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The Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker

By Brent Butterworth
Updated
An array of our top portable bluetooth speaker picks against a beige background.
Photo: Michael Hession

Portable Bluetooth speakers are the easiest, most affordable way to spread music and podcasts across a room, backyard, or beach blanket. Because these speakers come in a variety of designs and sizes, no model is perfect for every situation—but the excellent sound and rugged design of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 made it the favorite in our tests.

Everything we recommend

Our pick

This small, round speaker has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive outdoor adventures. But it’s a little chunky, and it uses an outdated Micro-USB port for charging.

Runner-up

This speaker is larger than our top pick, but its slender form may fit more easily into tight spaces. The sound quality is comparable, and it offers convenient USB-C charging.

Buying Options

Upgrade pick

This speaker plays very loud while maintaining its clear, full sound, and it has a long battery life. But it’s larger and a little less rugged than our top pick.

Buying Options

Budget pick

This is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot. But it can’t play as loud as our larger, more expensive picks.

Buying Options

Also great

This speaker plays loud enough to fill a backyard and sounds much like a good small stereo system. However, it’s much larger and pricier than our other picks.

How we picked and tested


  • Panel testing

    We tested Bluetooth speakers with expert listeners, and we concealed the identities of the speakers to eliminate bias.

  • Wide range of models

    The speakers we tested ranged from tiny travel models to 40-pound backyard blasters. All of them included rechargeable batteries.

  • Real-world trials

    We continue to spend many hours with our recommended speakers to make sure they survive day-to-day use.

  • Price range

    To give readers a full picture of the category, we tested models priced as low as $10 and as high as $500.

Read more

Our pick

This small, round speaker has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive outdoor adventures. But it’s a little chunky, and it uses an outdated Micro-USB port for charging.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 had our listeners raving over how clear and spacious it sounded, and they couldn’t help cooing over its cute design. With its IP67 water-resistance rating, it can handle immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Plus, it’s dustproof, it can survive a 5-foot drop onto concrete, and it floats. We got 11 hours of battery life in our tests.

It’s too chunky to pack easily into a purse or a small bag, and it uses a Micro-USB jack for charging, which may require you to carry an extra cable when you travel.

Runner-up

This speaker is larger than our top pick, but its slender form may fit more easily into tight spaces. The sound quality is comparable, and it offers convenient USB-C charging.

Buying Options

Although the simpler, smaller, more rugged design of the Wonderboom 3 won the day with our listening panel and staff, the Soundcore Motion 300 is a great alternative because of its slim, suitcase-friendly styling, USB-C charging, and lower price.

Sound quality is similar between the two, but the Motion 300 plays a few decibels louder and puts more emphasis on instruments than vocals. A carrying strap with a snap closure lets you hang the speaker from objects such as a shower curtain rod or backpack strap.

This speaker is IPX7-rated, so it can withstand immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. The battery ran for about 12 hours in our tests, but the Bluetooth signal range was lower than that of the Wonderboom 3.

Upgrade pick

This speaker plays very loud while maintaining its clear, full sound, and it has a long battery life. But it’s larger and a little less rugged than our top pick.

Buying Options

The W-King X10 is an astonishingly affordable upgrade for those who need a larger, louder speaker with a long battery life. It plays almost 8 decibels louder than the Wonderboom 3, so it can easily be heard over a roomful of chatty partygoers. Even when cranked full-blast, it sounds clear and doesn’t seem to lose any bass. We got 24 hours of playtime from the internal battery—less than the claimed 42 hours but still impressive.

The X10 is about the size of a football and weighs 6.5 pounds, but its shoulder strap makes it easy to carry. Its IPX6 rating means it can withstand being sprayed by a hose—but it can’t be safely submerged in water like some of our other picks.

Budget pick

This is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot. But it can’t play as loud as our larger, more expensive picks.

