud speaker, you can dig into these numbers, but in general, this is another category that is more important for sound systems than for wireless speakers. Portable speakers tend to feature rugged builds, often with rubberized bumpers and shells. You're just getting that added ease of use along with it. Our runner-up is the JBL Charge 4 because it offers the best functionality for portability, with its full and loud sound quality, excellent water resistance, and even the ability to charge another device on the go. Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity means that the speaker is easy to pair with your smartphone, while built-in Alexa voice assistance means it can double up as a smart speaker. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success. Jeffrey Daniel Chadwickhas been reviewing audio equipment for over 10 years. iMore is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Consider high-end audio brands such as Bose and Bang & Olufsen if you want a combination of stylish design and great sound but be prepared for relatively high prices. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Really, the only downside is that with so many great speakers to choose from, it can be hard to choose the best one for you. The JBL Charge line hovers around 20 hours of listening, whereas Anker and Bose have offerings just a tad lower. Our own commerce and tech editor,Alice Newcome-Beill, owns and regularly uses the JBL Clip 3 on our list.

JBL's Clip series combines functionality, portability, and decently powerful sound for an interesting offering in the Bluetooth speaker space. Add that in with JBLs well-known pulsing bass ports on either end of the cylinder, and its clear that its an impressive device for playback. Sony focuses mainly on portable speakers, and they feature a ton of color options like youd find on portable speakers from Bose or JBL. Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day. The Marshall Stanmore II has vintage looks that I love, making it look like an old tube guitar amp. The Sonos Roam is our pick for the best Bluetooth speaker on the planet, with a powerful sound, rugged design, excellent connectivity features, and smart home control. Visually near imperceptible from the original A1, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) is an appealing and highly portable Bluetooth speaker that comes with (admittedly flawed) Alexa support without the need for Wi-Fi. An important note here is that just because a speaker can produce sounds as low as, say, 16Hz, doesnt mean your ear can hear them. Here you never get the feeling that you are playing bass to make a party at the expense of other elements in the music, and almost no matter what you put on music, you get a pleasant experience. Like the JBL Flip 5 before it, the Flip 6 is an ideal speaker for anyone who wants to simply play their music, crank it up loud, sit back and enjoy whether you're listening at home or on the go. Becky Scarrott Either way, the battery life is good, but not great. The battery life isn't huge, though enough for a good day out, but if that's a priority, check out the B&O A1, which more than doubles it. Where the Marshall Stanmore II really shines is in customizability. We live with these speakers in our homes to make sure that their performances are consistent, and we don't finalize our testing until we are certain of the sound quality. "Cheap" doesn't mean "junk" here; these are well-built products that can withstand your day-to-day use. If youre concerned about privacy and want to save around $20 / 20 / AU$30 then the Roam SL could be exactly what you want. The originalUE Wonderboom topped ourbest waterproof speakerlist for a long time but it's since been usurped by the Wonderboom 2. This all makes sense considering the spirit of a Bluetooth speakersince were trying to do away with clunky wires and aux cords, why would the speaker itself be designed with a clunky aesthetic? It's important for us to compare the performance of these speakers against the specs claimed by their manufacturers, which is why we take the time to make sure the battery life and connectivity is as good as the brands say they are. We put the Sonos Move through its paces with a menagerie of songs, musical styles, and in a variety of different locations. What's always clear is that the Sonos Move manages what few other Bluetooth speakers can tight and punchy bass, shimmering highs and a vocals that cut through it all with direct clarity. The bass is powerful, and while the lower frequencies could do with a little finessing, that strong low-end is great for listening to music outdoors, where there are no walls for the sound to bounce off of. And, because many of them are portable, you can take one with you and do so wherever you are in the world. Bluetooth speakers are one of the best ways to listen to your favorite tunes, podcasts, and other audio everywhere you go. "You can expect this speaker to stand up to the elements, endure heavy usage, and last all day." You will receive a verification email shortly. Plus, the vibrant built-in LCD provides some nice visual touch points when listening to your music. There are certainly more detailed portable speakers out there, but at a price that's relatively affordable to all, the UE Boom 3 hits all the right notes for the third year in a row. We also consider how easy they are to set up and use, how reliable their Bluetooth connections are and how long you can reasonably expect from their batteries when you're out and about. Sound quality is a factor too, of course, but you have to look at it differently, mainly relying on a brands track record rather than the raw numbers we mentioned above. By This will be fine if youre just streaming MP3s from Spotify or watching YouTube videos, but if you want to stream your high res audio files (like WAV or FLAC), youd be better served with a speaker unit that supports a higher-quality Bluetooth codec like Qualcomms aptX. These two use cases imply vastly different approaches on the build quality front.

Or are you looking for a more powerful at-home unit that can sit as a centerpiece in your office? And if there's any likelihood that your speaker might get dunked in water or just left out in the rain, you might also want to check out our guide to the best waterproof speakers. But most small-format Bluetooth speakers are plenty loud and plenty rich, and because they often use multi-room app functionality, they make for great party systems.

