Ranked : The 7 Best Bluetooth Speakers Of 2024

Tom's Guide

We Are Ranking The 7 Best Bluetooth Speakers Of 2024

Transcript

00:00If you're here, you're probably looking for the best Bluetooth speakers, and luckily

00:04for you, I've tested a big selection of options including many that are new to the

00:08market.

00:09I'll go through my favorites to help you decide which is best for you, with all of

00:12the speakers linked down below.

00:14Let's get right into it.

00:15The best Bluetooth speaker is the Sonos Move 2.

00:18I could write a thesis on how much I love this speaker, and I know coming in with something

00:22that costs $450 is bold, but it is worth every penny.

00:27Sonos is pretty much synonymous with top-tier audio quality, and that's what you get with

00:31the Move 2.

00:32Except while most Sonos speakers are wired, this one has a battery so you can take it

00:37with you as you move around your house, you can take it outside to your deck or patio,

00:41or you can pack it up for a beach day or weekend away.

00:44The Sonos Move 2 remains one of the few speakers that has both Wi-Fi connectivity for integrating

00:49with a home system, and Bluetooth playback for listening to music beyond your Wi-Fi's

00:53reach.

00:54It's even more versatile with the option to be paired to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth simultaneously.

00:59What's more, you can stream via Bluetooth to a stereo set of Sonos 2 Move speakers connected

01:03over Wi-Fi via the Sonos app, and use the built-in Sonos Assistant to control it hands-free.

01:09Audio-wise, you can expect crisp sound with satisfying bass and clear, engaging vocals,

01:14but the best part is the Move 2's auto-true play that tunes the speaker's audio output

01:19for wherever you're listening, whether you're having a rooftop party or just rocking out

01:23in your bedroom.

01:25The next best choice, and the one that I think a lot of people will go for, is the UE Mega

01:28Boom 4.

01:29This is pretty much everything you could want in a Bluetooth speaker.

01:32Good sound quality, long battery life, ruggedness, and more.

01:36UE has been making some of the best Bluetooth speakers for a while now, and this is one

01:40of their newer releases.

01:41I've found it has nicely balanced bass, mid, and treble tones, and it gets much louder

01:45than you'd expect for the size.

01:47The biggest selling points are the ability to pair multiple of these together for a stereo

01:51pair, and the fact that it's totally waterproof.

01:54If it falls in the pool, it will be so fine.

01:56With 20 hours of battery life, you can load this up for a camping trip and not have to

02:00worry about a thing.

02:01You can even have multiple people DJing, since you can have multiple Bluetooth sources paired

02:05at once.

02:06For $200, this is probably the quintessential Bluetooth speaker that comes to mind, and

02:11that's why I've put it high up on this list.

02:13But we're not done with UE just yet.

02:15The brand also has the best Bluetooth speaker under $100 with the UE Wonderboom 4.

02:20I've been using Wonderboom speakers for years now.

02:23They pack a punch in this small design.

02:25Its IP67 rating means it's dustproof and waterproof, so it can definitely be roughed around, though

02:30I'm not sure I'd recommend using it to have a catch.

02:33I've for sure thought about that for myself, though.

02:36Its balanced sound and a portable design make it a great travel companion for life on the

02:40go.

02:41The outdoor boost feature does its job in bringing more energy when it's free from

02:44room boundaries, and a 14-hour battery life should be enough for most situations away

02:49from a power outlet.

02:50I've often recommended this as a good speaker for your golf bag, your beach bag, it's

02:54a great gift considering the price.

02:56And as with UE's other speaker models, the Wonderboom 4 can be paired with another

02:59for stereo sound.

03:01Looking at another brand that makes the best Bluetooth speakers, I have to recommend the

03:05JBL Flip 6.

03:06It's one of the most popular speakers on the market currently, so I wouldn't be surprised

03:10if you've seen it before.

03:11The folks here at Tom's Guide highly recommend this speaker if you're looking to spend

03:15under $150.

03:16It balances a compact size with impressive audio quality, and it's also fully waterproof

03:21and dust-resistant.