Buying Options

If you want to spend less than $50 on a good portable Bluetooth speaker, the Tribit XSound Go is the best choice. It’s been our budget pick for five years because it still clearly beats almost all of its similarly priced competitors with its loud, full sound—though it can’t play as loud as our larger, more expensive picks.

The XSound Go is small enough to slip into a laptop bag, it runs 10.5 hours on a charge, and it charges via USB-C. Plus, it has an IPX7 rating, so it can survive a half-hour dunking in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.

Also great

This speaker plays loud enough to fill a backyard and sounds much like a good small stereo system. However, it’s much larger and pricier than our other picks.

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is the best choice for those who need high-quality sound for large areas, such as tailgate parties and neighborhood barbecues. It plays almost twice as loud as the W-King X10, and it sounds beautiful, with smooth vocals, ample bass, and surprising ambience.

At 14.3 inches high and 16.6 pounds, it isn’t the type of speaker you can just toss in a backpack or suitcase, but it is light enough that most people can carry it easily. It has an IPX4 rating, so it’s splashproof but not waterproof.

In our tests, it played at a fairly loud volume for 27.5 hours on a single charge, but it relies on a dedicated charger that you have to remember to bring along on any extended outing.

I’m a senior staff writer at Wirecutter. I’ve worked as an editor or writer in audio publishing for over 30 years, and I’ve previously served as a consultant on speaker tuning and measurement for some of the world’s biggest tech companies.

In the course of producing the original version of this article and many updates, we’ve enlisted feedback from numerous listeners, including senior staff writer Lauren Dragan and Dan Gonda, a Los Angeles woodwinds player, who is also a certified Avid Pro Tools user.

Veteran audio enthusiasts Darren Vaughan and Tony Krawzik also contributed their opinions when we conducted brand-concealed listening tests at Innovative Audio, a vintage-audio dealer based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Anyone who owns a smartphone or tablet is likely to enjoy owning a portable Bluetooth speaker, which usually has a rechargeable battery and is often waterproof and/or dustproof. Bluetooth support is available in every current smartphone and tablet, as well as in most laptop computers, so you don’t need additional equipment.

Unlike smart speakers and Wi-Fi speakers, Bluetooth speakers don’t require a network connection, and most don’t require the use of special apps—whatever you play on your phone will play through the speaker.

If sound quality and volume are your top priorities, and you don’t plan to take your speaker out of your house, you may want to check out the larger, more powerful speakers featured in our tabletop speaker guides:

We use the following criteria to help us decide which portable Bluetooth speakers to call in for testing:

  • Portability and battery life: We focus on models that have rechargeable batteries and are designed to take a trip to the beach or the park with no hassle. In selecting our top pick, we prioritize speakers that are compact and easy to toss into a backpack or beach bag.
  • Ruggedness and waterproof design: We give priority to speakers that are built to survive the knocks and bumps of travel. We prefer speakers with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which tells you exactly how dustproof and waterproof a speaker is.
  • Price: We set a bottom price of $10. Less-expensive models often don’t sound better or play much louder than a phone’s built-in speakers.
  • Playback controls: Because you can control the playback from your Bluetooth source device (usually a phone or tablet), we don’t require the speaker itself to have playback controls, but it’s a convenient perk.
  • Bluetooth codecs: We don’t award extra points for inclusion of additional Bluetooth codecs beyond the standard SBC codec found in all Bluetooth devices. The sonic differences among these codecs are insignificant next to the easily heard differences among the speakers themselves.
  • Special features: Bluetooth speakers may offer extra features, including speakerphone capability, multi-speaker pairing (the ability to play the same material through two Bluetooth speakers at once), and built-in lighting. We don’t consider any of these features essential, but they can be convenient add-ons.

For each new round of tests, I begin by comparing the new models with each other and with some of our previous picks. I measure the maximum output of each speaker indoors at a distance of 1 meter, using an NTi Minilyzer audio analyzer and a calibrated NTi MiniSPL test microphone and playing a 34-second section of ZZ Top’s very loudly mastered tune “Chartreuse” (video).

