Portable Bluetooth speakers still rock, but they definitely aren’t in vogue like they were a few years ago. But while it’s fun to ask a smart speaker like an Amazon Echo or Google Home to play your favorite track, offbeat band names and track titles can still trip them up. Those smart speakers also rely on stable Wi-Fi, and often aren’t portable or waterproofed for the outdoors.
Bluetooth speakers are usually always more versatile, more rugged, and more portable. For the past year, I’ve tested more than 35 different Bluetooth speakers and researched dozens more online—these are still some of the best devices I’ve had the pleasure of hearing.
Updated for fall 2019: I added the the new UE Wonderboom 2, Sonos Move, Marshall Stockwell II, and some excellent budget speakers from Tribit.
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Courtesy of Ultimate Ears
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Best Overall
UE Boom 3
There are bigger and badder Bluetooth speakers, but none match the fun and convenience of the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It puts out some of the most pleasant, balanced sound for its size. The waterproof cylinder comes in multiple colors, can last 15 hours between charges, and gives you 100 feet of Bluetooth range. On top of all that, it has a two-year warranty. If you really need to get a party kicking, the Megaboom 3 is a beefier model that amps up the bass.
Amazon
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Courtesy of Tribit
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Best Bargain
Tribit MaxSound Plus
Tribit isn’t speaker brand you may have heard of, but it’s line of Bluetooth speakers sound a lot better than they should for their price. The MaxSound Plus ($56) is my favorite model. It has dual forward-firing drivers and passive radiators in an 8-inch long pill shape. No, it can’t fuel a trance dance party on its own, but its sound clarity really impressed me and it has a fun extra bass button that adds some surprising thump. The extra bass is a little muddy, and sure, it looks a lot like a Beats Pill+, but it’s still fun.
With 15-20 hours of battery and an IPX7 waterproof rating (not dustproof, but I immersed it in water and it’s fine), it’s a great companion for some backyard tunes, a trip down the river, or a ton of other informal gatherings. If you don’t need the extra bass and want an even tinier 7-inch speaker, the XSound Go ($33) is similar and also puts out clean audio for its size.
Amazon
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Courtesy of Sonos
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Best for Home
Sonos Move
If you want a Bluetooth speaker that can fill any room (or patio), but lives a lot of its life inside, the Sonos Move (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a good speaker to build a home network around. Sonos invented wireless multi-room speakers. Its speakers connect to nearly every streaming service, and they work with Google Assistant or Alexa. They also sound amazing by every measure. Just know that the Move is primarily a wireless speaker that streams over your Wi-Fi network, but it also functions as a Bluetooth speaker when you take it outside, or anywhere away from Wi-Fi.
It comes with a wireless charging cradle for when it’s in the kitchen, and it’s splash resistant—I shot a hose at it, so it can get wet—for when it’s at the pool.
Amazon
