It’s never been easier to move your music from room to room (and even outside) than with the best Bluetooth speakers. There are loads of different options out there, catering to different price points, use cases, and more besides. That’s where the trouble can start — with so many to choose from, which is the best, and which should you spend your money on?
My top pick for the best Bluetooth speaker is the Sonos Move 2. It might be a larger option, but it sounds incredible and packs in some epic battery life. It’s not cheap though, coming in at $449 for the most expensive Bluetooth speaker experience on the list. If you want something that costs under $100, then the Ultimate Ears Miniroll is an excellent, lower-cost option. It packs in some great sound for the size and the price, and comes in at just $79.
Meet the testing team
As much as I'd love to test every single Bluetooth speaker you can buy, I think I'd go actually mad if I did. Thankfully, the excellent Tom's Guide testing team are at my side, and together, we make sure that every Bluetooth speaker that comes across our desks gets a thourough testing.
I'm Tom's Guide's Audio editor, and I oversee all the audio content that goes live on site. Be that reviewing the latest budget bluetooth speaker or trying out a massive, garden invading box of sound, I use my years of experience and keen ear for detail to let you know how good a bluetooth speaker is.
Erin is an avid music fan and a big proponent of bedroom dance parties. For this, of course she needs one of the best Bluetooth speakers, whether that be a tiny little JBL Flip or an earth-shaking Tribit StormBox Blast 2.
As a reviews writer, I test some of the best Bluetooth speakers and other audio peripherals, putting them through rigorous testing by pushing battery life to the limit, analyzing performance across genres, and value for money. I listen to music almost throughout the day and I play the guitar and bass, so I know how to determine whether a speaker reproduces sound well or not.
Quick List
We adore the Sonos Move 2 and its slightly larger frame. That bigger size gets you some incredible sound quality, and its Wi-Fi connection makes it a whole lot smarter than any other speaker on the list.
The Miniroll brings back the disc-like speaker shape to the Ultimate Ears line. It’s super small, sounds much bigger than its small stature might suggest, and comes in at under $100.
If you want something that looks super sleek, go no further than the ROCKSTER Go 2. It’s got a unique sixties style to it thanks to the Fender collaboration. It also sounds super funky to boot.
If you want to rumble the floors and shake the ceilings, you won’t do better than the JBL Xtreme 4. It’s a large speaker, but its deep, warm bass makes it the perfect centerpiece at a party.
You probably don’t have lots of room in your camping bag when you go out into the great outdoors. The Wonderboom 4 is super portable, so it doesn’t take up much space, and it sounds like something much larger.
Want some cool tunes at your next pool party? The Flip 6 is the speaker for you. It’s compact, sounds great, and thanks to a waterproof IP67 rating, it’ll survive a dip in the pool.
The best Bluetooth speakers available now
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Best Overall
✅ It sounds heavenly. There’s absolutely loads of crisp, warm bass, and its size helps it fill a room with its sound.
✅ It works with all your other Sonos gear. The Move 2 connects up to the Sonos app, so you can stream music and podcasts to it without having to open a single Bluetooth menu.
✅ It looks really stylish! Its monolithic frame is covered with a slick perforated mesh, and you can buy it in either white, black, or olive finishes.
❌ It’s big and cumbersome. While that might make it sound mighty, it also makes it harder and heavier to carry around.
❌ It’s very expensive. $449 feels like a lot of money to pay for a Bluetooth speaker, no matter how big and how good it sounds.
The Sonos Move 2 is a sonic triumph, no matter how you look at it. It’s more than just a Bluetooth speaker thanks to Sonos’ adding a Wi-Fi antenna on board, and its size gives it ample space for some serious audio chops. It manages to outperform every other speaker on the list in sound quality, beat them on battery life, and it even looks the best in my eyes. My Sonos Move 2 hasn’t left my side since I first received my unit — and I can’t see it going anywhere quickly. Apart from the garden, when I want to listen to music outside. Or the kitchen, when I want to listen to music when I make dinner. Oh, or to the conservatory, when I want to listen to music while I read in the sunlight. Can’t forget the living room, when…
You’ll need some hefty arm muscles to lift around the house, however. At 6.6 pounds, the Sonos Move 2 is one of the heaviest Bluetooth speakers I’ve ever used, and indeed that Tom’s Guide has ever tested. It weighs so much because Sonos has packed in some pretty incredible audio engineering. It’s paid dividends. The Sonos Move doesn’t just sound big because it is big, it sounds even bigger than its not inconsiderable frame might suggest. There’s smooth controlled bass on offer here, and lots of it. The mids are perfectly formed, giving great definition to voices and guitars. The highs are just as impressive, giving cymbals perfect clash. There’s no Spatial Audio so you don’t get that ‘music is coming from all around you’ effect that plug-in speakers like the Sonos Era 300 are capable of, but it still sounds massive.
