Best portable wireless Bluetooth speakers this year
Bluetooth speakers are amazing devices! They range wildly in sizes, shapes, colors and prices. With batteries that last many hours they’re great to bring on a camping trip or just to enjoy some music in your back yard. The market is flooded with hundreds of models so picking one can overwhelming. That’s why we’ve selected the best portable Bluetooth speakers available right now and separated them into three price categories. We have tiny speakers, small speakers and even ones that can barely be called portable,
So, which Bluetooth speaker should you buy if you had to shop today? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons for each one of them right below.
The best wireless Bluetooth speakers, a summarized list:
Bluetooth speakers for $100 or less:
- JBL Clip 3
- UE Wonderboom 2
- Bose Soundlink Micro
- Tribit XSound Go
- Anker Soundcore Flare 2
Bluetooth speakers from $100 to $200:
- UE Boom 3
- JBL Flip 5
- Beats Pill+
- Bose SoundLink Mini 2
- UE Megaboom
- Anker Soundcore Trance
- Braven BRV-XL
Bluetooth speakers for over $200:
- Marshall Kilburn 2
- JBL Boombox 2
- Sonos Move
- DiamondBoxx PA15
Bluetooth speakers for $100 or less
JBL Clip 3
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
The JBL Clip 3 is part of the ultra-portable Bluetooth speakers segment. It’s not powerful enough for a party at home, but you’ll often see it hanging from the backpack of someone rollerblading or snowboarding. Its IPX7 waterproof, small, and has a built-in carabiner, making it the perfect companion for outdoor activities.
Despite the compact body, this is still a JBL speaker, so expect to be pleasantly surprised when you hear it for the first time.
Buy JBL Clip 3 from Amazon.com
UE Wonderboom 2
Battery life: Up to 13 hours
Maybe more than anything, the Wonderboom 2 succeeds because of how reliable it is. It can survive a drop up to five feet, will safely float rather than sink to the bottom of a pool, and features like its multi-speaker mode are always easily accessible, without forcing users to download an extra app: you just take it with you, and the music follows. Plus, it just looks cute!
Buy UE Wonderboom 2 from Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Micro
Battery life: Up to 6 hours
Bose joins the small Bluetooth speaker fray with its SoundLink Micro. It also comes with an IPX7 rating for water resistance and is light enough to be clipped almost anywhere. Compared to the previous two speakers, however, the battery life is a bit short and won’t get you through a full day of hiking. Still, it’s a good choice for a compact Bluetooth speaker from a reputable brand.
Buy Bose Soundlink Micro from Amazon.com
Tribit XSound Go
Battery life: Up to 24 hours
The Tribit XSound Go is undoubtedly inspired by the Beats Pill, but it comes at a much lower price, making it very enticing. It’s specs aren’t shabby at all, however! Two 6W drivers, waterproof just like the rest so far and a full day of battery life if you’re not cranking up the volume too much. But you might want to do that since the XSound Go is managing to keep its sound distortion-free even at higher volume levels. If you’re looking for the ultimate value Bluetooth speaker, the Tribit XSound Go is hard to beat.
Buy Tribit XSound Go from Amazon.com
Anker Soundcore Flare 2
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Time for something affordable that can provide a bit more powerful sound. Unlike the mini speakers, this one is designed with home parties in mind. It provides a 360-degrees sound, has improved bass capabilities and even some light effects at the base. You can pair tens of Flare 2 speakers to create an all-encompassing audio experience. The battery life is on the shorter side when it comes to Bluetooth speakers of that size, but it will get you through the night no problem.
Buy Anker Soundcore Flare 2 from Amazon.com
Bluetooth speakers from $100 to $200
UE Boom 3
Battery life: Up to 15 hours
The UE Boom 3 is another great option that is waterproof and shockproof. UE puts its speakers through rigorous testing you you can take it anywhere without much worry. While earlier, UE Boom speakers had support for Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant, it has now been revoked and this is just a regular speaker focused on great sound quality, but without smart assistance commands. In terms of sound quality, the UE Boom 3 is also excellent with crisp highs and mids, and an overall surprisingly powerful sound for its size.
Buy UE Boom 3 from Amazon.com
JBL Flip 5
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
The JBL Flip 5 is where great sound quality, cool design and great price meet. It’s the kind of speaker you’d be proud to whip out of your backpack and play some music for your friends. Unlike most other speakers, the Flip 5 comes with a Type C charging port which means you don’t need to carry an extra cable and can use your phone’s charger (unless it’s an iPhone, of course). It’s also just as durable as the best of them. Battery life is okay but not among the best and and unlike the Flip 4 (which is also a good, slightly cheaper option) it can’t be used for calls.
