It's 2023 and portable Bluetooth speakers are a dime a dozen. They come in all different shapes and sizes, with different sound qualities and price points. But before actually buying a portable Bluetooth speaker, there are a lot of different factors that you should consider.
The great thing about a portable Bluetooth speaker is that it makes listening to music anywhere super easy. As long as you have a smartphone and a speaker that's charged, you listen to music in your home, the backyard, the park, the beach or even when riding your bike. It's no-fuss.
What to Look for
The Speaker brand: You’ve probably heard of all the speaker manufacturers on this list, which is a good thing. You want to trust that the speaker is not only going to sound good but also last. Many portable speakers on this list work with other like-branded speakers; for instance, you can pair two Ultimate Ears speakers together or two of Bose's SoundLink speakers together for more of a party (or multi-room) setup. So there is an advantage to sticking to one brand of speaker if you have that use case in mind.
Size and shape: Generally, the bigger the speaker, the louder and better it is going to sound. You also want to consider the shape and design of the speaker. The two most popular shapes these days are 360-degree (cylindrical) or mono-directional speakers. The 360-degree speakers are generally better when placed in the middle of a room while mono-directional speakers are better for stereo audio.
Ruggedness: All rugged speakers aren’t the same. And in order to know how water-resistant or drop-proof a speaker is, you really need to understand IP (Ingress Protection) ratings. The easy way to explain it is that the higher the IP rating of the speaker, the more water-resistant it is — an IP7-rated speaker is more durable than an IP4-rated speaker. You can check out how the IP ratings are explained here.
Voice Assistance: Some of the newer portable speakers have Wi-Fi connectivity and support a voice assistant, such as Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant. This allows you to use a speaker similar to an Amazon Echo or Google Home, using voice commands to request songs, answer general queries and control smart home devices. However, you’ll only be able to access the voice assistant when connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile hotspot.
Battery Life: Bigger speakers tend to have larger and longer-lasting batteries. That said, it varies from speaker to speaker. If you know you’re going to listen to the speaker a lot and you’re also going to have to go days between charges, these are things you should consider before purchasing a portable speaker.
Charge: Most of today’s portable speakers need a micro-USB cable to charge. However, there are some speakers that require a USB-C or AC cable to charge. Knowing what kind of cable might seem like a small thing, but it’s actually really convenient to be able to use the same cables to charge a few of your devices, like wireless headphones, your smartphone and computer.
How We Tested
We've been writing about and reviewing audio products — including speakers, headphones, earbuds and other audio components that run the gamut from consumer to hi-fi — for near-on a decade. We also work with major brands and talk to experts within the audio industry. We've had hands-on testing and experience with the vast majority of the below selections of portable Bluetooth speakers, but there are a few others from trusted within the audio space. We test each speaker for sound quality, portable, ruggedness and advanced features, such as customizable EQ and RGB lighting. Below are our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers of 2023.
Sony SRS-XB23
- Battery Life: 12 hours
- Weight: 1.28 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
The Sony SRS-XB23 has been around for a few years, but it's our pick for best all-around portable Bluetooth speaker because of its sound, price and simplicity. It has a cylindrical design, packs two new full-range drivers and a passive bass radiator, and sounds way bigger than you'd think.
It charges via USB-C, meaning you can charge it with the cables you likely already have. It has a convenient strap so that you can hang it on a chair or tree. It lacks the lighting strobes of the company’s larger speakers, SRS-XB33 ($150) and SRS-XB43 ($250), but that helps keep the price down and, honestly, most people probably don't want those anyway.
Sonos Roam
- Battery Life: 10 hours
- Weight: 0.95 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C and wireless base
The Sonos Roam is the company's small and rugged (IP67-rated) portable speaker, and it's the perfect option for anybody who has other Sonos speakers. It has both built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, similar to the Move, so you can integrate it into an existing Sonos home speaker system or take it outside and use it as a traditional Bluetooth speaker. It supports Alexa and Google Assistant when connected to Wi-Fi, so you can use it just like a Sonos One. And it features Automatic TruePlay so it'll sound good no matter where you're listening to it. It charges via USB-C or any Qi-wireless charging pad, too, which is pretty neat.
As of May 2022, Sonos has released the Roam in multiple colors in addition to black or white.
Sony SRS-XB13
- Battery Life: up to 16 hours
- Weight: 0.56 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
Released in 2021, the SRS-XB13 is the smallest portable Bluetooth speaker that Sony makes — it's about half the size of a soda can. It's the next-generation version of the SRS-XB12, which looked identical, but the SRS-XB13 now charges via USB-C and delivers true 360-degree sound.
