David Carnoy/CNET

Anker’s original Soundcore Motion Boom speaker (see below) has been on this list for a while and is still a decent value at a little more than $100. But the new-for-2022 Motion Boom Plus is significantly improved, particularly in terms of sound quality. It’s easily one of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2023. 

Weighing 5.29 pounds (almost a pound more than the Motion Boom), it uses Bluetooth 5.3 and is equipped with upgraded dual 3.5-inch woofers and newly added dual 1-inch tweeters, delivering up to 80 watts of audio output (60W for the woofers and 20W for the tweeters). Battery life is rated for 20 hours at moderate volume levels. It’s also IP67 waterproof and dust-proof and floats if you happen to drop it in a body of water.

I was impressed with the sound quality, which measures up well against a few more expensive — and some larger — speakers on this list. You can tweak the sound profile (with EQ settings) and upgrade the speaker’s firmware in Anker’s Soundcore companion app for iOS and Android. There’s a button on the speaker to activate bass boost. I tended to go with the bass boost engaged and found that the speaker delivers full sound with good clarity in the mids and highs and good bass definition. For its size, the speaker is able to put out a lot of sound and mostly manages to avoid distorting at higher volumes (I tended to keep the volume in the 50%-to-75% range).

If you’re sitting within a few feet of the speaker, there’s a bit of stereo separation. But if you really want to improve the sound quality, you can wirelessly pair two Soundcore Motion Boom Plus speakers to create a real stereo pair. It’s currently selling for $180 at Amazon, but you can save $20 by activating the instant coupon on the product page. 

David Carnoy/CNET

When the SoundLink Flex speaker launched, Bose made some bold claims about its new Bluetooth speaker, particularly its extra bass performance. But it mostly lives up to the hype and arguably is the best-sounding wireless speaker for its compact size. Available in three color options — black, white smoke and stone blue (pictured) — it’s equipped with Bose’s PositionIQ technology to automatically detect the speaker’s orientation and deliver optimized sound based on whether it’s upright, hanging or flat on its back.

The speaker is IP67 dust-proof and waterproof, and rated for 12 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. The Flex also floats and Bose says it can survive drops and bumps, with a soft silicone back and powder-coated steel grille that “won’t peel or flake and is resistant to corrosion and UV light.”

Bose’s SoundLink Micro also delivers impressive sound for its tiny size and this speaker is bigger, weighing just over a pound (0.45 kg) and measuring 7.9 inches wide, 2.1 inches deep and 3.6 inches high (20 by 5.3 by 9.1 centimeters), so it sounds significantly better than the Micro. For some reason, it uses the older Bluetooth 4.2 instead of 5.0, but I didn’t have any problems with connectivity.

Bose says it can fill a living room with sound. From my tests, I’d say it would have to be a relatively small living room — a single speaker can only output so much sound. However, if you pair two of them together in stereo mode, the sound gets to a whole other level and indeed fills a larger room.

David Carnoy/CNET

Back in 2020, Tribit released the StormBox Micro, a budget version of Bose’s excellent SoundLink Micro speaker that delivered surprisingly good sound for its size and modest price. Now we get the StormBox Micro 2, which offers improved sound and battery life, along with a charge-out feature that turns the speaker into a power bank for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. An integrated strap allows you to clip it to your backpack or your bike’s handlebars.

Like the original, it’s an excellent value and easy to recommend if you’re looking for a supercompact portable wireless speaker.

David Carnoy/CNET

David Carnoy/CNET

With each new version of the Flip, JBL makes small improvements and while the Flip 6 doesn’t look much different from the Flip 5 on the outside, it does feature improved sound. It has two-way drivers with a woofer and tweeter and dual passive radiators that help the Flip 6 deliver much deeper bass than you’d think it could. 

It’s fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IPX67 rating. Like the Flip 5, it’s rated for up 12 hours of audio playback at moderate volume levels and charges via USB-C. Available in multiple color options, it’s one of the best-sounding speakers for its compact size.

Sony

I’ve long been a fan of Sony’s smallest Bluetooth speaker, which has been modestly upgraded for 2021 with some design refinements and slightly improved sound. This portable Bluetooth speaker is both dust- and waterproof with an IP67 certification and is rated for 16 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels (it has USB-C charging while the older XB12 didn’t). The speaker plays bigger than you’d think for its small size, with some punch to its bass, but it can only output so much sound — yes, it has its limitations. If you add a second XB13, you can get stereo sound. 

The XB13 is available in multiple color options and includes a strap so you can attach it to various objects. It also has speakerphone capabilities with an integrated microphone. It lists for $60, but is sporadically discounted. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

David Carnoy/CNET

JBL’s Charge 5 offers a good balance of size, performance and durability. It’s bigger than some of the mini speakers on this list, like the Flip 5, but is still compact and packs more bass punch and overall volume. Featuring a built-in USB charging port for juicing up your mobile devices, it offers improved audio and a dust-proof and waterproof design that’s elevated from the previous Charge. According to JBL, the speaker is equipped with a “racetrack-shaped driver,” with a separate tweeter and dual passive radiators, to improve both clarity and bass performance over the Charge 4. (In my tests, this indeed proved to be the case.) 

