The 5 Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers of 2023

We've completed another round of testing, and most of our picks remain the same. But we do have a new upgrade pick: the W-King X10.

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.

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

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

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

To give readers a full picture of the category, we tested models priced as low as $15 and as high as $500.

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 But it's a little chunky, and it uses an outdated Micro-USB port for charging.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.

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The UBoom L offers good sound quality, solid durability, and USB-C charging. But our testers liked the sound and design of our top pick more.

If the Wonderboom 3's lack of USB-C charging is a dealbreaker for you, the EarFun UBoom L costs less and adds a USB-C charging jack. It has a little more bass and plays a bit louder than the Wonderboom 3, but our panelists preferred the latter for its slightly clearer sound with voices. Thanks to this EarFun model's USB-C charging, anyone who has USB-C–equipped mobile devices won't have to carry an extra charging cable for the speaker when they travel, and the UBoom L can run for about 10.5 hours on a charge.

This speaker is IP67-rated, so it can withstand dust and immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. The design is pretty standard stuff, though, and the speaker is available only in black.

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.

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.

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.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

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.

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.

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 UBoom L offers good sound quality, solid durability, and USB-C charging. But our testers liked the sound and design of our top pick more.

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.

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.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

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.

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.

The choice between a smart speaker and a Bluetooth speaker depends on your lifestyle and your listening habits.

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:

Klipsch's The One II Bluetooth speaker is a great way to get full, satisfying sound in the home with no need for complicated setup or special apps.

The Sonos multiroom music platform offers great-sounding speakers, supports the widest variety of streaming services, and is easy to set up and use.

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

What are the different Bluetooth audio codecs and how much do they affect a device's sound quality? (Hint: Not as much as you might think.)

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.

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:

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 379 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.

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.

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.

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.

The UBoom L offers good sound quality, solid durability, and USB-C charging. But our testers liked the sound and design of our top pick more.

For some people, the EarFun UBoom L may be a more practical alternative to the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3. It has a somewhat fuller sound with a bit more bass, and it uses the more common USB-C charging jack—so if you own a USB-C–equipped mobile device, you don't have to bring along an extra charging cable for this speaker. However, our panelists preferred the Wonderboom 3's sound and styling.

It offers more bass output than our top pick. If your tastes turn to hip-hop, R&B, or heavy rock, you’re likely to prefer the UBoom L's bass performance over that of our top pick—provided that you choose this model's Indoor listening mode and turn the volume down a notch or two. During our tests, when it was in Outdoor mode or set for maximum volume, it sounded harsh. Our listeners generally (but only slightly) preferred the sound of the Wonderboom 3 overall. With the UBoom L's volume set where we liked it best, the two speakers hit about the same max volume.

It adds a 3.5 mm analog input. This connector lets you plug in external audio sources that lack Bluetooth support. Plus, the speaker offers a useful Video mode that can reduce lip-sync errors when you’re watching YouTube videos, though the results will depend on the device you’re using. And you can pair two UBoom L units for stereo audio.

Like the Wonderboom 3, the UBoom L is IP67 rated, which means it's dustproof and waterproof and can stand immersion in up to 1 meter of water.

Its Bluetooth range is excellent. We measured the range at 125 feet through one window, one of the best results in our tests. Its battery life was adequate, though less than we expected, at 10.5 hours in our tests. (EarFun claims 16 hours.)

It has a speakerphone function. However, while my conversation partner's voice sounded clear on my end, they said the UBoom L's microphone made my voice sound "thin and harsh."

The UBoom L's oblong form is tasteful, but it's unlikely to attract attention, especially since it's available only in black. A full set of controls resides on top.

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.

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.

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.

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.

*At the time of publishing, the price was $37.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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 OontZ Angle Solo sells for the price of a cheap T-shirt but sounds surprisingly good. It has almost no bass, but voices sound clear and natural, so it's great for podcasts and lighter music. It's also conveniently small and IPX5-rated.

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.

If you want yard-filling volume with plenty of bass: In our tests, the JBL PartyBox 110 sounded a little louder and fuller than the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom, but at 23.8 pounds and 22.75 inches tall, it's a lot to lug. Input jacks and level controls for a guitar and microphone make this speaker suitable for casual DJing and musical performances, too. The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential is similar but about half the size, two-thirds the price, and 4 decibels less powerful.

At a CES 2023 trade show demo, the 7.7-pound Brane X speaker put out the kind of deep, clear, powerful bass we usually expect to hear from a good small subwoofer—and for an all-in-one speaker, it produced surprisingly spacious stereo sound. It includes Bluetooth, Apple AirPlay, and Amazon Alexa support. We plan to test it when it becomes available.

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 Anker Soundcore Flare 2 is similar in sound quality to the EarFun UBoom L, but we prefer the UBoom L's more portable design.

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.

Our panelists said that the House of Marley Get Together 2 was one of the best speakers they had heard, with sound that reminded them of a good desktop stereo speaker system. But they didn't think its bulky, bamboo-faced chassis made sense for portable use.

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.

The Philips S7505 sounded smoother and more natural than many competitors in our tests, but it couldn't match their bass performance. As such, it might be a good buy for anyone whose tastes lean toward jazz, folk, light classical, or vocal music.

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 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.

Thanks to a relatively slim design, the Tozo PA1 should slip more easily into a suitcase than the EarFun UBoom L, although it doesn't handle deep bass quite as well as the UBoom L does.

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.

Our panelists really liked the Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3 for its features and rugged design, but we preferred the fuller sound of the W-King X10.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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