It has a lanyard so you can easily attach the speaker to a backpack or golf bag. And it comes in a number of different colors so you can buy one to match your style. (If you're looking for more room-filling sound, we recommend spending a little more on Sony's SRS-XB23, which you can pick up for less than $100.)
Ultimate Ears Boom 3
- Battery Life: 15 hours
- Weight: 1.34 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
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Charging: micro-USB
The Ultimate Ears Boom 3 is still one of our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers you can buy. However, it was released in 2018 and, because it still charges via micro-USB, it definitely feels a bit dated.
The good news is that there's still a lot that's great about the Boom 3. It's a really pretty speaker, thanks to its unique two-toned outer fabric (and availability in a wide range of colors). It's really easy to use thanks to its extra large volume buttons and the “Magic Button” on top of the speaker for playback control. It's also a true 360-degree speaker, meaning you can place it centrally and every standing around will hear the same sound.
JBL Pulse 5
- Battery Life: up to 12 hours
- Weight: 3.3 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
Released in early 2023, the Pulse 5 is a mid-sized portable speaker that gets its name because it's built-in LED lights that "pulse" different colors as it plays music — it's kind of like a lava lamp and a speaker all in one. The speaker will naturally change colors, but you can customize them via JBL's companion or by pressing a bottom on its back (you can also turn the lights off if you like).
The speaker itself stands up straight and has a hard shell exterior, the latter of which makes it surprisingly heavy for its size, but also extremely rugged (and a little difficult to hold). As for sound, the speaker's dual drivers deliver a vibrant sound that gets pretty loud. Bottom line, this is a portable speaker that's meant to stand out rather than blend in.
JBL Flip 6
- Battery Life: up to 12 hours
- Weight: 1.21 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
Released in 2022, the sixth-generation Flip is an excellent little portable speaker. It's a front-firing speaker — which houses a two-way driver and dual passive radiators — that delivers room-filling sound.
The Flip 6 is fully waterproof (which is probably its biggest improvement over the previous Flip 5) and has an attached lanyard for easy carrying. It does work with a companion app, too, if you want to tweak the sound settings or stereo pair with another Flip 6. It's available in multiple colors.
Sony SRS-XE300
- Battery Life: up to 24 hours
- Weight: 2.87 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
Released in 2022, the SRS-XE300 is the middle-sized portable speaker in Sony's newer X-Series, which is designed to deliver less bass-heavy and more neutral sound when compared to the company's Extra Bass ("XB") line.
It's a good-sounding yet front-firing speaker, so you need to be listening to it head-on for the best possible sound. Additionally, it has a super-high IP67 rating and boasts one of the best battery lives (roughly 18 hours) or any speaker this size. Available in several different colors.
JBL Go 3
- Battery Life: up to 5 hours
- Weight: 0.46 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
The JBL Go 3 is one of our favorite ultra-portable speakers because it's super small and very durable — you can basically take it anywhere, throw it around and it'll sound work and sound great. Its attached lanyard is also great because it's easy to carry as well as hang on things.
The Go 3 charges via USB-C, which is great, but its 5-hour battery life is less than ideal. It's also worth noting that the Go 3 is a front-firing speaker, so it sounds best when the logo is facing you. Available in multiple colors.
Polaroid P3 Music Player
- Battery Life: up to 15 hours
- Weight: 3.28 pounds
- Water-resistance: N/A
- Charging: USB-C
Yes, Polaroid is now in the speaker market. The Polaroid P3 is one of four of the company's entry-level portable speakers — along with the P1 ($60), P2 ($130), P3 ($190) and P4 ($290) — and it's unique because of its boombox style design.
It sounds good and gets loud, but it's very much a front-firing speaker (unlike a lot of other portable Bluetooth speakers). It's well-built and a little bit on the heavy size. It's also pretty fun to use thanks to its volume wheel and circular LED display, which shows you the volume, battery life and even has a dancing graphic as you play music. It's a fun speaker that is often discounted.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3
- Battery Life: up to 14 hours
- Weight: 0.93 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: micro-USB
Released in the summer of 2022, the Wonderboom 3 is the company's new and improved ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s a true 360-degree speaker with a durable IP67 design — and yes, it floats if you throw it in water. You can stereo-pair it with another Wonderboom speaker. And it has an "Outdoor Boost" button on the bottom of the speaker, which essentially pumps up its bass.
Compared to its predecessor, the Wonderboom 2, the third-generation speaker has a slightly better battery life and improved Bluetooth range. Unfortunately, it still charges via micro-USB.
Sony SRS-XG300
- Battery Life: up to 25 hours
- Weight: 6.6 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
The Sony XG300 is one of Sony's newest portable Bluetooth speakers. It delivers big stereo sound and has RGB lighting — which you can customize in the company's Fiestable app — which is fun for parties.