Battery life is rated at 20 hours at moderate volume levels. This model is also equipped with JBL’s PartyBoost feature that allows you to connect it to other compatible JBL portable speakers to augment their sound. The Charge 5 comes in six color options: black, blue, gray, red, teal and “squad” (which looks like a kind of camo).

Sarah Tew/CNET

Bose

David Carnoy/CNET

Sarah Tew/CNET

David Carnoy/CNET

Released in 2021, JBL’s PartyBox 110 packs some serious punch and delivers bigger sound than some of the portable boom box speakers on this list, including JBL’s own Boombox 2. There’s an integrated handle for toting the speaker, but the PartyBox 110 is pretty hefty, weighing in at 23 pounds and measuring slightly more than 22 inches tall. You can put it up vertically as shown in the picture above or place it horizontally, as it has rubber feet on both sides of the speaker.

It’s rated for up to 12 hours of playback time at moderate volume levels and has a redesigned light show that syncs to the beat of your music — you can customize the light show from the speaker itself or use the JBL PartyBox companion app. 

The speaker has Bluetooth or a wired USB connection and there are guitar and mic inputs. It’s also worth noting that speaker is IPX4 splash-proof and you can wirelessly link two PartyBox 110 speakers together for stereo sound. I didn’t test the stereo mode, but I was impressed with the sound of a single PartyBox 110 — it puts out lots of well-defined bass with good overall clarity in the highs and mids — and I suspect that pairing two of these together would be pretty awesome. 

I also liked how the speaker has no external AC adapter brick and only requires a cord for charging (the power adapter is in the speaker). For longer parties during which you’re really cranking the tunes, you’d want to plug the speaker in if possible. But it does deliver enough volume to fill a spacious living room with sound and also plays loud enough for a small pool or beach party. 

The PartyBox 710 ($800) is a massive party speaker that has integrated wheels and requires a power source to operate; it does not have an integrated rechargeable battery. This is your best bet if you want a portable speaker that can deliver big, quality sound and operates on battery power. To be clear, this offers bigger and better sound than the JBL Boombox 2 — but it is harder to carry around.

David Carnoy/CNET

David Carnoy/CNET

Sarah Tew/CNET

Tribit’s StormBox speaker looks like a cross between a UE and a JBL speaker. We suspect that’s not an accident. This fully waterproof speaker costs about significantly less than the JBL Flip 5 and Flip 6 and produces bigger sound. Its rechargeable battery offers up to 20 hours of battery life for playing music and more. Tribit’s XSound speakers are probably a better value, but the StormBox is more stylish.

David Carnoy/CNET

Marshall’s little mono Willen speaker is similar to Bose’s SoundLink Micro and other micro speakers like the Tribit StormBox Micro 2. Also like those speakers, it also has an integrated strap on its base so you can clip it onto a backpack or a bike handlebar for that matter. Its 2-inch full range driver and two passive radiators put out more sound than you’d think it would for its tiny size and offer decent clarity as well just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny (you can choose from three preset sound modes). 

Battery life is good at around 15 hours of playback time at moderate volume levels and the speaker is IPX67 dust-proof and waterproof. The main strike against it is its price — it would ideally cost around $80. But it’s nicely designed, feels rugged and fits in a jacket pocket, weighing in it at 0.68 pound (308 grams).

The Willen can be stood up vertically or laid down horizontally and has a built-in microphone for speakerphone calls. It comes in a couple of color options and can be linked wirelessly with other Willen speakers to augment the sound.

David Carnoy/CNET

Last year Bang & Olufsen upgraded its dome-shaped aluminum-clad A1 speaker with improved battery life, better speakerphone performance (it now has a three-microphone array) and slightly improved sound. It’s not only the smallest wireless speaker from the Danish company, it’s technically the most affordable.

While the speaker drivers remain the same, the Qualcomm chipset that powers the speaker has been upgraded (the speaker uses Bluetooth 5.1), bumping the sound quality a tad, particularly at higher volumes, with better digital signal processing. It remains one of the best-sounding mini Bluetooth speakers, with richer, more tonally balanced sound than other Bluetooth speakers its size — and it should sound good, considering its elevated price.

It’s also worth noting that the A1 has multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect this to your PC and smartphone at the same time and easily switch back and forth between the two if a call comes in on your phone. Additionally, the smart speaker is Alexa-enabled, meaning you can activate Amazon’s voice assistant by just saying, “Alexa.” 

Battery life is rated at up to 18 hours at 50% volume (the earlier A1 didn’t live up to its battery life claims but this number is more accurate) and if you can afford it, you can link two A1 speakers to create a stereo pair. The speaker is waterproof with an IP67 rating, which means it can be submerged briefly in shallow water.

David Carnoy/CNET

Over the last few years, Tribit has made several Bluetooth speakers that deliver a lot of boom for the buck. Add its new XSound Mega to the list.

