GoKawiilJBL Go 4: JBL's new-for-2026 Go 5 has hit the market, so you can find some discounts on its predecessor, the Go 4. The Go 5 does have some modest enhancements, including slightly improved sound and battery. A bit heavier than the Go 4 at 8.16 ounces, the Go 5 is equipped with programmable "mood boosting" lighting slits toward the front on the top and bottom of the speaker, and the Go 5's battery live is rated for up to 10 hours versus the JBL Go 4's 7 hours (at moderate volume levels).
Bose SoundLink Home: The best way to describe Bose's new SoundLink Home speaker is as the spiritual successor to the SoundLink Mini 2, which was quietly discontinued in late 2018. Available in two color options, the SoundLink Home is a portable Bluetooth speaker with up to 9 hours of battery life, but it has more of an indoor design, with an aluminum chassis and no water resistance. (You can move it around, but it's not a speaker you'd take to the beach or camping.)
Ultimate Ears Everboom: Not too long ago, Ultimate Ears released its higher-end Epicboom Bluetooth speaker, which sounds very good but is pretty pricey at $300 and somewhat large. The newer Everboom is about half the size, weighing in at 2.1 pounds (the Epicboom weighs 4.36 pounds) and is more travel-friendly. It can't produce as much sound or bass as the Epicboom, but it does play relatively loud, and I was in some ways more impressed with its sound than the Epicboom's. By that, I mean for its size: It's one of the best-sounding speakers out there, delivering punchy bass and nicely detailed sound.
Anker Soundcore Boom 3i: In some ways, Anker's new Soundcore Boom 3i is the spiritual successor of the company's popular Soundcore Motion Plus speaker that was released in 2020. It's similarly shaped but has more of an outdoor adventure slant with Anker calling it "built for the wild" and billing it as the first Bluetooth speaker with playback in water, as it floats and "auto-corrects" to keep the speaker drivers facing upward just above the surface. As you'd expect from a speaker that promotional photos show strapped onto a kayak (it does have a detachable carrying strap), the Soundcore Boom 3i is fully waterproof and dust-resistant, with an IP68 rating. Anker takes things a step further, touting the Boom 3i as "5X" saltwater-resistant. Read our full review.
Sony ULTField 3: I like the new designs of Sony's new-for-2025 ULT Field 3 and ULT Field 5 Bluetooth speakers, which can stand vertically or lie horizontally. Both speakers are fully waterproof, dustproof, and rustproof (IP67 certification) and offer significantly improved sound over their predecessors, with more bass and better overall clarity. Both also include a new removable shoulder strap; I used it more with the heftier ULT Field 5 than the lighter ULT Field 3, which is about half the size of its more-expensive sibling. Needless to say, the ULT Field 5 sounds better, delivering bigger sound with more bass. But the ULT Field 3 also delivers more bass and volume than you'd expect, given its relatively compact size (and it offers better clarity and bass performance than its predecessor, the SRS-XE300). Read our full review.
Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go: The Soundcore by Anker Select 4 Go doesn't have quite the build quality as JBL's Go 4 micro Bluetooth speaker (it has a budget feel to it), but it offers comparable sound quality and costs half the price. Like the JBL Go 4, the similarly named Select 4 Go sounds decent for its tiny size and is able to output just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny. Also, it's fully waterproof and even floats. Battery life is rated for an impressive 20 hours at moderate volumes, and you can pair two of these speakers together for stereo sound. It's definitely a good value.
Soundcore by Anker Boom 2 Plus: I consider the smaller Boom 2 the best value among current Soundcore by Anker Bluetooth speakers because it delivers very strong sound for a speaker that costs a little more than $100. But the larger and more expensive Boom 2 Plus is a better-sounding speaker that plays louder and produces bigger sound with more bass. It costs less than $200 and competes well with boom box speakers from JBL and Sony that cost upward of $400.
JBL Grip: JBL makes a lot of Bluetooth speakers, and its new-for-2025 Grip model falls somewhere between its micro-sized Go 4 and Clip 5 speakers and the Flip 6, which is more mini-sized. While it doesn't sound quite as good as the Flip 7, it costs less and is more compact, weighing in at .85 lbs., or 385 grams, which makes it easy to carry around. While it certainly has its sound limitations, particularly in the low-end, there's just enough bass to avoid sounding flat, and the speaker offers good treble clarity and strong midrange performance (the midrange tends to be where these small speakers perform best). I also liked the integrated loop and built-in lighting element on the back that's programmable via the JBL companion app for iOS and Android. It's more subdued than the light shows on some of the larger speakers and more accent or "ambient" lighting, as JBL calls it. Available in multiple color options, the Grip is rated for up to 14 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels and is fully waterproof and dust-resistant with an IP68 rating.
Tribit Stormbox Micro 2: Now that Tribit has released the StormBox Micro 3, a budget version of Bose's excellent SoundLink Micro 2 speaker, the second-gen StormBox Micro 2 is on sale for less than $50. The new Micro 3 offers improved acoustics and double the battery life, but the Micro 2 remains a good palm-sized wireless speaker that you can strap to the handlebars of your bike. Read our full review.
Sonos Move 2: Sonos' Move 2 portable speaker is a pretty straightforward product to review. That's because it improves upon its already very good predecessor in a couple of key ways. In addition to offering more spacious sound thanks to a new dual-tweeter acoustic architecture, it also delivers much improved battery life (up to 24 hours). Sonos also tossed is some modest design updates, including new touch controls. Alas, those upgrades come with a higher price -- the Move 2 with an included a wireless charging dock costs $449 (£449, AU$799), or $50 more than the original. But it's being sporadically discounted to $350, and if you can afford it, it's an excellent portable speaker that makes for a nice addition to your home's Sonos lineup, with the ability to travel more widely thanks to its Bluetooth support. Read our Sonos Move 2 review.
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