The chart below shows the results for our current speaker recommendations, plus a few models mentioned in Other good portable Bluetooth speakers. For more details, see our results and our explanations of our testing process.

A chart measuring portable bluetooth speaker output compared to price, with volume in decibels ranging from 80 to 110 on the x-axis and price from 0 to $400 on the y-axis.
Chart: Wirecutter

From these tests, I narrow down the group of contestants to the models that have a real chance to impress our listening panel, in addition to all of our past picks. To prepare for our brand-concealed panel testing, I hide the speakers behind black fabric and divide them into four groups: ultra-compact, small, medium, and large. To make the test fair, I set the volume within a particular group to the same approximate level by using a shaped-noise channel-balancing test tone recorded from a Dolby Digital receiver.

During our brand-concealed tests, our listeners pay particular attention to:

  • how clear the speakers sound at normal levels
  • how the speakers balance bass to midrange to treble
  • how loud the speakers are able to play when cranked up
  • how clear they sound when cranked up

Lastly, I check the battery life of each of our top picks by repeating Steely Dan’s “Aja” (video) at an average level of 75 dB (measured at 1 meter) over and over until the power runs out. (For the larger Ultimate Ears Hyperboom speaker, I increased the level to 81 dB.)

I also measure the maximum Bluetooth range of all our picks by placing my Samsung Galaxy S10 phone indoors, in a window, and carrying the speaker away in my backyard until the connection becomes unreliable. There are no industry-standard methods of testing these functions, but our methods have worked well through 10 years of testing 393 portable Bluetooth speakers to date.

With each model that offers speakerphone functionality, I try placing a call to Wirecutter senior staff writer Lauren Dragan. I note how the speaker sounds to me, and she tells me how my voice sounds on her end.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3, our pick for best Bluetooth speaker.
Photo: Michael Hession

Our pick

This small, round speaker has a natural sound and a cool design, and it’s built to survive outdoor adventures. But it’s a little chunky, and it uses an outdated Micro-USB port for charging.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is the closest thing we’ve found to an ideal all-around Bluetooth speaker, thanks to its great combination of performance, ruggedness, and portability.

It sounds great for its size. Both of the panelists in our most recent listening test picked the Wonderboom 3 as their favorite in its class without hesitation, citing a more “open, 3D sound” than on the others, as well as a natural balance of bass to midrange to treble—which means no instruments or voices are unnaturally boosted.

It’s loud enough for most everyday uses. We measured maximum volume at 84.4 dB at 1 meter; that’s enough to fill a bedroom or kitchen with sound. The Outdoor Boost button kicks up the level by about 3 decibels, which makes the speaker a little louder but sacrifices bass.

It’s tough. This IP67-rated speaker is dustproof, can be submerged in up to 1 meter of water for a half hour, and also floats. When we dropped it from 5 feet onto a backyard deck and then onto concrete, it kept playing and exhibited just a couple of small scuff marks.

A close-up of the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3, our pick for best Bluetooth speaker.
The Wonderboom 3 has large plus/minus volume controls on the side, as well as top-panel buttons for power, start/stop, and Bluetooth pairing. Photo: Michael Hession

It’s practical. We measured its Bluetooth range at an impressive 100 feet, and we got 11 hours of battery life—not quite the 14 hours that Ultimate Ears promises, but still plenty. An elastic strap on top lets you hang the speaker from various objects. You can pair one Wonderboom 3 with another to create stereo sound or to deliver sound in a second nearby room.

It’s fun. This round speaker is available in four color schemes—black, pink, light gray, and blue.