Battery life is another highlight, lasting over 24 hours. My copy of the speaker, at around mid-volume, managed to power through a whole weekend of music while family where visiting. Charging is easy too. There’s a powered dock in the box, so you just need to drop it down and let it sip its power that way. You can leave it there too, and it’ll smart charge the battery so that its life is preserved. If you take the Move 2 out and about with the charge dock, you can power it with the USB-C charger on the back.
We’ve only got one main complaint with the Sonos Move 2 — its price. At $449 it's easily the most expensive speaker on the list, although you do get what you pay for. If you want something similar but don’t want to pay as much then the Bose SoundLink smart speaker might be up your street, although it doesn’t sound as good as the Sonos. Overall, the Sonos beats everything else with its great sound, lovely design, and epic battery life.
Read our full Sonos Move 2 review
Best cheap Bluetooth speaker
✅ It’s super compact. Thanks to its disc-like design, we found it super easy to slip into even a handbag. If your pockets are big enough it might even fit in there.
✅ It sounds great for the size. The small Miniroll has plenty of bass for a palm-sized speaker and even manages to get so loud it vibrates.
✅ It’s very well-priced. At just $79, the Miniroll is one of the cheapest speakers on the list.
❌ Restricted sound. If you want excellent, room-filling sound, you should look elsewhere. It doesn’t sound bad, but it is only small.
❌ Breaks up at louder volumes. At top volume, the audio starts to fall apart. If you want the most volume headroom, you might want something larger.
❌ It doesn’t work with the UE app. If you want connectivity like this, you should look further up the Ultimate Ears product range.
The UE Miniroll impressed me a great deal. It’s super small, and I was able to squeeze it into my cardigan pocket (although getting it into the pockets of my jeans was never going to work — cargo trousers wearers might have more luck). It makes it on the list not just for its size, but for its excellent price. It’s just $79, making it the second cheapest speaker on the list. For the price, you get a surprisingly well-rounded sound signature, a great-looking device, and a convenient strap on the back to make it easy to attach to things. I’ve come to love my little portable disc-shaped speaker, and while it might not feature permanent audio duty in and around my house, it's the first thing I grab before I leave the house for a couple of days.
The reason it’s on the list is the price, and it compares very well to rest of the Bluetooth speaker space in the bracket. For $79 there are a couple of other options. There’s the Wonderboom 4, although that’s not as compact and small. Ankers Souncore range has some similarly priced options, although you won’t find one that’s the same size as the Ultimate Ears. Sonos SRS-XB100 is similarly sized and priced, but doesn’t sound or look as good as the Miniroll. For the price of the Miniroll, there’s not much that does a better job of blending sound quality with portability.
Sound quality, for something so small, is immediately impressive. When I first turned the discus on the confirmation sound itself made me raise an eyebrow with a surprising amount of bass on display for something so small. Playing music continues to impress at mid-volume as well. There’s not loads of bass, but what's there is tight and controlled. The mids are well-represented, and the highs are crisp and taught. You do have to be careful with the volume level, mind you. I left it playing on a higher volume on the edge of the table. I tested its build without meaning to — it vibrated itself off the table, and fell onto a vinyl kitchen floor. It came out the other end completely unscathed, mind you, so it’s built like a little mesh-covered tank.
Battery life is good as well. On a single charge, the UE Miniroll will last you 16 hours, which is plenty to get through a longer trip. It charges through the USB-C port at the bottom. It’s water and dustproof as well thanks to IP67 water resistance, so you can take it on camping trips and hikes without worrying about it getting damaged. It’s a great speaker, and at $79, our pick for the best budget option
Read the full UE Miniroll review
Best Bluetooth Speaker for style
✅ Its stunning style. The Fender X Teuful Rockster Go 2 looks the part with its sixties styling.