Tribit is billing the XSound Mega as more of an outdoor speaker — a lanyard is included for toting it around as a sort of mini boom box — but it works just fine indoors. It has an LED light show that you can turn on or off and there are three EQ settings for sound: XBass, Music and Audiobook. Additionally, it can be used as a power bank to charge your mobile devices.

In my tests, the speaker compared pretty favorably with more expensive speakers like the JBL Charge 5. There’s plenty of bass and the speaker plays loud for its size, with decent clarity. That said, it’s a mono speaker with a single driver and two bass radiators — that’s how you get all that bass. So while you can expect big sound, the soundstage doesn’t feel all that wide, particularly at lower volumes. It actually sounds better at higher volumes.

David Carnoy/CNET

The JBL Bluetooth speaker that received the biggest improvements for 2021 is among the company’s smallest. The JBL Go 3 has a completely new look — it’s now covered in durable fabric instead of having the naked plastic design of its Go predecessors — and that new design coupled with surprisingly decent sound for its small size makes the Go 3 one of the top micro Bluetooth speakers out there.

Available in multiple colors, this pick from our list of best Bluetooth speakers has an IP67 water-resistance rating (it can be dunked in water and is dust-proof). Battery life is rated at up to 5 hours.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Although a little pricey and due to be upgraded, the Bose SoundLink Micro sounds remarkably decent for its tiny size, delivering more bass than other pocketable speakers. It’s a fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker and available in three color options, although the blue version appears to be hard to find. 

While this model is truly pocket-size — and that’s certainly an appealing feature — the bigger but still compact SoundLink Flex sounds significantly better and is also the better value though it costs more.

David Carnoy/CNET

We liked Ultimate Ears’ Wonderboom 2 and the third-generation model, the Wonderboom 3, offers some small improvements, including slightly better battery life (up to 14 hours instead of 13 at moderate volume levels) and a new Bluetooth chip that allows for extended wireless range of 131.2 feet (40 meters). The design has not changed though the speaker now comes in different color options.

Like its predecessor, the Wonderboom 3 carries a list price of $100 but sometimes sells for a little less. Its IP67 rating that means that it’s not only waterproof but also dust-proof (and able to float).

This model retains the special Outdoor Boost mode that boosts treble and you can link two together (or pair a Wonderboom 3 to a Wonderboom 2) to create a stereo sound pairing by simply pressing a button on each speaker. As far As I can tell, the Wonderboom 3 sounds very similar to the Wonderboom 2 and features very good sound for its small size.That said, while there’s some punch to the bass (being short yet squat helps it produce more low end), it can only delivers so much kick. 

Alas, Ultimate Ears, which is owned by Logitech, has not upgraded the charging port to USB-C. The speaker still charges with a micro-USB cable, which is a bit of a bummer.

When choosing a Bluetooth speaker, what it really comes down to is size and price. If you’re looking for a very portable speaker, you’ll want to get something very compact, but remember that smaller speakers usually produce less sound and bass than larger ones. So while there are plenty of mini Bluetooth speakers that deliver bigger sound than you might expect, they do have their sonic limitations. For a lot of people it’s a question of finding a speaker that’s not too big or too small — one that travels well but also is capable of producing good sound for its size. But finding the best portable Bluetooth speaker also comes down to your budget.

Price can be a limiting factor. You may not want to spend $150 or more for a small speaker. Luckily, there are plenty of good options for $100, and some decent mini Bluetooth speakers can cost less than $50. Also, certain “value” brands that sell primarily on Amazon are strongly worth considering because they do offer a lot for the money.

If you’re looking for the best sound quality, as I said, bigger is usually better, and some larger portable Bluetooth speakers — sometimes referred to as Bluetooth boom boxes — can put out a lot of sound and have an integrated handle for toting them around.

Well, first of all, you need a TV, video streaming device or set-top cable or satellite box that has Bluetooth. You connect a Bluetooth speaker just like you do Bluetooth earbuds: through the Bluetooth settings menu on your TV or those aforementioned devices (Apple TV, for instance, has Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to connect your AirPods). 

The only issue with connecting a Bluetooth speaker to your TV is that there can be some audio-video syncing issues due to Bluetooth lag. In some cases, where your Bluetooth speaker has an audio input (a few high-end Bluetooth speakers even have digital audio inputs), you can use a wired connection to the speaker via the audio outputs on your TV. 

Soundbars tend to use the optical or HDMI connection on your TV to get sound. Many soundbars have a Bluetooth option so you can wirelessly stream music from your phone to the soundbar.

The loudest Bluetooth speakers are the biggest ones. Sometimes they’re referred to as boom boxes or “party” speakers. Some of those speakers are portable and have built-in rechargeable batteries while the biggest party speakers literally have wheels on them for transport and need to be plugged in with an AC adapter because they require so much power. 

We have a list of best wireless boom box speakers if you’re looking for a bigger Bluetooth speaker. It’s also worth noting that Bluetooth speakers from the same company can be daisy-chained together to augment their sound or paired together as a left-right stereo pair. Often, the best way to get bigger sound is to pair two Bluetooth speakers together in a stereo pair.