How the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom has held up

The Wonderboom sitting on a table outside along with laptop and coffee
“I bought my Wonderboom two and a half years ago, and it has held up exceptionally well. I’ll often stream Pandora on it for hours a day, and I remain stunned at how infrequently it requires charging. While the color has faded just a bit, it still basically looks (and certainly sounds) as good as it did the day it arrived. Everything about it—pairing, portability, durability—is aces.” —Ben Frumin, editor-in-chief

Numerous Wirecutter staffers have bought some version of the Wonderboom. Our editor-in-chief selected it from the thousands of top picks on Wirecutter to write about in our “52 Things We Love” series, and it’s still going strong.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

  • It uses an outdated Micro-USB charging jack. While the world has moved on to USB-C and Apple Lightning connectors, with this speaker you have to carry a USB-A–to–Micro-USB charging cable when you travel. If that sounds intolerable, check out our runner-up pick.
  • It’s light on bass. It doesn’t have the oomph for hip-hop or heavy rock.
  • It’s chunky. This speaker’s 3.75-inch diameter makes it too stout to fit comfortably in a briefcase or laptop bag.
  • It lacks some features. The Wonderboom 3 has neither a speakerphone function nor an analog input, but we seldom use those.
Our runner-up pick, the Soundcore Motion 300, against a beige backdrop.
Photo: Brent Butterworth

Runner-up

This speaker is larger than our top pick, but its slender form may fit more easily into tight spaces. The sound quality is comparable, and it offers convenient USB-C charging.

Buying Options

The Soundcore Motion 300 is a great choice for those who need a Bluetooth speaker for travel. The slim design lets it fit into spaces where many Bluetooth speakers might not, and its USB-C charging jack is the same as you’ll find on most smartphones and tablets, so you may be able to use the same cable for both.

The travel-friendly design is only 2 inches thick. This speaker fits more easily into places where the rotund, 3.75-inch-diameter Wonderboom 3 might not, such as a suitcase or a car’s glove compartment. Even if you lose your charging cable while traveling, USB-C cables are easier to find than the increasingly rare Micro-USB cable that the Wonderboom 3 requires.

That said, the Motion 300 is larger overall than our top pick, and a little on the heavy side. At 1.7 pounds, it is substantially heavier than the 0.9-pound Wonderboom 3.

The speaker comes in three different colors: black, light blue, and light green. A carrying strap with a snap closure lets you hang it from objects such as a shower curtain rod or backpack strap.

It sounds excellent for its price and size. Whether the Motion 300 sounds better than, or not as good as, the Wonderboom 3 depends on your taste. The Motion 300 doesn’t sound as clear with voices as the Wonderboom 3 does, but it does a much better job of reproducing musical instruments, so you hear more of the band (especially the bass) and less of the singer. The Motion 300 also plays about 4 dB louder—not quite party level, but loud enough to fill a large living room—although the bass thins out when the speaker is fully cranked.

We listened mostly in the Soundcore Signature EQ sound mode, found in the app. A few other modes are available, and there’s a Bass Boost button on top, but we usually preferred the sound without it.

The Motion 300 also includes a sensor that detects whether it’s standing vertically or lying flat, and it optimizes the sound for that position.

Soundcore touts the Motion 300’s inclusion of Sony’s LDAC Bluetooth codec, which allows the transmission of higher-quality sound if you have an LDAC-equipped smartphone. However, with inexpensive speakers like these, the Bluetooth codec has a negligible effect on sound quality.

The Motion 300 has illuminated top buttons that make it easier to use in dark spaces. Photo: Brent Butterworth

This speaker is not as rugged as our top pick, but it is waterproof. The Motion 300 is IPX7-rated, so it’s not dustproof but can survive 30 minutes of submersion in 1 meter of water. The battery ran a little longer than that of our top pick: 12 hours in our tests, which is probably enough for a weekend trip without a recharge.

However, the Bluetooth range in our tests was notably less than the Wonderboom’s: about 60 feet, which is adequate but not impressive by today’s standards. The Motion 300 has a speakerphone function that works pretty well; my voice sounded a little muffled to the person on the other end, but the speaker did seem to cancel room echoes.

