12 Best Bluetooth Speakers for Anywhere You Go (2024)

In our Lab tests, Bose has consistently stood out for its high-quality, clear audio. We're fond of the SoundLink Flex for staying true to Bose's beautiful sound, but also like this model's lightweight, portable design. The speaker comfortably fits into the palm of your hand and comes with a loop that makes attaching it to backpacks or bags with the addition of a carabiner simple. Smartphones connect just as seamlessly and on-speaker controls are easy to navigate.

With a claimed 12 hours of battery life, you'll have music flowing throughout the duration of your summer BBQ or hiking trip. Should things get messy, you don't have to worry about your SoundLink Flex as it's built to handle water submersion up to three feet and a little dirt. Though we wish the Bluetooth range was a little greater than 30 feet, it's hard to find better quality for a better price.

The Middleton aced our Lab tests with the highest overall score for performance, ease of use and of course its stunning design. Our pros found the sound quality to be excellent and extremely clear. "The sound quality is incredibly crisp, even at high volumes," says GH Lab Assistant Nikolas Greenwald. "The treble has no harshness while the bass is smooth. It sounds good with spoken audio content as well and it's easily the most aesthetically appealing." Though we admit that we miss the iconic analog controls that you'll find on most Marshall speakers for adjusting bass, treble and volume, we like that this model's design is sleek and more compact (and you can still make those same adjustments to customize your sound with intuitive buttons and a control knob). "It features a really cool display system for battery and volume that's integrated," says Alec Scherma, test engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Though you can certainly bring this speaker with you on the road or show it off at your friend's place thanks to a handy detachable carrying strap, we think its design looks best as a centerpiece on a bookshelf. We do wish it was a bit lighter and that the Bluetooth range was greater, but the extra pounds are worth the rich sound and a claimed 20-hour battery life. We also like that this model is waterproof and more rugged than other Marshall speakers previously tested.

Sonos is so popular for its crisp, clear and excellent audio quality, and the Sonos Move shouldn't be overlooked. Whether you're hoping to leave this speaker on the kitchen counter or bring it outside from time to time, it connects to both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to make things easy and has a built-in handle for convenient transportation.

Our pros admit that this speaker is on the heavier side, but it's our go-to choice for anyone trying to build a sound system throughout the whole house. While the Move creates rich sound on its own, we like that it can link together with other Sonos products to create an immersive sound experience with handy voice control (it has Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant built-in). Our experts also appreciate Sonos's easy-to-use app and seamless pairing as well as the wireless charging base that comes included with your purchase.

Whether you're hosting guests or throwing a beach party, this Bluetooth speaker from Sony makes a statement. It aced our recent tests as one of the loudest speakers, amazing our engineers and experts with how loud it could get without sacrificing audio quality. "The speaker is naturally attuned to mainstream pop sounds, with a distinctive mid-range and emphasized bass," says Greenwald. "Fans of more acoustic or classical music might find it dulls out the high end a bit, but given you can manipulate its EQ via its companion app, there’s plenty of wiggle room for getting the sound you want." We also like that this speaker has a Bluetooth range of nearly 100 feet so you can move around with your phone and it comes with a whopping 25 hours of battery life, according to the brand, to last you all night long (and more!).

"Mega bass mode sounds fantastic," Greenwald adds. "The light show in this mode is well-timed with the music and looks great." On top of lights that sync with your songs, we like that there's a retractable handle that makes this speaker super easy to carry — just keep in mind that it is one of the heaviest speakers on this list, coming in at nearly seven pounds.

Who doesn't love a speaker that's super portable and can float? Our pros raved about this wireless Bluetooth speaker with an IP67 rating that makes it waterproof, resistant to dust and ultra rugged. Perfect for at home or travel, this lightweight option has an impressive 150-foot Bluetooth range and solid 15-hour battery life according to the brand that makes it perfect for listening all day long. Our pros love that it features a "magic button" for easy navigation of playlists without having to reach for your phone.

Should your speaker not be loud enough (it should be!), we like that you can pair the Boom 3 with up to 150 speakers for an even louder, more immersive sound. Or you can opt for the larger sister speaker, the Megaboom 3, which offers five extra hours of claimed battery life and more sound intensity. Though we wish this model could be charged with the more standard USB-C as opposed to micro-USB, keep in mind that you do have the option of purchasing a Power Up charging dock for an extra fee.

Combine a wireless Bluetooth home speaker with voice control and you get the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. Available in both silver and black, the attractive design and well-balanced sound made this a top pick in our tests. Grab the handle to easily move the speaker from room to room, around the house or take it outside. Just keep in mind that the Bluetooth range is only 30 feet, so if you plan to surpass that consider connecting to Wi-Fi instead.

