Best Bluetooth Speakers: The 10 Best Wireless Speakers of 2022
A good Bluetooth speaker is a great way to liven up a gathering of friends, whether it is at a picnic in the park or a home setting. The best Bluetooth speakers give you a powerful range of frequency, clarity of sound, and portability for listening on the go.
The ideal Bluetooth speaker is strong enough to fill a medium to large-sized room yet small enough to be moved around easily. However, with the sheer number of Bluetooth speakers on the market, finding the right one for your needs can be difficult. Luckily, we are here to give you a comprehensive look at some of the top-rated portable Bluetooth speakers currently available.
If you are worried that a quality Bluetooth speaker will break the bank, don’t fret. There are plenty of great speaker options that cost only as much as a trip to the grocery store. Additionally, many Bluetooth speakers double as home interface devices that can sync your Google assistant or Siri – you can kill two birds with one stone.
Products at a Glance
Product Reviews
- Long battery life (12-16 hours)
- AUX input for multiple audio sources
- Voice-command functionality
- Low enough frequency may sound crackly
Bose is one of the most well-known audio equipment manufacturers in the world, and for good reason. Bose consistently makes high-quality products designed by audio engineer experts for optimal performance. The Bose SoundLink Revolve uses Bose’s outstanding speaker technology and puts it in a portable package for home and on-the-go listening.
Of course, like every other Bose product, the quality comes with an impressively steep price tag. While this won’t break the bank, per se, this is a good deal more expensive than the 2nd costliest speaker, so it might not be worth it if you aren’t an audiophile.
The circular design gives 360-degrees of sound coverage that can fill a medium to large sized room. The sleek gray casing is IPX4 rated for moisture resistance, so you don’t have to worry about water damage if you use at the pool, beach, or while taking a shower. The SoundLink Revolve is compatible with voice commands and can sync to Siri or Google assistant, allowing you to easily make (and receive) calls.
You can also link two SoundLink Revolve speakers to each other using the Bose Connect app for those times when loud is not loud enough.
Although this speaker performs incredibly well – especially for the money – it does have a drawback. I noticed that, when a song has very low frequency bass, the audio begins to sound a bit crackly, but only when the speaker is at full blast.
Still, considering the speaker doesn’t have a large dedicated subwoofer, it can still output rumbling bass. If you’re using the speaker at full blast, it’s probably because you’re in a party setting, and you wouldn’t be able to notice the slightly fuzzy bass anyway.
- Very small and light (~0.5 lbs )
- IPX5 rated resistant casing
- Has trouble with low-frequency bass notes
- No “low battery” warning; the speaker will die in the middle of a song
Weighing just over half a pound, the Oontz Angle 3 portable Bluetooth speaker gives a great ratio of sound quality/size at an extremely affordable price. If you’re concerned about range, then this is probably the best wireless speaker on the market considering it has a 100 foot wireless range.
Just like the previous speaker, this one struggles a bit with very low-frequency bass – in addition, the speaker doesn’t have a low battery warning. Instead, it will simply die in the middle of a song, which can be annoying.
Anyway, the angled design is made to project sound efficiently. This small speaker can easily fill a room with a hearty soundscape, just don’t expect its bass to be particularly punchy.
The battery is more powerful than other speakers of similar size and can play for 14 continuous hours at 2/3rds max volume (it will be shorter than that if you’re at max volume, though). Since you can charge your battery while using it, the music does not have to stop. The splash-proof and dustproof IPX5 rated casing means you can take this with you out on the trail and not worry about any technical failures.
A built-in mic for making and taking calls from your phone, an AUX input for alternate audio sources, and the 100-foot wireless range makes the Oontz Angle 3 a versatile speaker for all environments.
- IPX7 rated casing extremely resistant to water, dust, and mechanical damage
- Dual external passive radiator for an improved bass sound
- Battery can degrade quickly
- Slight crackling at very high volumes
The JBL Flip 4 is the next generation of the award-winning Flip series of Bluetooth speakers. The Flip 4 offers crystal clear audio in a tiny package that can easily fit in your backpack, purse, or coat pocket. The new IPX7 rated casing is extremely resistant to water and dust– so resistant you could completely submerge the Flip 4 in water, and it would still work.
The 3000mAh battery offers 12 hours of continuous playtime and comes in 6 vibrant color options to match your style. The built-in noise canceling and echo canceling speakerphone is perfect for making and taking calls and its voice command functionality means you can sync up Siri or Google. Just press the front button to activate voice commands.
The JBL Connect+ app lets you link up to 100 individual JBL speakers together so you can stream the same music on multiple devices.
This speaker will crackle a bit at its highest volumes, but believe me when I say this speaker can get loud. I have one that I use in my college dorm, and I am – more often than not – annoying my neighbors when it’s blasting at a high volume.
Whoops…
- IPX7 rated casing extremely resistant to water, dust, and mechanical damage
- Dual external passive radiator for an improved bass sound
- Battery can degrade quickly
- Slight crackling at very high volumes
The Anker Soundcore portable Bluetooth speaker is one of the best values amongst these speakers with good sound despite its small price tag.
