The best Bluetooth speakers have a place near and dear to our hearts, even as we’ve seen smart speakers improving their sound and portability. It’s convenient to ask an Amazon Echo or Google Nest speaker to play your favorite track or tell you the weather, but smart speakers require stable Wi-Fi and potential privacy compromises. By (mostly) forgoing voice assistants and Wi-Fi radios, Bluetooth speakers are ultraportable, able to venture into the world and withstand rugged conditions like a sandy beach or steamy Airbnb jacuzzi. They’ll provide worry-free connection to any smartphone, and the top options sound as good as or better than the average smart speaker.
We’ve tested hundreds of Bluetooth speakers going back to 2017, and they improve every year. Today’s models are designed for nearly every use case you can imagine, which is exactly how we test them. Here are our favorites right now. Be sure to check out all our buying guides, including the Best Soundbars, Best Wirefree Earbuds, Best Smart Speakers, and Best Bookshelf Speakers.
Updated March 2025: We’ve added the JBL Flip 7 and JBL Charge 6.
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