Like the Wonderboom 3, this model has no 3.5 mm analog input. Also, Soundcore’s promotional materials don’t mention stereo pairing, and we can’t find that option in the app; this is a surprising omission, as stereo pairing is found even in many under-$25 models.

Our pick for best portable Bluetooth speaker for large areas, the W-King X10.
Photo: Michael Hession

Upgrade pick

This speaker plays very loud while maintaining its clear, full sound, and it has a long battery life. But it’s larger and a little less rugged than our top pick.

Buying Options

The W-King X10 is the best portable speaker to use in larger areas, such as at a picnic, a small beach party, or a yoga class. This speaker costs only a little more than the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3, but it sounds about as good as, and plays louder than, our previous upgrade pick, the much more expensive Sony SRS-XG300.

It plays louder. The X10 maxes out at about 7 decibels louder than the Wonderboom 3, which is roughly the difference between talking normally and raising your voice to address someone 30 feet away. Even at that loud volume, during our tests it sounded smooth and balanced, with clear voices and plenty of bass. The Outdoor mode cut the bass some but didn’t boost the volume. (Unfortunately, the speaker has no indicator to tell you which mode it’s in.)

The battery life is impressive. In our tests we got 24 hours, which is excellent—although short of W-King’s claimed 42 hours.

It’s larger. The X10 is about the size of a football and weighs 6.5 pounds, a manageable weight when you use the included shoulder strap (which sports an integrated bottle opener). Once you reach your destination, you can lay the speaker down horizontally or stand it on end.

A close-up of the light-up buttons on the top of the W-King X10 Bluetooth speaker.
Photo: Michael Hession

It isn’t quite as rugged. The X10 has an IPX6 rating, which means it can withstand spraying from a hose but not submersion in water, and it’s not dustproof. Its buttons require a firm push; the similar but slightly less powerful W-King D8 has bigger buttons that are easier to use.

It has a lot of helpful features. The back panel offers a USB-C charging port, a 3.5 mm analog audio input, an SD card slot for playing MP3s, and a USB-A output for charging mobile devices. You can pair two X10 units for stereo audio. Its speakerphone function worked okay in our tests, but for both my conversation partner and me, it sounded dull and somewhat noisy, as if we were both in our cars.

We measured the speaker’s Bluetooth range at 70 feet, which is more than adequate.

The Tribit XSound Go, our budget-pick for best portable speaker.
Photo: Michael Hession

Budget pick

This is the best speaker we’ve heard in its price range, and it’s compact and waterproof to boot. But it can’t play as loud as our larger, more expensive picks.

Buying Options

If you want a great all-around portable Bluetooth speaker for under $50, the Tribit XSound Go is a terrific choice. Five years after its debut, it still sounds better than almost everything else in its price range. It’s also small enough to slip into a laptop bag, and it’s IPX7-rated, which means it can survive a half-hour swim in 1 meter of water.

It sounds surprisingly good for its size and price. When the XSound Go accompanied me through four weeks of travel, I continued to be surprised by how clear and full its sound was. Voices were natural and distinct, never bloated or hoarse, as they can be on most inexpensive Bluetooth speakers. In our tests, the XSound Go didn’t sound as full, or play quite as loud, as the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3, but all of our panelists thought it delivered amazing sound quality for its price.

A close-up of the buttons on the side of the Tribit XSound Go.
The XSound Go has buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and volume control. Photo: Michael Hession

It has good features for the price. In addition to top-panel controls, you get a 3.5 mm analog input to connect external audio sources that lack Bluetooth support, plus a usable if somewhat noisy speakerphone function.

Although the battery life is rated at 24 hours, we got only about 10.5 hours—but for a cheap Bluetooth speaker, that’s okay.

It’s not dustproof, and it doesn’t offer stereo pairing. We measured its Bluetooth range at about 50 feet, which is good for a speaker in this price range.

