Our list of the Best Wireless Bluetooth Speakers speakers for 2021
While like most people you either have your own Bluetooth speaker by now or know someone in your extended crew who does, there’s still a significant case to be made for upgrading to something a little more premium. In a design-obsessed world, more and more portable audio products are being made as aesthetic and technological statements, rather than mere devices to rattle off your summer playlist with a metallic tambor.
While representing a little more by the way of investment, the new generation of wireless speakers are combining fantastic, room-filling audio quality, ruggedness, long battery life and looks that would appear at home in just about any chic surroundings. But where to start shopping? Here are some of our favourites that’ll carry you through the next few summers and beyond.
In more from the best of audio, check out our guides to the best wireless noise cancelling headphones and the best true wireless earbuds.
Here’s our ultimate list of the Best Wireless Bluetooth Speakers below
Bang & Olufson Beosound A1 2nd Gen
A revised take on the danish brand’s ever-so-sleek entry into the world of portable audio, the Beosound combines B&O’s ultra-scandi aesthetic with class-leading audio and protection from dust and water.
You can purchase one here
Bose Portable Smart Speaker
Perhaps the most complete offering in Bose’s long line of Bluetooth speakers, the Portable Smart Speaker is perhaps the most versatile on this list, making for a design-led piece of home audio, a rugged portable option, and a voice-activated smart hub all in one. It hooks up seamlessly with Spotify, Deezer and TuneIn as well, and has a powerful audio set-up that’ll fill any room.
You can purchase one here
Harman Kardon Citation One
A particularly portable entry into Harman Kardon’s design-forward line of home audio products, the Citation One combines industrial-inspired Scandinavian design with go-anywhere versatility and an in-built Google assistant. The only drawback is that it’s not quite as rugged as the others on the list, making it better as a home speaker for a smaller place.
You can purchase one here
JBL GO 3
Everyone knows at least one person who wields one of JBL’s compact, hard-hitting speakers, and now the brand’s most popular little speaker has gotten a fresh update with a new look, 5 hours of battery life and punchy audio.
You can purchase one here
JBL Charge 5
JBL’s somewhere in-between offering is compact enough to fit in any bag, but punchy enough to bring the right level of sound for any mid-sized outdoor occasion. If you really need to turn things up to 11, it’ll also sync up with other compatible JBL speakers to create an impromptu surround-sound system. The 20 hour charge life isn’t to be sneezed at, either.
You can purchase one here
JBL Xtreme 3
JBL’s biggest, boomiest speaker packs the biggest sound the brand has to offer into a surprisingly compact package. Now more powerful than ever, the newly-updated Xtreme 3 gets the same rugged build, but with an upgraded 3-speaker stereo system, better battery life and even an in-built powerbank for your other devices.
You can purchase one here
LG XBOOM Go PL
LG’s first big foray into the world of wireless bluetooth speakers comes in the form of an entire range of portable smart speakers, with the PL2, PL5 and PL7 all arriving at different price points. What they all get, however, is premium sound and IPX5-rated weatherproofing.
You can purchase one here
Sonos Move
The first portable speaker from a company that’s helping to revolutionise home audio, the Sonos Move is as premium as you’d expect from the California-based brand, with added weather resistance, a strong battery life and even drop-proofing.
You can purchase one here
Sonos Roam
The lightest, most portable speaker Sonos has released to date, the newly-unveiled Roam is just big enough to pack a serious sonic punch. Dust proof and fully waterproof with a rigorously tested IP67 rating, it’s also tough enough to take out and about, and can be linked with other speakers of the same type to create a multi-room speaker set-up.
You can purchase one here
Ultimate Ears Boom 3
More a household name than perhaps any other speaker on this list, the classic UE Boom is now in its 3rd generation, offering bigger sound than ever before in a vibrant, ultra-rugged package.
You can purchase one here
