It’s worthwhile knowing what the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers are, especially if you own a smartphone (who doesn’t?) and plan to go camping, spend time by the pool, or simply take a trip to the beach. After all, this speaker can withstand exposure to water, dust, drops, and other environmental trials. Talk about features you expect to see on the best Bluetooth speakers.
To find the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers, we did all the buying, testing, and researching for you. The best way to find an excellent speaker is to hear it in action, and that’s just what we did. During our testing, we measured sound quality, battery life, and water resistance capability so we could recommend the toughest and best-sounding speaker. As a result of our research, we found that the JBL Boombox is the best outdoor Bluetooth speaker available today. With amazing sound quality, powerful volume, and the ability to connect to 100 other speakers, the JBL Boombox is sure to knock your socks off. Keep reading to learn more about this speaker and the other top picks on our list.
Top 5 Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers Compared
#1 JBL Boombox
Award: Top Pick/Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker for Parties
WHY WE LIKE IT: The JBL Boombox is big, powerful, and versatile. With an IPX7 waterproof rating and the ability to connect up to 100 JBL Connect+ speakers together, this outdoor wireless speaker is perfect for outdoor parties.
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- Can connect up to 100 JBL speakers together
- Completely waterproof IPX7 design
- Super convenient carrying handle
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- Most expensive on our list by far
- Heavy
- Doesn’t include any audio cables
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You can’t go wrong with the sheer power and audio quality of the JBL Boombox. For starters, the speaker is big (and unfortunately quite a bit heavier than most of the speakers on our list), which means it can get loud. If this weren’t enough to make it the best party speaker, its proprietary JBL Connect+ functionality lets you connect the speaker to 100 other JBL speakers for maximum volume and fun.
The JBL Boombox is completely waterproof with its IPX7 rating, which means it can be fully immersed in water up to 30 feet deep for up to 30 minutes. We don’t necessarily recommend you do this often, but it makes for great protection at the poolside or beach. These features and its overall design quality easily make the JBL Boombox our top pick for outdoor Bluetooth speakers. It belongs with 10 of the best Bluetooth speakers.
#2 Bose SoundLink Color II
Award: Honorable Mention/Best Portable Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker
WHY WE LIKE IT: If you’ve ever used any kind of Bose audio product, you know just how amazing their sound quality can be. With the Bose Soundlink Color II, you get this same audio quality, a super portable design, and a built-in mic for voice assistants, making this a great choice for on-the-go listeners.
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- Compact and portable
- Excellent sound quality
- Built-in mic
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- Disappointing 8 hours of battery life
- Only rated against splashes (IPX4)
- Bass sound is weak
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Are you looking for 10 of the best Bluetooth speakers for big sound under $300? If you’re looking for the best portable outdoor Bluetooth speaker on the market, look no further than the Bose Soundlink Color II. Measuring in at only about 5 inches wide and 5 inches long, you can easily carry this speaker around with you in your pocket or bag. Unfortunately, a speaker of this size comes with some setbacks, like the lowest battery life on our list (8 hours) and weak bass sound.
The Bose Soundlink Color II also includes a built-in microphone that you can use with both speakerphones and voice assistants like Siri and Google. Another nice feature of this speaker is the option to buy it in a variety of different colors for a more personalized experience, which is something you don’t get with every option. Finally, be aware that the Soundlink Color II is only IPX4 rated, which means it can handle a splash of liquid or two, but not full immersion.
#3 AOMAIS Go
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Award: Best Waterproof Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker
WHY WE LIKE IT: The AOMAIS Go is a beast of a speaker, which shows in its overall design and volume. It’s a fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker with an IPX7 rating and durability that extends to its being dustproof and shockproof.
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- IPX7 waterproof design
- Powerful bass
- Excellent, 30-hour battery life
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- Bulkier and heavier than other speakers
- Sound can get distorted at higher volumes
- Controls are sometimes slow to respond
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The AMOIAS Go Bluetooth speaker was designed to be tough. Just by looking at the design of the speaker, you can tell it can take a punch and keep on booming. It features a sturdy exterior that can be splashed on, bumped into, and more without any problems. The only downside to this extra-durable design is the added weight and bulkiness. If you’re looking for something a little lighter, check out these best desktop speakers.
The AMOIAS Go’s speakers sounded really good, except for the fact that it can get a little distorted at max volume. This Bluetooth speaker excels with its bass sound, which is powerful and full. You also get a full 30 hours of total playtime on a single battery charge, one of the longest times on all the speakers we tested. Check out the Ultimate Ears Boom 3 as well, which is another waterproof speaker with extra perks like Google Assistant capabilities. It’s great for travel since it weighs only 1.2 lbs. and has a battery life of almost 20 hours. You might also be interested in 10 of the best portable Bluetooth speakers for under $100.
#4 OontZ Angle 3
Award: Best Budget
WHY WE LIKE IT: The OontZ Angle 3 is perhaps the most-reviewed Bluetooth speaker on our list but it’s no surprise that it’s maintained such a high rating. At a sub-$50 price, the Angle 3 offers surprisingly good sound and build quality, making this a great choice for audiophiles on a budget.
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- Super long, 100 ft. Bluetooth range
- Surprisingly rich sound in a small package
- Speakerphone capable
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- Low max volume
- Not fully waterproof speakers
- Lacks deep bass
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If you’re on a budget, you cannot pass up the Oontz Angle 3 Bluetooth speaker, and a ton of other people would agree. Maybe it’s the product of an excellent marketing team (joking) – the reviews are backed up by a high-quality little speaker. They might make excellent marine speakers or great boat speakers, too.