The Soundcore 2 is one of the best-selling portable speakers in the category. The touch controls on top of the device are intuitive, and even offer six preset buttons to call back what you were listening to before. With two quality drivers, a solid app that unlocks playback from hundreds of wireless sources, multi-room capabilities and smart audio-tuning tech which tweaks the output based on the speaker's immediate surroundings, the Sonos Move is engineered well beyond your average Bluetooth speaker. A bass-heavy audio performance makes it ideal for use outdoors, because it's powerful enough to cut through wind noise, in our experience. Nice controls with app and voice functionality. Thats largely because of the proprietary software system that Sonos has become known for. But if youve got the money, its hard to fault the Sonos Move when it comes to getting high-quality sound in or out of the home. There is a vast range in price options, but a clear divide between small battery speakers and premium home speakers. You won't find extra features like voice assistants or Wi-Fi connectivity, but the Flip 6 sounds so good that you won't miss them. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? Bluetooth Pairing and Software: Standard across the board. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). The Bose SoundLink Flex might not be the best portable speaker you can buy overall, but it sure ticks a lot of boxes and this makes it a solid option if you're looking for a Bluetooth speaker for a range of different uses. Because there are portable and home options in the Bluetooth speaker category, theres a wide range of offerings in the driver department. Those wanting more bass but still want a party speaker with lights will want to check out theJBL Pulse 4 too, which gets louder, has more bass impact and a full-body lightshow but again is over twice the price. The speaker grill is a hard shell with a breathable mesh covering. While we found it cant match the bass response of larger speakers like theUE Boom 3, the improved bass adds warmth and intensity to music that the original was lacking. The Clip version of the Charge actually lives in a carabiner-style build that easily attaches to a day pack or even a keychain. Theres Bluetooth 5.1 here, 18 hours of battery life, and voice assistant functionality available, too. Most speakers on the market today run on Bluetooth 4 or 5, and those two versions are more than adequate for in-home use. It's IPX7 rated, which means it can be submerged in up to 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. last updated 20 July 22, The best portable Bluetooth speakers you can buy right now. The design is perhaps the other most interesting aspect, offering around ten colors to choose from and a unique carabiner-style clip. Stephen Slaybaugh is a fact checker and music writer with with more than 20 years experience writing about internet retail and consumer tech. The JBL Charge 4 is, in many ways, the brands flagship portable speaker. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Around the back, the JBL Charge 5 has a waterproof USB-C charging port as well as a flap hiding the USB-A port that can be used to charge up your smartphone. The best Bluetooth speakers are incredibly convenient and very versatile. Range and Stability: How far can you wander? However, there are plenty of specific features to look out for, even if it does feel like the choice is endless. Plus, it's built like a tank, so you don't need to baby it when you're carrying it around. These all-in-one devices sit somewhere between your in-home sound system and the phone thats in your pocket (which likely has decent built-in speakers all on its own). Another benefit of Bluetooth 5 is that youll get the option to tether two host devices to the same speaker, allowing you to more easily switch between audio sources. TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Following in the footsteps of theSonos Move, the Sonos Roam comes with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, which means it can work as aportable speakeras well as part of your wider multi-room Sonos system and withGoogle Assistantand Alexa onboard (when you're on Wi-Fi), it doubles up asmart speakertoo. Apple fanatic? The sound quality is pretty impressive, too, especially given the size. Looking for some hi-res audiophile speakers to go with your record player? When you picture portable Bluetooth speakers as a category, you're likely think of the JBL Flip line first. The brand is also well known for delivering excellent audio quality from its products, and the Home Speaker is a great example of this, with a warm, well-balanced soundstage and an assured command of complex tracks. This budget brand known perhaps more for portable batteries is actually quite a capable producer of portable Bluetooth speakers. The speaker is massive, and its weight and awkward shape make it fairly difficult to label as portable." published 8 June 22. Your mileage will vary on this front if you are playing music loudly, but thats to be expected. We test their real-life performance in actual use cases, from listening to music outdoors, to broadcasting podcasts while you work (from a variety of inputs). He tested the JBL Charge 4 and gave it a perfect 5-star rating for its strong, clear sound.

The IPX7 water resistance puts it right on par with the rest of JBLs portable speaker line, and the compatibility with JBL Connect+ allows you to pair it with other speakers from the line. We also like the Sonos app's EQ options, letting you dial up and down treble and bass settings. , The design isn't so garish that it'll look out of place in your home, though, and its rugged construction means the Soundcore Flare 2 can join you at the beach or poolside. It doesnt quite have the pure fidelity of the Sonos Move, or the detail, but it's very hard to fault its overall blend of sound. While the enclosure is really small, most of the build is taken up by a fairly large speaker driver, meaning theres plenty of bass and power in its playback. But where this speaker really shines (literally) is in its use of light. Today you can pick up small battery speakers, rugged canister-style units, and even full-sized stereo systems. The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a powerful speaker that will deliver a party atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors. In short, which of these speakers you go with depends entirely on where you plan to use it. The Charge 5 drops support for the 3.5mm aux jack from theJBL Charge 4, which is a bummer for some who have legacy devices they want to hook up. It sounds great out of the box, and even at loud volumes, remains clear with no muddy bass or tin-like treble tones. You can control the speaker with built-in voice assistants, and there are also options to use the Bose app to further personalize your experience. When choosing your ideal Bluetooth speaker, arguably the most important question is to determine whether you want something that is truly portable, or one that fits into your home more seamlessly. Subscribe to our newsletter and get techs top stories in 30 seconds. The highest battery life on the market reaches upwards of 40 or 50 hours with products from Altec Lansing, but youll pay a premium for this. If you want to include your speaker as part of your larger sound system, or you want to add Bluetooth functionality to a non-Bluetooth system, youll have to purchase cables, adapters, and receivers. That is certainly the case here. Apples HomePod is an impressive option because the designers have taken the time to provide a truly impressive sound response for a smart speaker. According to iMore product reviewers, taking the Boom 3 to every pool party is not a problem. Dialling up the bass in the EQ convincingly gives treble-heavy tracks a little more warmth than their neutral recorded sound offers, if like that kind of balance.