The best Bluetooth speaker varies depending on what exactly you want from your music box, but we'll help you spend less time trawling through the internet and more time enjoying your pick.
For this guide to the best Bluetooth speakers we've looked through a range of devices depending on budget, design, features, waterproofing, durability and more, so that whatever you're looking for, we'll have you covered.
The thing that strings every Bluetooth speaker in this list together (metaphorically of course, for these are all Bluetooth options) is that they sound superb for the price. You’ll never listen to music on your phone without headphones again — and for those, we humbly encourage you to head to our dedicated best headphones for listening to Tidal guide.
If you're looking to level up the sound from your TV's built-in drivers without remortgaging the house, you'll find our best soundbars or best soundbars on a budget pages most enlightening. Yes, even the best 4K TVs can use a sonic boost in the shape of a standalone 'bar.
But we digress — although it's only because we care. What follows is our judiciously curated list of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market today.
Best Bluetooth speakers: the definitive list
Get ready, for this is no small statement: the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is the best-sounding and most fully-featured mini Bluetooth speaker we've heard to date. OK, it's not the most powerful or the loudest Bluetooth speaker on the market, but at this size and price-point we challenge any audio outfit to do better.
The Micro 2 is an excellent pocketable portable speaker (think stack of drinks coasters or small jewellery pillow) that's also a great option if you're looking for a stereo pair in a small room or a set of wireless desktop speakers, perhaps: you can easily pick up two of these for what you'd pay for just one of its better known rivals and have money to spare.
The bass response, which is where small speakers usually fall down, is potent and full-bodied too: Tribit is relatively cagey about the Micro 2's innards, but whatever's going on it delivers the goods through the low end. And battery life is superb, at a beach day-friendly 12 hours before it needs charging – oh, and it'll charge your devices too!
Its handy stretchy band means if you want to clip it to a bike or tent pole, it'll also oblige. Don't be put off by the relatively unknown name: this is a stone cold Bluetooth belter.
First, the bad news. This 2019 issue speaker is a tad basic by today’s standards. There’s no wi-fi, so you can’t connect it to your music streaming service of choice. There’s no smart assistant for you to bark your commands at. And there’s no microphone, so it can’t double as a speaker for hands-free calls.
So why is it still sitting pretty in the second slot of this buying guide? Because it does the basics extremely well. It sounds very, very good. Also, it’s water-, sand- and dust-proof, so will survive no matter where you take it. (It even floats, so you won’t lose it in the drink.) It also comes in several colorful finishes, all of them very affordable – oh, and there is a useful outdoor boost button on the underneath.
If you want a top Bluetooth speaker and nothing more (and you can deal with the fact it charges via micro-USB – don't worry, they've included the cable in case you can only find USB-Cs at home), this one is for you.
On the face of it, this is a good-looking portable Bluetooth speaker (photos don't do it justice), but it also has designs on your home cinema set-up. It comes with a standard UK plug adaptor so it can be powered by the mains, and also EU and US adaptor plugs, which will come in handy on your travels.
It’s easy to carry thanks to the stylish handle, which is retractable, so it doesn’t spoil its looks in situ. And the battery lasts 30 hours before needing a recharge, which is long enough to last a mammoth road trip.
Turn it on, get it paired and there’s no going back. The audio is clear and zealous, with plenty of bass and a soundstage that goes easily loud enough to fill a mid-size room — be it your lounge or a hotel room in some far-flung locale.
Of course, you don’t have to spend a lot on a Bluetooth speaker. What if you just want something to throw in your bag and take to a party? Something that can withstand a few knocks and basically live in your backpack? Say hello to the JBL Go 3. It looks like a soap on a rope, doesn't it? And you could chuck it in the bath or pool if you wanted thanks to its IP67 rating, although we prefer to play music on it…
It’s one of the most affordable models around (from a trusted and celebrated brand, anyway), and it sounds very good for the money. It’s not going to worry your home cinema set-up, but it’s certainly a lively little number.
The only downside is the battery life, which at five hours could see it conk out mid pool party. But at this price, you can afford to buy a portable charger too. Problem solved.
Over the last 20 years, Sonos has built a reputation as the king of multi-room audio (back then, multi-room audio was only just becoming a thing) meaning speakers that can 'talk' to each other wirelessly around the home, to play the same song over the entire house or different tunes in each room — all controlled from your smartphone. But this is the company's first portable speaker, and what a speaker it is.
As well as being a waterproof, solid-sounding device you can take out with you, it can slip seamlessly into your multi-room setup when you get home. Its size makes it perfect for the kitchen. And even if you don’t have a Sonos system at home, we assure you it’s still a great Bluetooth speaker in its own right.