✅ The great sound quality. There's some brilliant bassy sound here, sure to get anyone moving.
✅ Incredible battery life. At 28 hours, it is one of the longest-lasting speakers on the list.
❌ There's no companion app. There's not much customization on offer in this Bluetooth speaker.
❌ There's lots of bass. Some users might not like the amount of bass on offer.
The Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 is the perfect speaker for people who want something that sounds good and looks even better. The speaker has dynamic, nuanced treble, warm mid-ranges, and groovy bass in most genres. One or two tracks sounded a little too warm and muffled, but the keywords here are ‘one’ and ‘two’. For the most part, the music we grooved to while testing this speaker was as gorgeous and effortlessly cool as the speaker itself.
We can’t fault the punchy little Rockster Go 2 for its style. The Rockster Go 2 turns up to class four hours late with sunglasses askew, last night’s eyeliner smeared down its face, and no homework in sight. So excuse us for channeling that essence while listening to this guitar-hero speaker.
Whatever we played through the little Rockster Go 2 made us feel like rockstars tearing up the stage in front of hordes of screaming fans. Whether we stuck with the Fender aesthetic and played Stratocaster-wielding Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Nile Rogers, or we cut to modern-day pop like Chappel Roan and Charli xcx, the Rockster Go 2 was there to take control.
Speaking of control, there’s no companion app, which was a little disappointing. All JBL and Sony speakers have customization options in their respective companion apps, but with the Rockster Go 2, you’re on your own. That’s not necessarily a major con, because its default EQ still sounds pretty darned good, but can be a bummer if you like listening to a specific genre that benefits from custom EQ (like deep house, or classical).
With Teufel’s proprietary Dynamore technology, you can link up two Rockster Go 2 speakers (or the bigger Rockster Cross or Air) for stereo-surround sound. This would be ideal for parties where you want to show off how cool your new speaker is — provided you’ve got a friend who owns another one. And that party doesn’t have to be cut short when the speaker dies: its whopping 28-hour battery life will make sure you’re dancing until dawn, and then some. The IP67 durability rating means you can take this little speaker on beach trips, winter sports, pool parties, and hikes, and it should live to usher you all the way back home, too.
While there are a couple of speakers out there with more audiophile soundscapes, like the Sonos Move 2, the Rockster Go 2 is almost daylight robbery at $129. If you need a portable, lightweight speaker, that looks the part (and sounds it, too!), this speaker could be perfect for you. Get it for its aesthetic and battery life, and keep it for its awesome sound quality.
Read our full Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 review
Best Bluetooth Speaker For Bass
✅ There is massive bass headroom. The JBL Xtreme 4 is one of the bassiest speakers we’ve ever tested, perfect for parties and gatherings.
✅ The app is great. There are EQ settings on board, as well a range of other options. It's easy to use as well.
✅ It’s IP67-rated. You can use it for pool parties, at the beach, and more, safe in the knowledge that it won’t get damaged.
❌ It’s a heavy speaker. At 4.61 pounds, it’s a weighty speaker to carry around. There is a strap to make it easier, though.
❌ It’s expensive. It will cost you $379, the most expensive speaker that JBL offers.
It’s impossible to deny — everyone likes a bit of bass. Those low-end notes are the ones that get you moving to the music, that stir your soul. Analytical, detail-oriented sound profiles are great to find every bit of detail in your music, but its the bassy speakers that let you have fun. The JBL Xtreme 4 is all about that bass, as you might detect thanks to its enormous passive bass radiators on either end of its cylindrical form. It provides loads of bass, more than any other speaker on the list. It’s not a speaker for the audiophile in your life, but it’s unbeatable for bass heads and party animals.
From the moment you turn it on you can feel the low-end rumble. Play anything with a big, thick bassline, and you’ll find a speaker that can make a room shake. It's not sophisticated at all, but it is loads and loads of fun. The rest of the sonic landscape is well accounted for as well, and we found in our testing a very accomplished, musical speaker. It’s that low-end that will keep you coming back for more, of course, with its addictive, chair-shaking rumble.
There’s more besides the bass, however. The battery life is a Sonos Move 2 rivaling 24 hours, and you can use that battery to charge your phone if you’re left without a power socket nearby. You can replace the battery as well if it ever starts to lose charge, which is a massive environmental win. It will also mean that the speaker lasts for longer overall as well, as batteries are usually the first things to go. We found the 24-hour battery life claim to ring true in our testing. We were also impressed by the Bluetooth range of the speaker. Our tester left the speaker in a field, and managed to get 460 feet away before the Bluetooth signal severed itself.
