The market for Bluetooth speakers has exploded in the past few years, and with good reason: quality has increased and prices have dropped. Every model can stream music from nearly any smartphone or tablet, many of them double as speakerphones, too.
We at CNET have been reviewing them at a steady clip, and we've rounded up more than two dozen of our favorite models, focusing on small and lightweight units that are best suited to travel. Some of the "older" models have been discontinued but are perfectly fine and continue to be offered for sale at great prices, so we're keeping them in the roundup until they completely disappear from the market.
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Caption:David Carnoy
/ Photo: Sarah Tew/CNET
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Bose SoundLink Micro
Bose's SoundLink Micro is arguably the best-sounding speaker for its tiny size. Although it's a little pricey, Bose did shave $10 off its list price, bringing it down to $99. It's fully waterproof and available in three color options.
The Wonderboom is one of the best sounding Bluetooth speakers for its compact size -- and it's fully waterproof, which makes it shower-friendly. It started out at $100 but is now down to less than $60 online.
The smallest speaker in Sony's Extra Bass line of Bluetooth speakers, the SRS-XB10 delivers more bass than your typical tiny wireless speaker -- and it's water-resistant.
The UE Boom 2 originally listed for $200 (£179, AU$180), but has now come down in price to around $100 online. It delivers big sound for its size and is a great choice for outdoor use (it's fully waterproof).
JBL has improved the design and performance of its pocket-friendly Bluetooth speaker. It's now fully waterproof and sounds better than the original Go.
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Caption:David Carnoy
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Credit B&O Play for creating a Bluetooth speaker that doesn't look like anything out there already. Although it's expensive at $249, £199 in the UK and AU$379 in Australia, it sounds impressive for its small size and has a high-quality speakerphone.
Available in multiple color options, the B&O Play P2 is a slim Bluetooth speaker with a premium design that sounds very good for its small size. Its online price has come down a little.
JBL Clip 2, the successor to the popular Clip and Clip+, is a waterproof micro Bluetooth speaker with a handy tuck-away cord you can plug into your audio source if need be. It costs a little more than $50 online. The Clip 2 is available in the UK for £35 and AU$49 in Australia. (The Clip 3 is due out in the summer of 2018).
A lot of these small Bluetooth speakers sound fairly similar, but the JBL Pulse 2 manages to distinguish itself with a built-in light show that's fairly mesmerizing. It lists for $200, £170 or AU$300, but can be had for close to half that (around $100) online because there's a newer Pulse 3.
We were fans of UE's original Roll Bluetooth speaker, a compact, waterproof wireless speaker with a unique design that sounded very good for its size and has decent battery life. The UE Roll 2, which retails for $100 USD (£80, AU$95), but can be had for significantly less online, offers improved range and plays louder. It's one of our favorite mini Bluetooth speakers.
With the better sounding Flip 4 now on the market, JBL's older Flip 3 is being sold at a discount. A 2015 model, you can now find it online closer to $75 and for as low as £73 or AU$117 in the UK and Australia, respectively.
The Beats Pill+, which charges via Apple's Lightning cable, has a lot to like about it if you can overlook its inflated list price: $229, £189, and AU$267. But it is being discounted online to around $130 (£100), which helps.
The Bose SoundLink Mini II has been out for a while but is still good mini Bluetooth speaker with excellent build quality and impressive sound quality for its size. It's come down in price a little since the newer Revolve and Revolve Plus came out last last year.
Polk's Boom Bit -- also referred to as the Bity -- is a tiny speaker you can clip to your shirt. As you might expect, it doesn't sound great, but it works well as a wearable speakerphone in the car and can be used for running and on bike rides.
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Caption:David Carnoy
/ Photo: Sarah Tew/CNET
Klipsch's Groove mini Bluetooth speaker is well designed and packs a punch. When it came out a few years ago, it started out at $150 but is now down to $60 online as it has been discontinued
We reviewed Divoom's original Voombox Outdoor and thought it was pretty good for $100. Now the Voombox Outdoor 2 sells for $60 (£40) online and plays very loud for its small size, though it can distort at higher volumes.
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Caption:David Carnoy
/ Photo: Sarah Tew/CNET
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Braven BRV-1
We thought the water-resistant Braven BRV-1 was overpriced at its $180 list price, but now that it's come down to less than $50 (£120 in the UK, AU$195 in Australia), it's a lot more attractive.
Polk Audio's Boom Swimmer is a small waterproof wireless speaker that has a bendable tail that allows you to hook the speaker onto anything you want. When it was first released it listed for $60 (£50, AU$79), but can now be had for less than half that online. The newer Swimmer Duo costs more.
It also comes with a suction cup, so you can attach it to the wall -- or glass -- in your shower. It offers better sound than its small size would indicate, but it gets on the list for its flexible, bathroom friendly design. Available in multiple color options.
