The best Bluetooth speakers have become a staple household (and travel) item thanks to their compact size and convenience for listening anywhere, whether you’re in the shower, mowing the lawn, chilling in your hotel room, having a house party or cleaning the kitchen.
We’ve been testing the best portable speakers for years, in all shapes and sizes – and crucially, for all budgets. Audiophile sound quality and a thumping low end is always going to be a big ask if you’re looking at something the size of a coffee cup, but you can get a portable speaker that delivers balanced and clear audio outdoors, especially if you go larger. These are our priorities when testing Bluetooth speakers and obviously we balance that with battery life and price – aka value for money.
If your biggest priority is a rugged speaker design that can deal with being dropped and dunked, our dedicated guide to the best waterproof speakers is a great place to look. And if portability isn’t a factor, check out our guide to the best wireless speakers.
Want to cut to the chase and find out which Bluetooth speakers are the absolute best in the business? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices for different needs. You can also jump to a more detailed review of each product, and the best deals on them online.
The best Bluetooth speaker overall
The Sonos Roam delivers powerful sound for a small box, a rugged design that can take a tumble, excellent connectivity features (including Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth) and even smart home control.
The best budget Bluetooth speaker
The most fully-featured mini Bluetooth speaker we’ve tested, with great sound quality. It’s not the loudest option, but at this size and price, you can’t buy better.
The best mid-range Bluetooth speaker
This is a speaker that sticks to the basics, and gets them all right. This rugged model is super simple to use, sounds good and can be linked to up to 100 other JBL speakers to create a big wall of sound.
The best Bluetooth speaker for sound
This sophisticated speaker offers crisp audio performance that makes it ideal for the audiophile: think impeccable balance between bass, mid and treble in a bijou design.
Te best Bluetooth speaker for parties
The Blast is heavy and unsubtle, but that’s where the criticism ends. It sounds every inch as detailed as models from better-known audio specialists at three times the price (and you can turn its flashy lights off).
Best Bluetooth for reverse charging
Looking for a portable speaker that can charge your phone too? Here it is. In terms of features it’s fairly basic other than this trick, but the sound is solid and it’s built tough (and waterproof).