It's more expensive than any other speaker that JBL has made, but it has the best battery life, the best sound, and the most bass of any of them. The Sonos Move costs $70 more and has better sound quality, but you might not want to lift its even heavier frame anywhere other than around your house. The UE Hyperboom remains our pick for best party speaker, but this one gets very close in volume and sound quality. It’s also bassier and meatier than the Hyperboom, although some will like the more refined style of the Ultimate ears.
It’ll come down to whether you want loads of bass as to how you feel about this speaker. We happened to love it during our testing, and we think those looking for all of the bass will too. If you want something more refined, then there are other options out there — but none of them will be as fun.
Read our full JBL Xtreme 4 review
Best Bluetooth Speaker For Outdoors
✅ Sounds big for the size. The Wonderboom 4 might be a small speaker, but it sounds much bigger thanks to some clever audio wizardry.
:✅ Very compact. The Wonderboom is the perfect outdoor speaker. It’s small so it fits in any backpack, but it's rugged so it stands up to some abuse.
✅ It looks great. UE’s wonderful design language is on full display here, making for a solid-looking little Bluetooth speaker.
❌ There’s not much new. Besides a new sound mode and slightly improved audio, there’s not much that improves over the old model.
❌ The new EQ button doesn’t do much. If you’re looking for adjustable EQ, you should go elsewhere.
I love spending my time in the outdoors, although I mostly like to spend musicless. I want to hear the natural world, surrounding myself in birdsong and the sounds of rustling leaves and gently running streams. When I go into the outdoors with friends, however, I like bring some tunes — and the Wonderboom 4 is my speaker of choice. It’s small enough to fit in my backpack without problem, and the little elastic strap fit onto its zipper so that I can carry it with me without having to hold it in my hands. Add the IP67 water and dust resistance into the equation and you’ve got a great little outdoor speaker.
For something so small, you’d imagine it sounds tinny and thin. Remarkably, I found the sound of the Wonderboom 4 managed to outperform its size. There’s some decent bass response to be found here, with bass lines jumping pleasantly along. There’s not as much as you might find on a larger device, granted, but it’s still got a lot going for it in the low end. The mids are present and correct, and the highs are plenty detailed. There are three sound modes as well — although you’ll want to stick with one, the standard mode. The “outdoor boost” mode boosts volume and stretches the speaker too far, and the “podcast mode” sounds like you’re being podcasted to down a cardboard tube. Leave it on the standard mode and you’ll be fine.
Battery life is good too at 16 hours, and I found that over the course of my testing it managed to stick to its rated staying power. You charge it through USB-C, although I did find that I needed to find the right kind of cable. The port is buried slightly deeper in the speaker and has a deep, rubbery surround that some charging cables couldn’t fit through. Use the cable in the box and you’ll be fine, but it’s worth bearing in mind. That deep cable trough does add a feeling of security, however, as it allows for the speaker's rubber door to keep the elements out of its charging socket.
Read our full Wonderboom 4 review
Best Bluetooth Speaker for Pool Parties
✅ It’s super rugged. It’ll survive any punishment you throw at it, and its IP67 water and dustproofing make it perfect for pool parties and outdoor activities.
✅ Some great color options. With eight different colorways on offer, there’s a Flip 6 for everyone.
✅ Incredible bass. For something that’s not massive, there’s some incredible bass on offer — perhaps more than anything else this size.
❌ Gets crackly at high volume. Like many smaller speakers, the Flip 6 can start to fall apart when it's really pushed.
❌ 12-hour battery life isn’t great. Some smaller speakers even get more, like the two mini options we have on the list.
There’s nothing more annoying at a pool party than someone knocking your Bluetooth speaker into the water. As you watch it tumble from the poolside edge, splashing as it makes contact with the water, the music slowly crackles into silence as the rest of the party looks on in horror. How could this have been avoided? You think, shaking your head. The JBL Flip 6 is the best way to get music at a pool party that’s not going to get destroyed by pool water — I should know. My JBL Flip 6 fell to what could have been a watery end when it was hit by an enthusiastically thrown volleyball, splashing into the deep end of the pool. It played music all the way down, all the way back up, and it continues to play music even now.