The small black rectangular design is discrete, allowing for easy transportation. The IPX5 rated casing is highly resistant to dust and moisture, so you won’t have to worry about using this speaker outdoors. Two high sensitivity drivers and a patented bass port give high fidelity low sounds without crackling or distortion.
The Anker Soundcore is slated for 24 hours of continuous play from a full battery charge. Thanks to the speaker’s 66-foot wireless range, you won’t lose connectivity as you move around. Unlike many other speakers in its weight class, the Anker uses Bluetooth 4.0 to ensure maximum clarity connection.
The device will also save the most recently synced device so you can pick right up where you left off without a hassle. The Soundcore can also connect to Alexa enabled devices so you can issue voice commands from your speaker.
This speaker only has one major drawback– after prolonged use and multiple chargers, the charging port may begin to deform. If you’re gentle, it shouldn’t be a problem, but I wasn’t any rougher with this speaker’s charging port than I am with all of my other devices so it is worth being conscious of.
- Extremely durable, tough, and waterproof
- Special acoustic chamber enhances bass tones on the 20W speakers
- Speakers can be damaged by playing loud for extended periods
- Long charging times (3-4 hours)
The AOMAIS Sport II is a high-quality speaker built to withstand all kinds of damage and weathering. The IPX7 rated casing is tough enough to handle being run over by a car and can still operate while submerged under 1 meter of water for up to 30 minutes. Virtually indestructible, the AOMAIS Sport II is a perfect option for the outdoor music enthusiast and can be used while camping, hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, etc.
Its two powerful speakers can output 20W of full-bodied stereo sound with rumbling bass tones and crystal-clear high notes. The AOMAIS Sport II has a uniquely designed acoustic cavity to minimize feedback and harmonic distortion.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to listen to music for hours, you’ll love this speaker – it has a 15-hour battery life and it charges quickly too. The music never has to stop! Although the speaker has exemplary battery life, it also takes three to four hours to fully charge.
This speaker’s 4.0 Bluetooth connectivity is compatible with most smartphones, MP3 players, tablets, laptops, PC, and Amazon Echo. Like many Bluetooth speakers, you can link two AOMAIS Sport IIs together for up to 40W surround sound. Each speaker also comes with a 12-month worry-free warranty.
Bluetooth Speaker Buying Guide
Bluetooth speakers are great when you have friends over at your place, or you want to bump some of your favorite tunes on the go. Personally, I love using my Bluetooth speaker when I’m at the top of a mountain after a hike.
In any event, there are a few things you should consider before you purchase a Bluetooth speaker. After all, not all Bluetooth speakers were created equally, and you should be getting the best bang for your buck.
IPX
IPX is a rating of a device’s water resistance on a scale from 0 to 8, with 0 being not water resistant at all, and 8 being fully waterproof. You can learn more about IPX ratings here.
The only speaker without a rating is the Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio, but since it is the largest speaker that’s somewhat to be expected; I’d assume they expect you to take it outside around water less often. All of the other speakers are at least IPX4, which means it will be fine if it is splashed.
However, if you plan on taking your speaker around the pool, then you might want to get one of the speakers that are rated IPX7 (almost half the speakers are IPX7) since they are fine in up to 3 feet of water. And if you’re quick, they should be fine in deeper water… just don’t make a habit of making your hapless Bluetooth speaker swim.
Portability
In general, the smaller the speaker, the better suited it is for taking places. However, smaller speakers usually mean less volume and power, so small and more portable Bluetooth speakers tend to be quieter than larger Bluetooth speakers.
All things being equal, this holds relatively true, but you can pay more to get a better sounding, portable speaker, like the Bose SoundLink Micro. Still, the Harman Kardon Onyx Studio trades a lot of that portability for more robust audio at a similar price point.
Audio Input Options
Since this is an article about “Bluetooth” speakers, all the reviewed products are Bluetooth compatible. Nevertheless, many speakers come with an external audio jack for non-Bluetooth audio sources, like some TVs, game consoles, and stereos.
If you only plan on streaming music from your phone or other Bluetooth devices, then don’t worry about an external jack. However, if you have multiple non-Bluetooth audio sources you would like to use, make sure to get a speaker with an auxiliary jack. Most auxiliary jacks use a standard 3.5 mm connector head and you can buy aux cords for cheap.
Battery Life
Most Bluetooth speakers will give you at least 6 hours of battery life, though depending on how powerful they are, battery life may be less. Typically, larger speakers with more wattage have less battery life, but that is to be expected since they require more power to run. Smaller speakers can work for almost a day straight without interruption, although these speakers tend to be smaller and less powerful.
If you frequently find yourself in places without nearby sources of electricity, then a speaker with a long battery life is the best option. If you plan for more home use, then don’t worry too much about the battery life as you can just plug it in whenever you need a charge.
Multi-Device Connectivity
Many Bluetooth speakers offer multi-device connectivity – in other words, they can link up to multiple speakers and play music simultaneously. This feature is pretty great when you need to fill up a large room for a party with many people. Otherwise, a single speaker probably wouldn’t be loud enough (assuming your party is lit!).
Our Verdict