Yes, another JBL option; we don't make the rules, we just tell it like it is. This one is built like a tank though. And it doesn’t only look the part, it’s rugged as anything too, being water- and dust-proof, so it'll certainly survive a knock or two.
Because of its hardbody looks, you might think it’s all nodding bass and not much else, but you’d be wrong. While bold, the bass never overpowers the sound, and it picks out plenty of detail in tracks.
At nearly 2kg, it’s certainly hefty, but the handy carry strap should help with that. This one eats lesser Bluetooth speakers for breakfast — it’s just a shame it lacks more advanced features such as a microphone for hands-free calls.
How to choose the best Bluetooth speaker for you
It might seem largely a question of priorities or aesthetic (a chic coffee table option is very different to a long-haul backpack warrior, isn't it?), but there are several key things you really must to consider when choosing the best Bluetooth speaker for you.
Let's take this in steps. Step one: what do you need it for? Every speaker in this list can be used in the great outdoors, but some boast more rugged, drop-proof casings plus dust- and waterproofing than others. If you're going camping (where, let's face it, it's going to get wet) an IP67 rating is something to prioritise.
Step two: consider the extras. Some Bluetooth speakers come with handy additional features baked in, such as smarts from Amazon Alexa. This means could simply ask it to play your music so you don't need to get up and grab your device. Don't like talking to your tech? This won't bother you. But how about multi-room audio? JBL has a PartyBoost feature for daisy-chaining multiple JBL speakers, while Sonos allows you to group speakers in certain rooms, and switch audio between them via the excellent app.
All of this can add to the cost a little, and as a result most of the devices in this guide don't boast voice assistance smarts: they are simply designed to play your music. However, the ones that do feature mutable microphones, because nobody wants a speaker tuning in to your private conversations.
Step three: sound per pound, aka value. How much do you want to pay? We'll take it for granted that you want great sound. When considering the best Bluetooth speakers on the market today we look at three areas in particular: sound quality and features, of course, but also design (aka dimensions and weight): are they loud, but too heavy to take on public transport? Will they break if you drop them on an escalator?
In addition, we also consider how easy the speaker is to set up and use, how reliable the Bluetooth connection is and how long it'll last thanks to its onboard juice pack. That's why we're supremely confident that there's a Bluetooth speaker in this list you'll be happy with for years to come.
Bluetooth speaker: FAQs
What's the best Bluetooth speaker brand?
As you'll see from the list above, Sonos is a great buy if you want to bridge the gap between indoors and outdoors and get something that can form part of a wider multi-room system – and the sound is top notch.
But JBL features heavily in this list, doesn't it? That's because the brand's rugged, outdoorsy speakers are excellent value at their relatively affordable prices, and most can be daisy-chained to beef up the audio, thanks to JBL's proprietary PartyBoost feature.
But we must give notable mentions for Ultimate Ears and Tribit, which combine fun, smaller designs with rugged builds and excellent audio – particularly the newest Tribit Stormbox Micro 2.
Consider high-end audio brands such as Bose and Bang & Olufsen if you want a combination of stylish design and great sound for something that'll also look stunning on a coffee table or in a study, say – but be prepared for relatively high prices.
If you want to save money then Urbanista and Anker offer good speakers that won’t break the bank – they're not here because the sound cannot rival the models in this list. That said, we're not judging you (only the speakers), so if you think something else might be a better fit, we won't stand in your way…
What's the difference between Bluetooth speakers and Wi-Fi speakers?
Once upon a time there were two mutually exclusive options in the realm of wireless speakers: Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Each solution had its pros and cons, and each technology came at the problem of eliminating those pesky wires from a different angle.
Today, products labelled "wireless" speakers often come with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi baked in (Sonos remained a notable exception until fairly recently, with the Move and Roam finally adding Bluetooth to the recipe). However, these tend to be more expensive than their cheap-and-cheerful Bluetooth-only counterparts – and remember, all wi-fi enabled speakers are definitely not created equal.
Here's the key difference: with Bluetooth speakers, you stream music from your phone to the speaker. A Wi-Fi speaker accesses music from the internet, or from a device on your home network – which can also be your phone, if you're at home using Wi-Fi. Streaming over Wi-Fi can mean better quality, higher resolution audio, depending on your file type and the specifications of the speaker – but that is changing thanks to new, higher-resolution Bluetooth technology and codecs such as aptX HD and even MQair.
With a Bluetooth speaker, your phone (or other Bluetooth device) has to stay within the range of the speaker, and with a wireless speaker, you have to be within range of your home's router.
And as well as being cheaper, Bluetooth speakers are generally much easier to set up and use too. No network is required, so there's no log-in or setup procedure, just a simple pairing process from your phone or source device's Bluetooth menu – and some Bluetooth speakers can be paired with two or more devices at the same time, so you get to share DJ duties at a party.
