The best portable Bluetooth speakers for every kind of party

These speakers can go literally anywhere.
By Joseph Green , Dylan Haas , and Matt Ford  on 
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Overview

Best For Smart Homes

Sonos Move

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Best For App Control

Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1

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Best For Durability

Bose SoundLink Micro

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Best For Disco Lighting

JBL Pulse 5

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Best For Portability

JBL Clip 4

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See 2 More

Table of Contents

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Playing music out loud on your smartphone should only ever be a last resort. Instead, you're going to want a great pair of headphones, or — if you're more inclined towards the communal listening experience — a nice portable speaker. This is the perfect time to invest in a stellar device for a superior listening experience — one that you can take for on-the-go partying and which isn't tied to a power supply.

There are lots of high-quality portable Bluetooth speakers. These are great for taking out with you while you're on a picnic, or when you're travelling away and you still want to listen to tunes in the hotel room or at the poolside.

But what should you look for when buying a portable Bluetooth speaker for the express purpose of having a fun time? We're here to help with a quick guide.

How good is Bluetooth speaker sound quality?

It's as good as you need it to be. So ask yourself the following questions: Will you be using your speakers solely for music? For podcasts? Maybe a bit of both? This factors into what kind of audio power you need, whether that's surround sound, Dolby Atmos, or traditional stereo. Not all speakers produce the same kind of sound quality, so it's important to know exactly what kind of listening experience you're looking to get out of it before you make the purchase. Typically, smaller speakers are more portable, but their sound quality isn't quite as strong as larger devices.

How many speakers do you need? 

Always choose quality over quantity. Having two amazing speakers, for instance, will always ensure better results than multiple average speakers. However, having too many speakers around is just going to take up an unnecessary amount of space. Indeed, two speakers is a sweet spot. Two speakers are ideal if you listen to a lot of music. Indeed, music is normally recorded for a stereo setting, so having a left and right channel will do you wonders. Fortunately several of the options below can be connected to other speakers for stereo sound. If you have a smaller space, however, one good speaker will be perfectly adequate.

What features do Bluetooth speakers offer?

As with everything in life, it's a case of getting what you pay for. Some low-price Bluetooth speakers are good at just pumping out lively tunes. Others will include smart features such as voice assistant, EQ customisation, app control, and other advanced tech. Ask yourself whether you want a portable speaker just for music, or to integrate into a system of smart devices.

Are portable speakers waterproof?

Finding a waterproof speaker is not absolutely necessary, but plenty of portable speakers are waterproof or water resistant — the portability means they'll see a lot of poolside and bar action, which means lots of splashing and spillages. It would be a shame if a rogue glass of water ended up being the demise of your new speaker, so if you have the option to go waterproof, do it.

What is the best portable Bluetooth speaker?

If you're not much of an audiophile and simply keen on stepping away from using your smartphone's built-in speaker, don't get too stressed over whether the bass is strong and the mids are crisp. Go with the form that suits you best, and you'll be satisfied regardless. We've tried to make the buying process a little easier by handpicking some standout speakers from top brands. There should be something for everyone in this roundup of the best portable speakers, with a speaker for every budget.

These are the best portable Bluetooth speakers in 2024.

The Bose SoundLink Revolve Series II is the next-gen version of Bose's already impressive Revolve. It's handily portable and delivers true 360-degree surround sound for an all-round listening experience. Quite literally.

It's significantly smaller that other high-end 360-degree audio speakers. But don't be fooled by the size. The Revolve Series II packs plenty of volume. It's made to go loud, with zero distortion at top volume. That makes it great for outdoor shindigs — not to mention water resistance in case of poor weather.

If you're already a Bose fan, the SoundLink Revolve Series II can pair with a second speaker to create a stereo sound, or to integrate into the Bose audio system via SimpleSync technology. You can also access your voice assistant.

The speaker is controlled with the Bose Connect app, which allows you to switch between Stereo mode or Party mode (yes, the Revolve Series II is very much a speaker for all occasions) with enough battery for 13 hours.

The Good

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Sonos Move

Sonos Move

Best For Smart Homes

The durable and smart Sonos Move is a great Bluetooth speaker for your home — especially if you want one you can move around with you. It's portable — great for house parties — but don't expect to travel with it over long distances. It's a hefty piece of kit, so it's really best for using in and around the home.

For its size the battery may be slightly underwhelming — 10 hours, which is less than other speakers at this level — but it comes equipped with a charging base, so there's no reason for it to run out of juice entirely. You can also recharge it on-the-fly with a trusty USB-C charger. 

