JBL Boombox 3 is a Bluetooth speaker built for outdoor parties

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The JBL Boombox 3 is all set for summer 2022

JBL Boombox 3
(Image credit: JBL)

It wouldn’t be CES 2022 without plenty of new Bluetooth speakers, and JBL’s most exciting entry is the Boombox 3: an IP67-rated beast offering big sounds and a day’s worth of battery life.

As the name suggests, this isn’t the first entry in the series, and JBL has built on its predecessors with a new three-way speaker system made up of two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a “powerful racetrack-shaped subwoofer.” The company claims that, as a result of these changes, the new speaker will offer deeper bass and “intense clarity” that’s perfect for large outdoor parties.

JBL Boombox 3

(Image credit: JBL)

Like its predecessor, it’ll go 24 hours on a single charge, and features a built-in power bank for charging devices without a break in the music. Two phones or tablets can connect to the speaker at a time, and it can also be paired with other JBL PartyBoost-compatible speakers for more volume or stereo sound. 

While we didn’t test the JBL Boombox 2, our sister site TechRadar did, praising its loud, distortion-free sound in a four-star review. “It’s fine indoors, but really shines when playing music for a small crowd outdoors,” the review concludes.

In fact, grumbles about missing Bluetooth codecs aside, the biggest downside our colleagues could find was its high MSRP — which is unfortunate, as it looks like JBL has raised the price of the Boombox 3 by $50 to a hefty $499. We’ll have to see if it justifies the cost and makes it to our list of the best Bluetooth speakers when it’s released in “select retailers” this summer. 

Alan Martin
Alan Martin

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.