03:22It packs 12 hours of battery life on a full charge, and the surprisingly rich bass is

03:26one of the biggest selling points of the Flip 6 specifically.

03:30Its Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity shouldn't be overlooked either.

03:33Overall, it's an impressive portable speaker, and it can very often be found on sale, which

03:37is awesome.

03:38Bluetooth speakers are great party speakers, but the best Bluetooth speaker for a party

03:43is the Sony Altfield 7.

03:45It's a very big portable speaker with an equally big price tag of $500, but for that,

03:51you get excellent sound with massive bass, a strong waterproof design, tons of inputs

03:56that even let you use it as a phone charger, and a lengthy 30-hour battery life.

04:00The audio performance is best when turning on the Sound Field Optimization in the companion

04:05app, which automatically scans your environment for ambient noise and dynamically adjusts

04:09sound.

04:10That being said, the real crowd-pleaser here has to be the synchronized LEDs at each end

04:15of the cylindrical cabinet.

04:17Another great, beefy, albeit slightly more portable speaker is the JBL Charge 5.

04:22As with a lot of speakers on this list, the Charge 5 is wrapped in mesh and has rubber

04:26end caps, and it comes in a very good selection of colors.

04:29It's also waterproof with an IP67 rating, so it's another dependable choice in terms

04:33of durability.

04:34And while the 20 hours of battery life might not sound that impressive considering the

04:38size, it is able to charge another device like a smartphone, hence the name Charge 5.

04:43This speaker normally costs $180, though you can usually find it on sale for much less,

04:48and if it's in your budget, it's a very, very solid choice.

04:51I think we've covered a pretty wide budget range when it comes to the best Bluetooth

04:55speakers, but for just $50, the Anker Soundcore 3 is a total score.

05:00I'm generally skeptical when I see audio products offered at such low prices, but this

05:04speaker will convince anyone that you don't need to spend hundreds for great sound.

05:08I'm not suggesting that for one moment it generates the kind of deep bass to shake the

05:12house, but it's certainly enough to get a party started wherever you are.

05:16It's lightweight enough to be easily portable, and its 24-hour battery life is plenty for

05:21the price.

05:22There's not much else to say besides this is the speaker to get if you're looking

05:26for something low-cost.

05:28Not all $50 or less speakers are built the same.

05:31This is the one that's worth it.

05:32There are literally hundreds of Bluetooth speakers out there, and several more worth

05:36recommending that you can check out in our guide in the description.

05:40That said, our protocols for testing speakers are always the same.

05:44We spend several hours listening to music, gauging the durability, and toting around

05:48every speaker to make sure it sounds great across all music genres, withstands minor

05:52bumps or splashes, and is convenient across the board.

05:56To determine sound quality specifically, we listen to many tracks across multiple music

06:00genres while evaluating volume, clarity, and fullness.

06:03If a speaker offers smart features, we enable the supported voice assistant to see how it

06:08fares against other top-rated smart speakers.

06:10But of course, we also test battery life, exhausting each speaker's battery after

06:14a full charge to see how long it lasts under realistic conditions.

06:19Most people want to know how much playtime they can expect when their speaker comes along

06:22on a day trip, understandably.

06:24As a shopper, there are many factors to consider.

06:27If you're one of those people who goes away for the weekend, I would absolutely make

06:30battery life a priority.

06:32Go for the longest-lasting speaker.

06:34I think budget is also a big factor, consider how much you'd like to spend and what you

06:38hope to experience for that value.

06:41If you want something that'll last you several years and sound great, I wouldn't be scared

06:45to invest.

06:46Alternatively, if maybe you need a secondary speaker or something for your backpack, you

06:50don't need to spend a ton for an experience that'll suit what you're looking for.

06:54The very best deals for all of the Bluetooth speakers we've talked about today are linked

06:58below, but let me know which you'd go for.

07:00If you have any questions about any of them, I'll also be answering them in the comments

07:04section.

07:05Let me know what kind of products we should round up next while you're here.

07:08Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.

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