We love how user friendly the Sonos Move is, too. It’s quick to set up and easy to control through the Sonos app. You can switch from WiFi to Bluetooth streaming when needed, though it's worth noting that not all of its smart features work when it's in Bluetooth mode.

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The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 looks less impressive than its rivals, but it provides high-quality sound. Indeed, it performs way beyond its small stature. The bass is powerful, while the mids and highs are well balanced and the lows are pleasingly crisp. It sounds like a much bigger system, though for true stereo sound you'll need to connect it to a second speaker.

The Beoplay A1 is controlled by an excellent, highly-intuitive app, which gives you the option to cycle through EQ levels and listening modes — the most impressive customisation on this list.

One negative point is that Alexa is limited. Because it's Bluetooth rather than wireless, you need to connect the speaker to a smartphone to use Alexa, and it can't access all of Alexa's features, such as streaming. For most partygoers, however, that's unlikely to be a dealbreaker.

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The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is a powerhouse considering its size and price. It's made for party-hard, active lifestyles — particularly if you're into travelling. It's easy to stick in your bag without taking up much space, and rugged enough to endure the normal bumps and knocks that come with constant activity. In fact, it's drop-proof — you can drop it from a height of up to five feet and it will survive the fall.

It’s also waterproof and even floats in water, with a healthy 13 hours of battery life. That's more battery than you'll get from far more expensive speakers.

But the mark of a good speaker isn’t just how portable it is. What matters most is the sound — and once again, the Wonderboom 3 performs well beyond its size and price point, with booming bass. As an extra party bonus, you can pair it with another Wonderboom 3 speaker to create a bigger, stereo sound.

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How could we not include Bose again? Its range of speakers is too good and diverse. The Bose SoundLink Micro might lack the stylish looks of some of its competitors, but it offers excellent sound quality. 

The Bose SoundLink Micro is also bordering on indestructible, so it's perfect for taking out and about with you. And it gets right to the point with a top-facing speaker and a micro USB charging port to the side. 

Its small stature makes it far more travel-friendly than some of the rivals on this list — easy to toss into your bag, with a bonus strap for easily clipping it to yourself or your luggage. The only real downside is it doesn't have full 360-degree sound, which is due to the placement of its front-facing speaker. And the battery life is a tad stingy at just six hours. But it's not a dealbreaker for us.

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JBL Pulse 5

JBL Pulse 5

Best For Disco Lighting

Nothing — and we do mean nothing — says party time like colourful lights that flash and dance along with the music. That’s why we have to include the JBL Pulse 5, which promises JBL’s great signature sound along with a 360-degree light show for ultimate party vibes. The lights actually sync to your favourite tunes, though you can also customise the lights via the JBL app.

The JBL Pulse 5 is a bit pricier than most JBL speakers we’d usually recommend — JBL is king of the mid-range speaker — but this one ups the ante sound-wise with specially designed speaker tech to crank the bass.

It’s actually built with partying in mind. It has a PartyBoost feature — a fun way of saying that you can link two or more JBL PartyBoost-compatible speakers together via Bluetooth and fill your home with tunes and dancing lights. In addition to all that, it’s resilient to the elements and has a 12 hour battery life.

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JBL Clip 4

JBL Clip 4

Best For Portability

The JBL Clip 4 is small — it weighs just 239 grams — but it will impress you big time. You can take it anywhere — to any party — and bring the good vibes.

The key to its portability is a built-in carabineer clip that attaches the speaker to your belt loop, backpack, or bike. If you are taking it out and about, the JBL Clip 4 is also waterproof and hard-wearing. It's small but robust.

Its limited size means it has limited volume, but you can wirelessly connect two or more clip speakers together to amplify your sound if you need to.

It boasts 10 hours of battery life (more than enough to keep you dancing all day and night) and comes in a range of fun colours — including red, blue, and camo — so you should always be able to find something that matches your style.

The Good

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Topics Bose

Photo of Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Global Shopping Editor

Joseph Green is the Global Shopping Editor for Mashable. He covers VPNs, headphones, fitness gear, dating sites, streaming services, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day.

Joseph is also Executive Editor of Mashable's sister site, AskMen.

author photo
Dylan Haas
Lead Shopping Reporter

Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, pets, fitness, sleep, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.

When he's not writing or testing products, you can find Dylan playing lots of video games, working out, spending time with loved ones (especially his dog, Stevie), or watching reality TV. Follow him on X at @iamdylanhaas, or send him an email at [email protected].

Mashable Image
Matt Ford

Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.

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