It has a USB-C charging port, but also has an AUX jack (so you can music via a wired connection) and a USB-A port that you can use to charge your various other devices from the XG300. It has a really high IP67 rating, a retractable handle for easy carrying, and a near-all-day battery life.
Anker Soundcore 3
- Battery Life: up to 13 hours
- Weight: 0.81 pounds
- Water-resistance: IPX7
- Charging: USB-C
The Soundcore 3 is a compact portable speaker that's fully waterproof and simple to use. It's a front-firing speaker that charges via USB-C and comes with an optional lanyard (for easier carrying).
The best thing about this speaker, however, is that it has excellent battery life; it gets roughly 13 hours on a single charge.
Anker Soundcore Motion X600
- Battery Life: up to 12 hours
- Weight: 4.2 pounds
- Water-resistance: IPX7
- Charging: USB-C
Released midway through 2023, Anker's Soundcore Motion X600 is a unique portable Bluetooth speaker because it has a dedicated upward-firing driver. This helps the speaker sound a little bigger and more immersive than your standard mono or stereo (when its spatial audio mode is turned on). However, it's not that big of a game-changer in my opinion because it still doesn't support Dolby Atmos and the spatial audio mode doesn't make a night-and-day difference.
In my opinion, two cooler things about the Motion X600 are that it supports LDAC (so you can stream higher-resolution audio from a supported device, like an Android) and the fact that it has an aux port so you can hook it up to an analog source. Also, its boombox-style design makes it easy to carry from room to room or into the backyard.
Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth
- Battery Life: up to 12 hours
- Weight: 1.3 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
Released in late 2021, Bose's SoundLink Flex Bluetooth is the company's new affordable, rugged and ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker. It's really water-resistant and durable — IP67 rated — and it'll even float, in the event you drop it in the pool or tub. It lacks Wi-Fi connectivity, meaning there's no voice assistant, but you can sync it with other Bose speakers and soundbars that you have in your house (via a companion app) to give you the multi-room effect. It's available in three different colors: white (shown), black or teal.
Sonos Move
- Battery Life: up to 11 hours
- Weight: 6.61 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP56
- Charging: USB-C
The Move is Sonos’s first portable Bluetooth speaker and the best-sounding portable speaker on this list. In addition to being drop-resistant and IP56-rated, it also has built-in Wi-Fi and can work almost exactly like a Sonos One. When connected to Wi-Fi, it can play in a Sonos multi-room system and respond to either Alexa or Google Assistant voice commands. Unlike every other Sonos speaker before it, the Move has automatic Trueplay, meaning it automatically optimizes its sound for the space that it’s in.
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom
- Battery Life: up to 24 hours
- Weight: 13 pounds
- Water-resistance: IPX4
- Charging: USB-C
Released in 2020, the Hyperboom is Ultimate Ears’s biggest, loudest and “boomiest” portable speaker to date. It’s no small fry, either, weighing in at 13 pounds and reaching up to roughly a grown person’s knees. It’s a 270-degree, not a true 360-degree speaker, meaning it’s best placed in the corner of a room rather than the center. It’s also a Bluetooth-only speaker, (no Wi-Fi, like the Sonos Move and UE Megablast), so it can’t be used as a smart speaker. The Hyperboom is a speaker that’s designed for people looking for a versatile party speaker that can be carried around the house.
JBL Clip 4
- Battery Life: up to 10 hours
- Weight: 0.53 pounds
- Water-resistance: IP67
- Charging: USB-C
The Clip 4 is a fourth-generation ultra-portable speaker. It gets its name from its integrated carabiner, which makes it easy to attach the speaker to a bag or even a belt loop and listen to tunes. Compared to its predecessor, the Clip 4 has improved battery life, USB-C charging, and an even more rugged IP67 rating. Available in multiple colors.
New and Upcoming Speaker Releases
Our recommendations are based on real-world testing. Here's a snapshot of new and unreleased portable Bluetooth speakers our testers are considering for future updates to this guide.
• Victrola Music Edition 1 and Music Edition 2: The Music Edition 1 ($100) and Music Edition 2 ($200) are the first portable Bluetooth speakers by Victrola, the company best known for its budget-friendly turntables. Both speakers have striking designs made out of metal. They both have a pretty high IP67 water-resistance rating, and both charge via USB-C as well.
• Ikea Vappeby: Released in March 2023, the Vappeby is Ikea's smallest and most portable Bluetooth speaker to date. It costs just $15 and is fully waterproof with an IP67-rating.
• Marshall Middleton: Released in February 2023, the Middleton is the largest portable Bluetooth speaker that Marshall has ever made. It weighs four pounds, has an IP67 water-resistance rating and costs $300.