Buy JBL Flip 5 from Amazon.com
Beats Pill+
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
Now here’s something for the iPhone users of the world. Of course, the Beats Pill+ can be paired with Android phones as well, but it charges through a Lightning cable which makes it a lot more convenient for those part of the Apple ecosystem. The Pill+ packs a punch despite what its design might suggest. The sound is loud and clear and there’s even a decent amount of bass to go with it. Best of all, you don’t have to pay a hefty premium for this Beats product, the price of the Pill+ is in line with other products from its class.
Buy Beats Pill+ from Amazon.com
Bose SoundLink Mini II
Battery life: Up to 12 hours
The Bose SoundLink Mini 2 might have the most outdated look of them all, but it has absolutely stellar sound quality that beats the JBL Charge 3 and UE Boom 3 by a long shot. It has a more open sound stage, with much better defined sound in both highs and lows, and it has sufficient volume to fill a room nicely. It sounds exquisite, especially considering its rather small size. Unfortunately, it’s not the best partner for your outdoor activities as it’s lacking an IP rating.
Buy Bose SoundLink Mini II from Amazon.com
UE Megaboom 3
Battery life: Up to 20 hours
The UE Megaboom 3 is probably the most popular large Bluetooth speakers out there and for a good reason: it blasts powerful 360-degree sound, allows pairing two speakers to get even more boom and has a rock solid connection that it can keep at distances of up to 150 feet. If the regular Boom 3 isn’t good enough for your purposes then the Megaboom 3 will surely be able to deliver.
Buy UE Megaboom 3 from Amazon.com
Anker Soundcore Trance
Battery life: Up to 18 hours
The Soundcore Trance Bluetooth speaker is great for both house parties and outdoor ones, due to its huge 101dB sound, waterproof design and beat-driven LED lights. You can even use the Soundcore app to play party games involving the speaker, boost the bass, and more.
Buy Anker Soundcore Trance on Amazon.com
Braven BRV-XL
Battery life: Up to 16 hours
This Bluetooth speaker from Braven offers up to 16 hours of powerful (40W) music, and can also serve as a power bank for your phone at the same time. The Braven BRV-XL is rugged and waterproof, it even floats, so it’s great for both pool parties and camping trips. It has a convenient built-in handle, along with an optional shoulder strap. As a hidden party bonus, this speaker even comes with a built-in bottle opener.
Buy Braven BRV-XL on Amazon.com
Bluetooth speakers over $200
Marshall Kilburn II
Battery life: 20+ hours
The stylish-looking Marshall Kilburn will look great in any home with the recognizable Marshall design. But it’s not just about the visual appeal as it also boasts a very clear and loud sound output that will definitely have music enthusiasts happy. And while it’s bigger and heavier than most other speakers on the list, it does have a strap to carry it around so you can take your premium music experience anywhere and enjoy it for more than 20 hours. The price tag is a step above what we’ve looked at so far, but if it’s within your budget, you won’t regret getting the Kilburn II.
Buy Marshall Kilburn II from Amazon.com
JBL Boombox 2
Battery life: Up to 24 hours
With a boomy bass and an overall impressive sound quality, the large-sized JBL Boombox 2 is one more great big Bluetooth speaker. All speakers on this list can be used for an outdoor party but the Boombox 2 is probably the only one that can do it without any compromises. To top it off, you can also use this speaker’s 10,000mAh battery as a power bank to charge up your phone.
Buy JBL Boombox 2 from Amazon.com
Sonos Move
Battery life: Up to 10 hours
The Sonos Move will fill your room or even garden with loud and balanced sound that will impress your guests. The company’s traditions in audio tech have translated perfectly into this premium Bluetooth speaker and while it comes with a hefty price tag, it also has a lot to offer. The clean design will fit any contemporary living room nicely and if you need it somewhere else, just pick it up from the charging stand and place it wherever you feel like.
Buy Sonos Move from Amazon.com
DiamondBoxx PA15
Battery life: Up to 40 hours
Are the local nightclubs closed? No problem, you can create your own at home or anywhere else with the DiamondBoxx PA15. This giant 128dB Bluetooth speaker is said to be among the most powerful ones you can buy. It’s great for karaoke and DJ-ing, and it even comes with a guitar amplifier. For streaming your music, it supports Bluetooth, although you can also plug a USB stick or an SD card into it. As arguably the ultimate Bluetooth speaker out there, it does come with a heavy price to match its weight of 60 lbs.
Buy the DiamondBoxx PA15 on Amazon.com
Source: Phonearena
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