Best deals on Bluetooth speakers this week

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Opens in a new window) — $168.51 (List Price $199)
LG XBOOM Go PL5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker With LED Lighting (Opens in a new window) — $90.32 (List Price $99.99)
JBL Charge 5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Opens in a new window) — $139.95 (List Price $179.95)
Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Portable Speaker (Opens in a new window) — $129.00 (List Price $149)
JBL Flip 6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Opens in a new window) — $99.95 (List Price $129.95)

Using your smartphone or tablet's built-in speakers should only ever be a last resort if you want to listen to your favorite playlists on the go. Instead, you're going to want a great pair of headphones — or if you're more inclined to listen to your tunes out loud (or even with friends), a nice portable speaker. Plenty of portable Bluetooth speakers are high-quality, while also offering the flexibility of enhanced battery life and convenience. These are great for taking out with you while you're hiking, or simply for when you're traveling and you still want to listen to your tunes on the go.

But what should you look for when buying a portable Bluetooth speaker? We're here to help.

What type of sound quality do you need?

Will you be using your speakers solely for music? For podcasts? Maybe a bit of both? You should decide that now, because it will surely factor into what kind of speaker you end up getting — whether that's surround sound, Dolby Atmos, something for the great outdoors, or just plain old stereo (which is also great; don't feel pressured to get something super fancy and expensive if you don't really need it).

Not all speakers provide the same kind of sound quality, so it's important to know exactly the kind of listening experience you're looking to get before you make the purchase. Typically, smaller speakers are more portable, but their sound quality isn't quite as exceptional as a bigger device. Consider whether size or sound quality is more important to you.

What's the deal with wattage?

When you're shopping for a new speaker, you're going to see the word "wattage" often. While that might be meaningless to you when you see it on a product page, it's actually a pretty simple concept. Basically, wattage defines the limit of how loud your speaker can go without distorting the sound. Unless you enjoy really blasting your tunes or you regularly host parties, 50 watts is normally going to be more than enough for the average listener. But if you really like to crank it up to 11, the more watts, the merrier. While smaller portable Bluetooth speakers tend to have lower wattage, there are certainly some exceptions (which you'll see within our picks below).

How many speakers do you need to buy?

We always say that you should choose quality over quantity. Having one or two amazing speakers is going to get you better results than having multiple speakers that are just OK. Plus, having too many speakers around is just going to take up an unnecessary amount of space. If you have the room, we think two speakers maximum is the perfect number. Two speakers are especially ideal if you listen to a lot of music — music is normally recorded for a stereo setting, so having a left and right channel will do wonders for fidelity. And if you have a smaller space with good acoustics, one really good speaker should do the trick.

Does it need to be waterproof?

No, but it really can't hurt. Even if you're not planning on taking your speaker out by the pool during the summer, it's not out of the question that it could be a target for spills no matter where you have it in your home. It would be a shame if a rogue glass of water ended up being the demise of your brand-new speaker, so if you have the option to go waterproof, do it (unless you have your heart set on one that doesn't have that feature).

What are the best portable Bluetooth speakers?

If you're not much of an audiophile and want to step away from using your smartphone's built-in speaker, don't get too stressed over whether or not the bass is strong and the mids are crisp. Go with the form that suits you best, and you'll be satisfied regardless. Here are our top picks for the best portable Bluetooth speakers.

UE Wonderboom 2 (opens in a new tab)

Best For Activities

Credit: ultimate ears

Specs

Battery life: 13 hours
Waterproof: Yes
Voice assistant: No

Buying Options

$99.99 from Amazon

The UE Wonderboom 2(opens in a new tab) is a powerhouse for its size and price. It’s the perfect size for traveling — you can easily stick it in your bag without it taking up any real space — and it's rugged enough to endure the normal bumps and bruises that an active lifestyle brings with it. In fact, you can drop it from heights of up to five feet and have it survive. It’s also waterproof and floats if you drop it in water, and features a healthy 13 hours of battery life.

But the mark of a good speaker isn’t just how portable it is. What matters most is the sound — and again, the UE Wonderboom 2 performs, though it lacks the deep bass of some larger speakers. All in all though, it has excellent sound for its size.