How the Tribit XSound Go has held up

A few Wirecutter staffers have purchased the XSound Go and lived with it for a while. Here are some long-term test notes:

“I’ve had the Tribit XSound Go for almost two years now, and it works just as well as the day I got it. Its compact size and shape lends itself to travel, so it has provided the soundtrack at house parties, barbecues, boat rides, and yoga classes. The battery life is great, so I rarely charge it or worry about awkward silences at events.” —Nikki Duong, video producer
The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom, our also-great pick for best portable speaker.
Photo: Michael Hession

Also great

This speaker plays loud enough to fill a backyard and sounds much like a good small stereo system. However, it’s much larger and pricier than our other picks.

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a huge step up from your average portable Bluetooth speaker—in performance, size, and price. You could call it our ultra-upgrade pick, and it’s great for a variety of listeners, from the person who wants to fill their backyard with music for a pool party to the audio aficionado who wants a portable speaker with sound quality approaching that of a decent stereo system.

It plays very loud. In our tests, the Hyperboom maxed out at 99.1 dB—almost 8 decibels louder than the W-King X10. That’s enough volume for a big pool party. “For picnics or group workout sessions in the park, this is ideal,” one of our panelists said.

It performs more like two good stereo speakers in one box. With two tweeters (to reproduce the higher-frequency sounds), two woofers (for the lower-frequency sounds), and two passive radiators (to further help with bass reproduction), this speaker produces the kind of clear, robust sound we’re used to hearing from a good small stereo system.

The Hyperboom also incorporates an Adaptive EQ feature, which Ultimate Ears says will adapt the sound to suit the surroundings. During our tests indoors, Adaptive EQ sometimes made the sound a little too bassy, but outdoors it worked great. Ultimate Ears also offers an app with special sound modes and a manual EQ function for tuning the sound.

Along with a standard analog audio input, the Hyperboom has an optical digital audio input, so you could connect it to your TV. Photo: Michael Hession

It has an optical digital audio input. This rare inclusion on portable speakers makes it easy for you to connect the speaker to a TV set for louder, fuller sound. (In this case, though, you have to control the volume on the Hyperboom, rather than on the TV.) A top-mounted ring switch lets you choose between two Bluetooth sources and select the optical or analog input. Through the app, you can connect this speaker to any number of additional Hyperboom units, as well as any speakers from the Ultimate Ears Boom and Megaboom lines.

It’s heavy and big. The Hyperboom weighs 16.6 pounds and measures 14.3 inches high, but its rear-mounted retractable rubber handle makes it pretty easy to lug around. It has a rated battery life of 24 hours; we got 27.5 hours with it running at 81 dB, or 6 decibels louder than the other speakers. We measured its Bluetooth range at 110 feet, but getting Bluetooth at that length sometimes required us to turn the Hyperboom in a particular direction.

It has a proprietary charger. If you take the speaker along on your vacation for more than a day or two, you’ll have to remember to bring the charger with you. It lacks a speakerphone function, and it’s only IPX4-rated, which means it’s splash resistant but not waterproof or dustproof.

If you want a powerful portable speaker with Wi-Fi and smart-speaker functions (and don’t mind paying a premium): The Brane X is about 50% more expensive than our also-great pick, the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom, but it’s half the size, offers similar sound quality and maximum volume, and includes many more features. In addition to Bluetooth, it has onboard microphones that allow it to work as an Amazon Alexa device. It can stream many services directly through Wi-Fi, including Spotify, Pandora, Prime Music, TuneIn Radio, and iHeart. It’s IP57 rated, so it’s better armed against the elements than the Hyperboom. It requires a separate AC adapter for charging, and in our tests it typically ran for 11.25 hours on a charge.

If you want bigger, fuller sound than our picks offer, in a midsize package: The Tribit StormBox Blast is the best value if sound quality and volume are most important to you, and if you don’t mind lugging around a 12-pound speaker. This affordably priced speaker provides excellent sound quality, and it plays about 5 decibels louder than the W-King X10.