It’s thanks to the speaker's IP67 water and dustproofing, which makes it perfect for use poolside or at the beach. It’s so waterproof in fact that, as I discovered, you can play music underwater. It doesn’t sound very good, and you shouldn’t do it for long because water will eventually find its way in, but it builds confidence that it can. Add in a rugged, rubberized design and you’ve got a speaker that feels every bit as hard-wearing as you might want.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a great party speaker if it didn’t sound very good. Despite its relatively small size, the Flip 6 is capable of an energetic, bassy sound that can easily fill a backyard. If it’s not enough, you touch the connection button on the top to join multiple speakers together. Perfect for those bigger parties that need more sonic oomph.
Unfortunately, 12 hours of battery life just isn’t really good enough in 2024 when the likes of the UE Miniroll and the Tribit Stormbox Micro manage 4 hours more, but it's still enough to get you through a decent party. I found as well that at the highest volume levels it can start to fall apart in the sound department, as the whole experience starts to sound messy.
In the end though, if you want a Bluetooth speaker that will power a pool party without breaking a sweat, then you’ve a great option in the JBL Flip 6. It won’t even cost you that much — just $129.
Read our full JBL Flip 6 review
Best Bluetooth Speaker For Parties
✅ It gets extremely loud. If you want a dominating audio presence for your parties, the Hyperboom gets louder than any other speaker on the list.
✅ Solid sound quality. The Hyperboom, thanks to its many speakers, sounds really good.
✅ It doubles as a portable battery. If your phone starts to run out of battery, you can charge it up thanks to the massive pack in the Hyperboom.
❌ It’s starting to show its age. While an excellent speaker, the Hyperboom only has Bluetooth 4.2.
❌ It's very heavy. The Hyperboom weighs in at 13 pounds, making it the heaviest speaker on the list.
The Hyperboom has been around a little while now, but it remains the best option for a party speaker thanks to its incredible loudness and rich sound quality. There have been some quality-of-life updates in its three-year reign, like a USB-C charging port instead of the old barrel jack it used to feature. Its age just goes to show how good it is though — there’s a reason that UE is yet to give it a complete refresh.
Mine lives permanently under my desk, ready to grab for big gatherings whenever I might need it. It’s extremely heavy weight precludes it from becoming a go-to for every gathering (I am weedy, and it is very big), but its immense volume makes it a no-brainer if you’re going somewhere that needs some extra audio headroom. It lasts for a longer trip without a wall outlet as well, with 24 hours' worth of battery on board. My speaker has managed entire weekends of music, only running out as everyone heads to bed on Sunday evening, so that 24-hour reading would seem to run true.
As you might expect for something so big and from Ultimate Ears, the bass is a particular strength of the Hyperboom. It’s enough to shake a table, and send vibrations through the floor to your posterior, and it manages it without overtaking the rest of the music. It’s by no means an ‘audiophile’ experience, but for party music and whatever else you might throw its way, there aren’t going to be any complaints from your fellow partygoers. I love that you can connect the Hyperboom to any speaker that supports the UE Boom app, so you can spread the music around a house with different speakers. That’s not just other Hyperboom speakers either, but a range of different options within the UE range. If it works with the app, it works with PartyUp.
It’s by no means perfect. There’s only Bluetooth 4.2 on board, so you won’t want to use it to boost the sound of your watching of video on your phone or tablet. It’s also very expensive, coming in it $409. If you want the biggest, loudest Bluetooth speaker for parties, however, there’s really nothing that’s going to be better.
Read our full UE Hyperboom review
Best Bluetooth Speaker For Picnics
✅It works with all your other Sonos devices. Got a Sonos home setup? The Roam 2 slips in effortlessly.
✅ Best sound in its size class. Plenty of bass, lovely rich mid-range, and top-quality highs.
✅ Wi-Fi connectivity for more options. The Sonos Roam is a tiny smart speaker.
❌ It’s not cheap. The Sonos Roam 2 costs $179, making it a costly option for a small Bluetooth speaker.
❌ The battery life isn’t great. You’ll only get 10 hours of life out of the speaker, so it will only last just over days of normal use before you need to charge.