With an IPx4 rating, this speaker's durable and water-resistant design is suitable for the whole family, though our pros advise not leaving it outside in heavy summer showers. If you plan on using it indoors, we love that you can sync it with other Bose smart speakers and soundbars for multi-room listening.

As the name implies, this ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker can be clipped literally everywhere, including but not limited to your jeans, a pool chair or your beach bag. The Clip 4 is battery-powered and offers decent sound quality, especially considering its miniature size. “Given its demure size, you won’t get a booming bass that compliments aggressive EDM or electronic music, so fans of these genres might want to look for something with a more substantive woofer," says Greenwald. "That said, the treble and mid-range on this speaker sound great and are suitable for most listening applications.”

Our pros also love that it comes in a variety of colors and can even be customized to your liking online by creating your own design. Though we wish battery life was a bit longer and stereo pair was possible, it's hard to find a speaker that's easier to travel with.

The engineers and scientists in the Good Housekeeping Institute Media and Tech Lab have tested 30 Bluetooth speakers in recent years, evaluating everything from ease of use to durability and performance. Our most recent evaluations were led by Nikolas Greenwald, a Lab assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute who works cross-Labs to develop testing protocols and manage data collection and analysis.

When testing Bluetooth speakers, our experts first consider how easy each speaker is to set up, pair and control playback music through the device and app, if applicable. We evaluate voice assistant commands, as well as claimed battery life and special features like built-in microphones. We also measure the physical footprint and weight of each speaker to factor in its portability. For sound quality, we listened to various songs across different genres (everything from rock with heavy bass to classical piano music) at maximum and minimum volumes to check for distortion; we also listened to podcasts to assess dialogue.

Next, we conducted frequency sweeps and evaluated whether the bass and treble were balanced. Speakers that claim to be waterproof or weather-resistant are reviewed to ensure the validity of these claims, and outdoor speakers are dropped multiple times to make sure they still function.

When purchasing a Bluetooth speaker, you'll first want to have an idea of where you’d like your speaker to live. Is this a speaker that will sit in your living room and you’ll play music when friends are over? Do you want to be able to take your speaker with you as you travel? Is this a speaker you want in your kitchen so you can ask your voice assistant for measurement conversions and more? Your answers to questions like this will help guide you when choosing a speaker. A few other things to keep in mind include:

✔️ Size: This is typically a decent indicator of how loud each speaker can get. If you want to play music in a loud environment, a larger speaker should likely be prioritized. However, if you plan on toting the speaker around with you, you might want to sacrifice some audio output for a more manageable footprint and weight.

✔️ Battery: Plan on taking your Bluetooth speaker with you on a camping trip? Don't forget to check how much claimed battery life or playtime it has before needing to be recharged. While some speakers have 10 hours, others are closer to offering a day's worth of battery life. If you opt for a speaker with lower battery life, consider bringing a power bank along with you on your adventure.

✔️ Connectivity: Many of our top-pick speakers have Wi-Fi music streaming options, as well as Bluetooth streaming options. For instance, the Sonos Roam can operate over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and also works with Alexa or Google Assistant. Our engineers find that setup using Bluetooth is generally much easier and faster, but Wi-Fi setup may be worth the initial setup time commitment since it can allow for easier use when returning to your speaker over the long-term. Connecting through Wi-Fi is especially useful for wired speakers that will stay within the same Wi-Fi radius. If your speaker only connects via Bluetooth, make sure to check the Bluetooth range if you plan on covering a large space. While some speakers need to be within 30 feet of your phone, some will still function over 100 feet.

✔️ Water resistance: When shopping, the experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute recommend you look for a strong Ingress Protection (IP) rating as well if you're planning on using your speaker outside (or have messy kids!). This is a standard that indicates ruggedness and weather or water resistance. IP ratings have two numbers — the first for solids (i.e. dust); the second for liquids (i.e. water). We suggest an IP67 rating if you plan on using your Bluetooth speaker by the pool where it can accidentally fall inside, which means it's waterproof up to three feet for 30 minutes.

✔️ Voice assistants: Some of our top-rated Bluetooth speakers have their own built-in voice assistants, like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. If you have any smart devices already in your home, you should look up what voice assistant they’re compatible with. Here's a list of additional smart speakers to consider if voice control is a priority for you.

Originally written by Stefani Sassos, this article was most recently updated by the GH Institute's Media & Tech Reviews Analyst Olivia Lipski, who covers consumer electronics like soundbars, noise-canceling headphones and AirPod alternatives. She updated this guide based on the Media & Tech Lab's extensive testing data.

Bluetooth speaker testing was conducted by Nikolas Greenwald, a Lab assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute who works cross-Labs to develop testing protocols and manage data collection and analysis. In his free time, Greenwald has worked as a record producer and mix engineer for over 10 years, using the most cutting-edge technology to produce songs that have amassed millions of streams.