If you want smart-speaker functions or a speaker that works with a Sonos system: The Sonos Roam is technically a portable Bluetooth speaker, with a travel-friendly, IP67-rated design—but it’s so much more. It offers Wi-Fi support and can join a Sonos S2 multiroom speaker system, automatically reconnecting to your Wi-Fi when you bring it home from an outing. It also works as an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant smart speaker, and any content you stream to the Roam from a Bluetooth source can beam to the rest of a Sonos system. On top of all that, the Roam sounds smoother and more natural than any small Bluetooth speaker we’ve tried. As you can read in our first look at the Roam, the downsides are a roughly six-hour battery life and a high price.

If you want the least-expensive portable Bluetooth speaker that still sounds decent: The Punkwolf D68F sounds fuller and more natural, and plays louder (an impressive 84 dB), than any other under-$25 Bluetooth speaker we’ve tried. Plus it has cool-looking internal lights that can be switched off, and it even offers stereo pairing. This speaker is also sold under the Rofall brand on Amazon, but other than the Rofall model being silkscreened “PUNK WOLF” instead of “PUNKWOLF,” we found no difference between the two.

If you want a speaker for your bike: The JBL Wind 3 includes a mount that lets you attach it quickly and securely to handlebars. It also has a simple FM radio and an SD card slot for playback of downloaded or ripped tunes. It’s surprisingly satisfying to cruise around town with this speaker playing.

At the CES 2024 trade show, JBL introduced numerous portable Bluetooth speakers. Most relevant to this guide are the Xtreme 4 ($380), the Clip 5 ($80), and the Go 4 ($50). All three feature Auracast, a new technology that allows Bluetooth streaming to multiple speakers—and also allows one speaker to tune in to multiple Bluetooth streams. The speakers are made from recycled plastic and fabric. The Xtreme 4 features a replaceable battery, so you can carry multiple batteries to get longer run time or replace a battery that’s nearing the end of its useful life.

JBL also announced two additions to its high-powered PartyBox line, the PartyBox Stage 320 ($600) and PartyBox Club 120 ($400). Both feature a replaceable battery, and the Stage 320 includes Auracast. Also in the lineup is the new PartyBox Wireless Mic ($150 for two), which JBL says is compatible with all PartyBox speakers.

EarFun showed its largest portable Bluetooth speaker yet, the UBoom X ($180), which measures nearly 16 inches long.

Soundcore launched the Boom 2 ($130), a new version of its Motion Boom speaker with a higher power rating and a floating design.

We’ve reviewed hundreds of Bluetooth speakers for this guide. Below are capsule descriptions of some of the models that might be of most interest to Wirecutter readers. If you don’t see a certain model you’re interested in, check out our running list of portable Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested.

The Avantree BTSP-850 is an especially affordable and versatile Bluetooth speaker, offering SD card playback and FM radio (with stations tunable by number or auto-programmed). In our tests, it had hardly any bass and didn’t play loud, but as a system for light background music in a cubicle or office, it’s a good choice.

The EarFun UBoom L is a former runner-up pick, but we prefer the more portable design and somewhat clearer sound of the Soundcore Motion 300.

Most people won’t need something as big or loud as the JBL PartyBox 110 and PartyBox Encore Essential, but they’re both very good-sounding, muscular speakers that are great for pool parties and tailgating, and can also be used as instrument and/or microphone amplifiers for performance. The PartyBox 110, in particular, plays loud enough for even the wildest pool party, and it has separate microphone and instrument inputs. The PartyBox Encore Essential is about half the size and doesn’t play as loud, and it has just one microphone input (which can be used for instruments, though).

By a small margin, the Marshall Willen is the best sounding speaker of the ultra-portable Bluetooth models we’ve tested, but it typically costs more than twice as much as—and plays only slightly louder than—the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 (see below)n.

