Best Portable Bluetooth Speakers:
- Bose SoundLink Flex
- JBL Xtreme 2
- Marshall’s Middleton
- JBL Encore
- Anker Motion Boom Plus
- EarFun UBOOM L
Bose SoundLink Flex
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: Yes – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
This speaker is great for outdoor use, giving a compact and lightweight design that makes it easy to carry. Its durability is another great factor, boasting an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. With a battery life of seven hours, it reliably lasts throughout most days on the move. However, it doesn’t reach the same volume levels as some other speakers, that makes it limited to fill a large outdoor space with sound.
The Bose SoundLink Flex is available in four color options: Black, White Smoke, Stone Blue, and Carmine Red. This review covers the all of the variant. Expect similar performance across all color variants.
Note: this speaker lacks a microphone. so be careful while buying it.
Comparatively, the Bose Flex is a compact and portable speaker, Similar to the Bose SoundLink Micro and the Anker Soundcore 3. Its superior construction stands out, thanks to its durable materials. Like other SoundLink models, the Flex supports voice assistants through your smartphone.
JBL Xtreme 2
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: Yes – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
The JBL Extreme 2 is a powerhouse portable speaker that provides an impressive combination of robust sound and designed to withstand rough conditions design. Having a waterproof rating of IPX7, it’s well-suited for outdoor adventures and pool parties. The dual passive radiators enhance the bass response, delivering a rich and immersive audio experience. With a durable fabric and rubber housing, it can withstand rough handling, making it an ideal choice for outdoor adventure enthusiasts. it has 15-hour battery life that ensures extended playtime, and the built-in USB port allows you to charge your devices on the go, adding to its convenience.
The speaker’s Bluetooth connectivity is very reliable and allows to pair with devices easily. The integrated JBL Connect+ feature enables you to wirelessly link multiple JBL speakers that provides synchronized audio experience, perfect for larger gatherings. While it may not be the most compact option, the JBL Extreme 2’s durability, impressive sound quality, and many features make it a solid choice for those who prioritize performance in a portable package.
Marshall's Middleton
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: No – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
The Marshall Middleton proves to be well-suited for outdoor usage, providing a portable Bluetooth speaker designed for on-the-go convenience. It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, making sure durability in various environments. While slightly heavier than other smaller speakers, its removable carrying strap gives you an easy one-handed transport. With a battery life of just seven hours on a single charge, it is ideal for a day spent outdoors and provides enough volume for smaller gatherings and parties. However, it may struggle to sufficiently fill larger, more expansive backyards with sound.
It’s available in Black/Brass. If you encounter alternative versions of this speaker, kindly share details in the forums, and our review will be instantly updated.
The Marshall Middleton, another addition to the portable Bluetooth speaker lineup, maintains the distinctive design associated with the manufacturer. Slightly larger than the Marshall Emberton or the Marshall Emberton II, this size difference can be attributed to its quad-speaker configuration, comprising two tweeters, two woofers, and two passive radiators. It excels in reproducing extended low-bass compared to the Emberton series. The added bass and treble adjustments provide users with greater control over the sound profile. Noteworthy features include the USB-C input/output, a rarity in many speakers, allowing for on-the-go charging of other devices. Despite its merits, the battery life falls short compared to other models from the manufacturer.
JBL Encore
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: No – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential proves to be an excellent choice for music lovers. when its Bass Boost feature tuned to ‘Deep,’ it maintains an overall neutral sound profile suitable for all type of music genres. Despite its compact size, it delivers a notably deep bass, making it ideal for people who enjoy genres like hip-hop and EDM. If you desire an even more pronounced bass, simply adjust it’s Bass Boost to ‘Punchy.’ Moreover, the speaker is compatible with the JBL PartyBox app, allowing you to utilize a graphic EQ for personalized sound adjustments. It boasts enough volume to fill large spaces with sound. However, it’s worth noting that at maximum volume, audio quality may be effected due to noticeable compression.
The JBL PartyBox Encore Essential, part of JBL’s PartyBox lineup with models like the JBL PartyBox On-The-Go, stands out as a portable party speaker. Despite being the smallest in the lineup during the review, it gives a powerful punch, featuring bass depth comparable to the larger JBL PartyBox 110 and impressive volume capabilities. Unlike its counterparts, such as the JBL PartyBox On-The-Go and the JBL PartyBox 100, it offers compatibility with the JBL PartyBox app, provides access to more party features like sound effects and light shows. The addition of a graphic EQ allows users to customize the sound to their preferences. However, it’s important to note that unlike some other speakers in the lineup, the JBL PartyBox Encore Essential supports a mic input for connecting an external microphone but does not allow for the wiring of external instruments like guitars
Anker Soundcore Motion Boom Plus
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: Yes – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
The $117 Core i3-13100F continues the legacy of its predecessor, the Core i3-12100F, as a top choice for budget systems. This CPU provides excellent gaming performance and decent productivity capabilities for its price. The Core i3-13100F features six performance cores (P-cores) and 12 threads, with base and boost frequencies of 3.4 GHz and 4.5 GHz, respectively. Unlike Core i5 models, it lacks efficient cores (E-cores) but includes 12 MB of L3 cache.
The 13100F supports 16 PCIe 5.0 lanes and four PCIe 4.0 lanes, as well as memory speeds up to DDR4-3200 and DDR5-4800, though DDR5 support has some limitations. It includes Intel’s new improved cooler, making it cost-effective and easy to manage thermal performance, with a 60W base and 89W peak power rating. The CPU is compatible with Socket 1700 motherboards from the 600-series and 700-series, including Z-, H-, and B-series boards. Note that the Core i3-13100F is a locked chip, meaning it does not support CPU overclocking but allows for memory overclocking.
EarFun UBOOM L
Battery Powered: Yes – Speakerphone: Yes – Voice Assistant: Yes – Bluetooth: Yes – Wi-Fi: No
The EarFun UBOOM L proves to be great for outdoor use. it’s compact and lightweight speaker makes it exceptionally portable, with IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, keeping is safe against various environmental conditions. Its Outdoor Mode is specifically made for optimal listening experiences in larger and more open spaces. It’s worth noting, however, comparing to other models in the market, such as the JBL Charge 5, this speaker doesn’t reach the same volume levels, and its actual battery life falls short of the advertised duration which is a setback.
Available in Black, The EarFun UBOOM L, a portable Bluetooth speaker, shares a design similar to models like the JBL Charge 5. It gives you a more budget-friendly option for on-the-go listening, although its sound quality may not be of the premium standards set by brands like JBL. Furthermore, it also lacks access to as many sound customization tools compared to similarly priced models like the Anker Soundcore Flare 2.