The Sonos Roam 2 is like a shrunk-down version of the Sonos Move 2. Just like its much (much) bigger sibling, it has a Wi-Fi connection that lets it work with the rest of your Sonos devices in the Sonos app. That makes it a whole lot more flexible than almost all the other speakers on the list, thanks to an alternative connection method. There’s AirPlay support when the speaker is connected over Wi-Fi, for example.
Not that the Wi-Fi connection will be all that useful while you’re out for a picnic, of course. What you’ll like when you’re out and about for an outdoor lunch is the small size and excellent sound quality. It’s got the signature Sonos richness, which is very impressive when you remember how small the speaker is. There’s some lovely low-end grunt on display, and a pleasant, layered soundscape that our tester loved in the review. It’s not immune from small-speaker volume issues, but if you don’t push the little speaker than it sounds better than almost everything else that’s a similar size.
It’ll last you plenty of time for a picnic, although you’ll want to take a portable battery if you’re going away for anything longer than a day. There’s only 10 hours of battery life on offer from the speaker, which is bettered by almost everything that’s a similar size. The UE Miniroll, for example, lasts a much more substantial 16 hours. The sacrifice you make in battery life does net you voice assistant support though, which works as well as any other Sonos speaker (which is to say very well, if you like the Sonos assistant or Alexa).
The Beats Pill is a similar form factor and a close runner-up for picnics. That option costs slightly less, and has longer battery life if your picnic is going to last for longer than a day. It doesn’t sound anywhere near as good, however, and our testing found the Sonos’ soundstage to much wider. The Beats Pill feels like a small speaker, whereas the Sonos manages to feel much larger than its small frame might suggest.
Read our full Sonos Roam 2 review
Best Bluetooth speaker For Traveling
✅ Very well priced. You won’t mind too much if it gets lost — it only costs $59.
✅ Solid sound for the price and size. Other options do sound better, but you won’t mind the sound when you remember how little it costs.
✅ It’s super portable. Easily one of the smallest speakers on the list, the Stormbox Micro 2 will fit easily into any bag.
❌ Low volume. Due to its small size, the Stormbox Micro 2 doesn’t get all that loud.
❌ It vibrates a lot. The speaker is small enough that even mid-volume makes the speaker shake and vibrate.
When you go traveling, you’re more than likely looking for a speaker that doesn’t cost much (so it doesn’t matter if it gets lost) and is small enough to fit into any bag. The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 manages to nail both of these cases, coming in at only $59, and having a tiny footprint. You can even use the rubber strap on the back to attach it to backpack straps or tent poles, making it a great outdoor companion as well.
It’s a similar speaker in size and format to the UE Miniroll that also features on the list, although there are some key differences between the two. For one, the Stormbox Micro 2 is more suited to indoor use rather than outdoor thanks to its slightly weaker volume level. Even inside the volume has to be cranked to fill a space, where the Miniroll needs only a fraction of its volume to bring sound into a room. The Stormbox has an app to support it whereas the Miniroll does not, so there are more sound options with this speaker.
The app lets you change the way that the speaker sounds with an adjustable EQ, in addition to some extra settings you can change. That’s a big bonus for the Stormbox, although it's still lacking in the multi-connection ‘PartyUp’ feature that makes the Miniroll so good for the outdoors.
The sound quality is solid for the price and the size, although you will likely miss some bass. It’s otherwise very clean and clear with a surprising amount of clarity and sonic restraint — although it’s not the most powerful sound in the world. If the speaker is nearby you then it’s going to be a perfectly serviceable audio experience, but when its further away and you have to bring the volume up, it will start to fall apart slightly.
If you want something that’s going to fit in your bag and play your music when you’re at a hotel or hostel, then the Stormbox Micro 2 is a great option. Just don’t expect it to have earth-shattering volume or bass.
Read our full Tribot StormBox Micro review
Best for rugged style
✅ Unnasuming ruggedness. While it might look like a stylish speaker, the silicon coating and metal build make it a sturdy speaker for outdoor use.
✅ Good sound. Once you've dialed everything in properly, the Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2 has a confident sound.
✅ Decent battery life. The speaker lasts you 12 hours on a charge, which is solid for the size.
❌ Need to dial in the sound. The sound out of the box is fine, but to get the best, you need to use the EQ settings.
❌ It's not cheap. Bose stuff isn't known for being cheap — and the SoundLink Flex gen 2 is no different.