Bose Soundlink Revolve (opens in a new tab)

Best Surround Sound

Credit: Bose

Specs

Battery life: 12 hours
Waterproof: Not completely, but water-resistant
Voice assistant: Yes

Buying Options

$219 from Amazon

This sleekly designed speaker is portable and offers true 360-degree surround sound, making for a great listening experience. The Bose SoundLink Revolve(opens in a new tab) can also be paired with a second speaker for stereo sound or integrated into a Bose audio system.

The speaker is easy to use and features a built-in mic that can be used to take phone calls or use your phone’s smart assistant. It also features a good battery life of 12 hours, though the charging dock must be purchased separately.

Sonos Move (opens in a new tab)

Best For Smart Homes

Credit: sonos

Specs

Battery life: 11 hours
Waterproof: No
Voice assistant: Yes

Buying Options

$399 from Sonos

This durable, battery-powered speaker is a great Bluetooth speaker for your home, especially if you want one you can move around with you, say from the pool area to your office to the dining room. The Sonos Move(opens in a new tab) is also strong enough to take the occasional drop or bump. WAnd while it is portable, it’s not the easiest to travel with over long distances, due to its weight and bulky size. The battery lasts up to 10 hours and comes with a charging base. You can also recharge it with a USB-C charger.

This speaker is also super easy to use: It’s quick to set up, easy to control through the Sonos app, and you can easily switch from WiFi to Bluetooth streaming when needed. It’s also weather-resistant and able to stand up to humidity, rain, snow, dust, sun rays, and salt.

Bose SoundLink Micro (opens in a new tab)

Best For Durability

Credit: Bose

Specs

Battery life: 6 hours
Waterproof: Yes
Voice assistant: Yes

Buying Options

$119 from Bose

The Bose SoundLink Micro(opens in a new tab) might lack the stylish looks of some of its competitors, but it offers excellent sound quality for the price. It's also bordering on indestructible, so it's perfect for taking out and about with you. It gets right to the point with a top-facing speaker and a micro USB charging port to the side, ensuring that tech novices will still know exactly how to use it.

Its small stature makes it far more travel-friendly than its rivals, proving easy to toss into your bag, and an included strap enables you to easily clip it to yourself or your luggage. The only real downside is it doesn't have full 360-degree sound due to the placement of its speaker, and its battery life is a little stingy at six hours.

Bang and Olufsen Beoplay P2 (opens in a new tab)

Best For Voice And Gesture Controls

Credit: bang and olufsen

Specs

Battery life: 10 hours
Waterproof: No
Voice assistant: Yes

Buying Options

$175 from Bang and Olufsen

A premium name in audio, Bang and Olufsen(opens in a new tab) has worked to create something a little different from the rest with its Beoplay P2. The Bluetooth speaker offers impressive performance in a small shell, and throws in some convenient gesture and voice controls for good measure.

The speaker looks far thinner than its rivals, but still provides high quality sound. The bass is powerful, if not quite as imposing as it sounds on larger devices, while the mids are well balanced and the lows are crisp. Some compensation may have been made for the size, but it's hardly an issue here.

Much of the slimline design is thanks to the lack of controls. An on/off switch is located under the logo of the speaker, but otherwise, playback controls are dictated by gestures or your voice. It takes a brief amount of time to get used to, but it's quickly very useful.

UE Ears Boom 3 (opens in a new tab)

Best For Pool Parties

Credit: Ultimate ears

Specs

Battery life: 15 hours
Waterproof: Yes
Voice assistant: No

Buying Options

$149.99 from Amazon

The UE Ears Boom 3(opens in a new tab) features 360 sound and reaches high volumes, making it ideal for playing outside in large backyards. It takes a little short of three hours to charge, but then has 15 hours of battery life — perfect for a long day outside.

One of the best features, though, is that it’s waterproof enough to survive being dropped and left in a pool for up to 30 minutes. In fact, it even floats in water, so it’s easy to retrieve if it does end up taking a swim.