The Skullcandy Terrain sounds fairly full, although its internal limiter thins the bass out when the speaker is turned up. If you want a decent-sounding, nice-looking speaker for about $50, it’s a solid choice.

The Sony SRS-XG300 (a former upgrade pick) is a great-sounding speaker with a cool design, but the W-King X10 sounds as good and plays a little louder for a much lower price.

The upward-firing “immersive” speaker in the Soundcore Motion x600 sounds crude and excessively bright. The speaker sounds pretty good when the immersive sound is turned off, although it needs more bass. When the bass boost is activated, the bass tends to distort.

The Sway MagBoom is the only one of the many golf-ball-sized portable speakers that we consider worth buying. It sounds surprisingly full, plays reasonably loud, and has a magnetic base for attaching to phones, appliances, and other surfaces.

The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is great for lightweight traveling, with a compact design and a rubbery strap that attaches it to poles and straps. It sounds much like the Tribit XSound Go, but it costs more.

The Tronsmart Bang Max delivers the most decibels per dollar (100.2 dB) of any large portable Bluetooth speaker we’ve found. It sounds less smooth and you can hear more bass in the midrange than the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom, but for outdoor parties, it might be better. As one of our listeners said, “I’d prefer the UE for indoor listening and the Tronsmart speaker for dancing or playing music by the pool.”

The Ultimate Ears Epicboom is like a bigger, more advanced version of our top pick, the Wonderboom 3. But despite its size and fairly high price, it has a rather trebly sound that didn’t appeal to us.

The Zvox AccuVoice AV70 has a voice-boosting mode that, as with other Zvox models, does a nice job of making voices sound clearer for those with hearing-health issues. It can’t match the volume or bass output of our top picks, though.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.

Can I connect multiple Bluetooth speakers?

Many portable Bluetooth speakers can pair for stereo operation, with one speaker playing sound from the left stereo channel and the other playing from the right channel. Some offer the option of mono pairing, which plays the same sound from both speakers; this feature lets you play sound in two different rooms. Note that both speakers must be within range of a Bluetooth signal.

How can I reset my portable Bluetooth speaker?

Most portable Bluetooth speakers can be reset, which restores the factory control settings and erases any previous Bluetooth connections from memory. Many speakers have a tiny reset button, often placed near the charging jack and sometimes hidden behind a rubber jack cover. Usually, pressing this button for a few seconds with a slim object, such as a toothpick or an unfolded paper clip, resets the speaker; sometimes the button is hidden inside a tiny hole. Other speakers allow you to reset them by pressing the control buttons in a certain way, such as holding down the power and volume-down buttons simultaneously for 10 seconds. Some speakers that you control through a dedicated smartphone app let you reset them through the app. Consult your speaker’s operating manual to find its reset procedure.

How waterproof are most waterproof Bluetooth speakers?

Many portable Bluetooth speakers offer some degree of moisture resistance, a characteristic that is rated according to the IP (Ingress Protection) standard. You’ll see ratings such as “IP67” or “IPx4”; the second digit indicates the moisture resistance. A rating of 7, the best moisture resistance currently available in a portable Bluetooth speaker, indicates that the speaker can be submerged in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes without damage. A rating of 4 means that the item is splashproof. For more, see this complete list of IP ratings.

Meet your guide

Brent Butterworth

Brent Butterworth is a senior staff writer covering audio and musical instruments at Wirecutter. Since 1989, he has served as an editor or writer on audio-focused websites and magazines such as Home Theater, Sound & Vision, and SoundStage. He regularly gigs on double bass with various jazz groups, and his self-produced album Take2 rose as high as number three on the Roots Music Report jazz album chart.

Further reading

  • The best outdoor speaker, the OSD Audio AP650, shown mounted to a wooden post outdoors.

    The Best Outdoor Speakers

    by Brent Butterworth

    The OSD Audio AP650 is the best all-around choice in a passive outdoor speaker because it sounds great and has a rugged, sealed design with a versatile mount.

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