The first-generation SoundLink flex didn’t do a whole lot to impress us — but the newest second-gen does a whole lot better. Bose has done the work in all the right places to make a lovely little Bluetooth speaker that pleases in all the right ways. It sounds good, looks good, and now that it works with all the features of Bose’s app, it's more customizable as well. I’ve come to really like the SoundLink Flex gen 2 during my testing, and if you’re after something rugged and outdoorsy that also looks really cool, you probably will too.
About that rugged build. The speaker is made out of metal, with an internal metal frame that makes itself known through the front panel and grille. It's then smothered with silicon for a super rugged and sturdy feeling. Now, I should be upfront — I haven’t thoroughly tested the ruggedness of the speaker. It has, however, tumbled off tables, sofas, and other surfaces, and every time it has come out on top. You wouldn’t even know that my speaker has left the house. I would have no qualms with taking my speaker out and about, being thrown into a bag or a suitcase.
There are a couple of things to note, of course. Sound out of the box is fine, but you want to play with the EQ settings in the app to make sure you get it just how you want it. My settings ended up being +6 bass, I left the mids alone, and then I brought +3 to the highs for some more clarity. Once dialed in, the Flex gen 2 sounds really, really good — but you do have to work for it.
Read our full Bose SoundLink Flex gen 2 review
Best for home
✅ Looks phenomenal. Thanks to its slick metal constuction and fabric panels, the SoundLink Home looks great.
✅ Good sound. With plenty of bass on tap and some good detail, the speaker sounds as good as it looks.
✅ Extra features. Thanks to Stereo mode you can link two together, and you can even plug a phone or other device in for USB audio.
❌ Expensive. The SoundLink Home is a very expensive speaker at $229.
❌ No app connectivity. You can't customize the speaker, with a lack of app connectivity.
Bluetooth speakers have a habit of either looking like the center of the party, with bright colors and over the top designs, or like they’re going to shake the room with enormous passive bass radiators. The Bose SoundLink Home bucks this trend, with a cool, metallic design with its brushed band that wraps around the fabric front and rear grille. I think its one of the best-looking Bluetooth speakers around, and if you get two of them for Stereo mode you’ve got a great-looking little home audio system.
They sound as good as they look as well. I really like the warmer sound signature of the SoundLink Home, with an emphasis on the lower end. It’s never too much though, with plenty of detail and clarity in the top end. Now, it doesn’t get as world-ending loud as some of the Ultimate Ears options, like the UE MegaBoom 3, but it’s plenty to fill a living room.
There is one thing missing — app connectivity. That means you can change the way that the speaker sounds at all, and initiating features like stereo mode takes more work than it does on other speakers. You have to hold down a combination of buttons instead. Those drawbacks are easy enough to forgive once you’ve got a pair of them situated in your living room, and you’re listening to your favorite music, however.
Read our full Bose SoundLink Home review
Bluetooth speakers compared
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Size/Weight | Connectivity | Battery Life | Durability |
Sonos Move 2 | 9.4 x 6.3 x 5 inches/ 6.6 pounds | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | 24 hours | IP56 |
Ultimate Ears Miniroll | 4.8 x 4.1 x 1.8 inches/ 9.8 ounces | Bluetooth | 16 hours | IP67 |
Fender x Teufel ROCKSTER Go 2 | 8.2 x 4.3 x 2.3 inches/1.6 pounds | Bluetooth | 28 hours | IP67 |
JBL Xtreme 4 | 11.6 x 5.8 x 5.5 inches/ 4.6 pounds | Bluetooth | 24 hours | IP67 |
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 | 4.1 x 3.8 inches/ 14.8 ounces | Bluetooth | 16 hours | IP67 |
JBL Flip 6 | 7 x 2.6 x 2.8 inches/ 1.2 pounds | Bluetooth | 12 hours | P67 |
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom | 14.3 x 7.5 x 7.5 inches/ 13 pounds | Bluetooth | 24 hours | IPX4 |
Sonos Roam 2 | 6.6 x 2.4 x 2.4 inches/ 15 ounces | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | 10 hours | IP67 |
Tribit StormBox Micro | 3.9 x 3.9 x 1.4-inch/ 8 ounces | Bluetooth | 8 hours | IP67 |
Also tested
As Tom's Guide's audio experts, we test a lot of Bluetooth speakers but some models don't make it into a buying guide. That's not to say that they're not great performers, just that they're beaten by rival models with a stronger set of features or performance. The picks in this guide are the very best we've tested and have all been given full reviews. But with more models to choose from than ever, we want to make sure that you consider these also tested options. These alternatives have all been through our rigorous testing processes but didn't quite make the grade to rank among the best of the best.
