our selection
This small, round speaker offers natural sound and a trendy design. It's built to survive outdoor adventures. But it's a little bulky.
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom has been our top pick for over seven years, and the latest iteration, the Wonderboom 4finally switches to USB-C charging to keep up with the times. This small, round speaker has a clear, spacious sound that our listeners and editors have consistently ranked above the competition in the brand's hidden tests.
It's also one of the most rugged audio products we've ever tested. With a IP67 water resistance ratingIt can withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes. Plus, it's dustproof, can survive a 1.5 meter drop onto concrete, and it floats. We got 11 hours of battery life in our tests, and the speaker comes in four colors.
Finalist
This speaker isn't as sturdy as our top pick, but its slim, rectangular shape can fit more easily into some spaces, and its sound quality is comparable.
While the Wonderboom 4's simpler, more robust design won out with our listening panel and staff, Soundcore Motion 100 is a great alternative that offers comparable performance, a slimmer (but longer) shape, and a lower price.
Sound quality is similar between the two, but the Motion 100 plays a few decibels louder, sounds a bit fuller, and has a bass boost knob that makes it easy to adjust the sound. It has USB-C charging and comes in three colors.
This speaker is IPX7 certified, so it can withstand submersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, but it is not dustproof. The battery lasted for 12.5 hours in our tests.
Upgrade Choice
This speaker produces very loud sound while maintaining clear, full audio, 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 a surprisingly affordable upgrade for those who need a bigger, more powerful speaker with a long battery life. It plays almost 8 dB louder than the Wonderboom 4, making it easy to hear over a room full of chatty partygoers. Even at full blast, this speaker sounds clear and doesn't seem to lose any bass. We got 24 hours of playtime from the internal battery, less than the advertised 42 hours, but still impressive.
The X10 is about the size of a football and weighs 6.5 pounds. It doesn't carry as well in a backpack or suitcase, but the shoulder strap makes it easy to carry. The IPX6 rating means it can withstand splashes of water, but it can't be safely submerged in water like some of our other picks.
Economical choice
It's 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.
If you want to spend less than $40 on a good portable Bluetooth speaker, the Tribit XSound Go is the best choice. It's been our budget pick for the past five years because it still hands down beats almost all of its similarly priced competitors with its loud, full sound, even if it can't play as loud as our larger, more expensive picks.
The XSound Go is small enough to slip into a laptop bag, runs for 10.5 hours on a charge, and charges via USB-C. Plus, it's IPX7 rated, meaning it can survive a half-hour immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes.
Also awesome
This speaker is small enough to fit in a pocket, but it still delivers quality sound. It doesn't have much bass, though, and the battery life is short.
THE JBL Go 4 is by far the smallest of our picks, easy to slip into a laptop bag, purse, or even a pocket. But unlike most of the ultra-compact Bluetooth speakers we've tried, it produces satisfying, reasonably full sound.
The Go 4 reaches a noise level of just under 80dB, which is around 10dB louder than the speakers built into most smartphones. So it’s worth taking with you, especially since it weighs about the same as a typical smartphone. Like our top pick, this speaker is rated IP67, making it both waterproof and dustproof. It has USB-C charging and comes in a range of colours.
Battery life is just 5 hours in standard mode. Playtime Boost mode increases that to nearly 9 hours, but produces slightly thinner sound.