How to choose the best speaker for you
Battery life
Battery life is a very important part of any new device that you choose. We've got some strict criteria on the battery life front — Wi-Fi speakers should get at least 10 hours, larger Bluetooth speakers should get around 20. This will depend on size, but you should be looking around those figures.
Voice control
Some speakers you’ll find out there have voice control, or support for assistants like Alexa. Sonos is amongst the top, although there are speakers from the likes of Bose that also feature smart voice support. If you plan on using your speaker in a garden, or if it's going to be placed somewhere slightly out of reach, then being able to command it to play, pause, skip or select a new track could be useful. If its going to be nearby, or you’re going to have your phone within reach more often, then it’s not so necessary.
Power output
When you look at Bluetooth speaker specs, there are often some confusing specs. You might see power figures like ‘Wattage’, frequency response numbers, and more. They can be useful, but they’re often inconsistent between different brands and testers, often only useful to the most dedicated of audio fanatic. If you’re just looking for a Bluetooth speaker, however, they’re not going to tell you much unless you do hours and hours of research.
We test all the Bluetooth speakers that come across our testing tables in a number of different real-world environments so that we can tell you what the manufacturers' numbers might not. We make sure that we give you just what you need to know, testing the speaker where we think it is most likely to be used. A large, living room speaker gets tested indoors in different rooms for example, while a rugged, adventure model makes its way to the great outdoors. We look out for strengths and weaknesses in the three main frequency groups — bass, mid-range, and treble — so that you get a holistic view of how your music is going to sound.
Price
For many people, the price of the Bluetooth speaker is what’s going to make or break the purchase of a new device. To get the very best speaker we’d recommend spending a little more on something from a well-known, established brand, because they often use more experience in creating something more successful. There are some great budget options if you’re looking for the best cheap Bluetooth speaker, of course. There are even some great cheaper options on this list.
Don't forget to bookmark our tech deals pages to keep on top of all the best Bluetooth speaker bargains.
How we test the best Bluetooth speakers
At Tom’s Guide, we want to make sure that every speaker we test puts its best foot forward. While we test with strict criteria that each model must meet, we consider who, and what, it might be best for. While a speaker might not match up as a critical listening darling, sitting in the living room, it might be perfect for trips outdoors. We spend hours over the course of testing listening to music in different environments to make sure we get a good picture of the speaker's performance when we pen our detailed, informative reviews.
The most important part of any speaker is its sound quality, and we listen to loads of tracks across a variety of different genres to evaluate the sonic performance of the speaker. We play everything from hip-hop, rock, and Jazz all the way through to heavy metal and classical to get the best idea possible of the kind of sound quality we’re working with. If applicable, we even try out movies and podcasts to get a holistic view of sound performance.
We test durability, within reason of course, to make sure that the speaker is going to withstand the kind of everyday use you might expect. If the speaker has smart features we make sure to evaluate voice assistant performance, and how it stacks up to the competition. We test how it might control your smart home devices as well, and how easy it is to play playlists with nothing more than your voice.
We also look at battery life, completely draining the battery twice and recharging to see how it lasts with normal, expected use. We want good battery life out of these devices: Wi-Fi-connected speakers should be getting 10 hours, while Bluetooth (depending on their size) should be getting 20 hours.
We rate the best Bluetooth speakers with our five-star system. A 1-star review is a complete waste of time, and should be avoided at all costs. A 2-star score is indicative of a product that works, and no more than that. A 3-star review is a fine product, although there are better options out there. A 4-star device is a good product, and while there are other options, it’s a great purchase. A 5-star score is reserved for the very best of the best. The almost perfect devices that work better than everything else around, and should be at the top of your potential purchase list.
Check out how we test if you want to know more about how we review products at Tom’s Guide.
More from Tom's Guide
- Best cheap Bluetooth speakers
- Devialet's Mania Bluetooth speaker has impossibly big bass for its size
- Sonos Move 2 vs. Bose SoundLink Max face-off
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