You’re not going to get the most amazing sound on such a small, budget speaker, but it offers surprisingly rich sounds. It suffers a bit when it comes to bass since it can’t quite get deep enough, likely due to the overall size of the unit. It’s also not fully waterproof, but its IPX5 rating means it can get splashed and spilled on without a problem. Overall, we were super impressed with such an inexpensive speaker, making the Oontz Angle 3 our top pick for people on a budget. If you want something a bit smarter, check out the best smart speaker. For a waterproof alternative, there’s the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, which generates great outdoor sound for up to 10 hours on a single charge. If the size of the speaker is an important factor to you, also read our best mini Bluetooth speaker guide.
#5 Bugani M83 Speaker
Award: Best Value
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Bugani M83 is big and powerful, both in design and sound. If you’re looking for something loud that doesn’t sacrifice sound quality, you should definitely consider the Bugani outdoor Bluetooth speaker.
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- Shock-absorbant housing
- Built-in powerbank for charging your phone
- 40-hour battery life, longest on our list
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- Heavy
- Only IPX5 rated
- Doesn’t come with AC adapter
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Loud and proud is the best way to describe the Bugani M83 outdoor Bluetooth speaker. It features an evocative, yet simple design with two huge speakers that can really blast you away with some serious volume. And you won’t have to sacrifice sound quality with this speaker to get such high volume. On top of all of this, you’ll get the highest battery life of all the portable outdoor speakers we tested, coming in at 40 hours of playtime. You won’t get the same sound like the best floor-standing speakers, but still decent.
Of course, there are a couple of things we would have liked to see the Bugani do better. For starters, the speaker isn’t 100% waterproof at only an IPX5 rating. It can still take some splashes and spills without problem, but don’t let it fall into the water at your pool party. It also doesn’t include an AC adapter, only a USB charging cable, which we thought was kind of strange. However, these minor downsides are easy to overlook when you’re looking purely for volume. In that case, the Bugani M83 is a perfect choice since they’re the loudest Bluetooth speakers we tested. And we have tested a lot of the best wireless speakers and top wireless speaker solutions. If you are playing music from an iPhone 5S, you may wish to also check out our best iPhone 5S cases guide.
What to look for in the Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker
- Durability and IPX Ratings: Manufacturers sometimes talk up their devices with attractive lingo, but when looking for the best outdoor speakers, the sure way to know if an outdoor speaker will stand up to the ruggedized claims is if it’s backed with durability ratings. The most common of these is the Ingress Protection (IP) rating, which says how resistant a device is to water, dust, sand, snow, or anything thing else that can seep in and cause damage. Two numbers are assigned to the IP rating (i.e. IPXX, where the first placeholder refers to dust protection and the second to water), and the higher the number, the more it can withstand. A device is dust-tight at a rating of IP6X and waterproof at IPX7 and up. Regarding impact resistance, you should look for drop test military-grade MIL-STD-810 certification.
- Battery Life: The battery sentiment speaks for itself. We’ve all run into the frustration of a device dying on us. Speakers with Bluetooth connectivity have rechargeable Li-Ion batteries like many mobile devices, however, the mAh capacity stated in the specs may not be a clear indication of the battery life. Speakers vary a lot in terms of driver size and power output. It’s best to see what the manufacturers state what the playback time should roughly be. Most times, they say “up to” a certain amount hours, which bear in mind, is more or less based on the volume level. The louder sound you have, the fewer hours of playback you’ll achieve.
- Sound Quality: Many times with speakers, bigger is better. You’ll find a wide variety of speaker sizes and with that, a varying number of audio drivers packed within. You’ll want to keep that in mind depending on the use case – if you’ll primarily use the speaker for causal listening or want a powerhouse for outdoor parties. Additionally, the driver size can be telling on how loud the system can get or the audio quality.
Also Read: Best Bluetooth Speakers 2019
Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t Go Too Cheap: Sometimes it just is that you get what you pay for. A speaker can appear rugged, but not actually be built with the right protective measures. Or it can have a lesser rating on the IP scale, meaning that while there is some resistance to water or dust, it can be susceptible to trying conditions. If you plan on using the speaker almost every day, it might be worthwhile to consider a better quality product that can last longer and handle more usage.
Short Bluetooth Range: Using a wireless Bluetooth speaker outdoors means that you’ll probably hit the wireless range limit, especially if your connected mobile device is in your pocket. If that sounds likely, you’ll want to be mindful of what the manufacturer claims for the range. Most speakers at least have a range of 33 feet, but nowadays there is a good amount that can reach 100 feet.
Most Important Features
Durability
- An outdoor Bluetooth speaker is likely to be subjected to the elements, so it should be sealed tightly and substantially reinforced.
- Look out for durability claims in the device specs – a high rating on the IP scale against both water and dust, and a drop test certification for impact/shock resistance.
Sound Quality
- Audio manufacturers typically use a multi-driver setup on portable speakers to get worthy sound. Some of the top bass Bluetooth speakers can pack more of a punch, so usually, you’ll see a larger variant of the same model (but costlier).
- You’ll want to find the right balance for you between portability, great sound, and price. And if possible, demo the speaker and see if your ears accept the quality.
Battery Life
- Battery life is one of the most important features of an outdoor Bluetooth speaker. Running times vary quite a bit, so make sure the length of playback cited in the specs is acceptable.
Bluetooth Range
- A healthy Bluetooth range eliminates the frustration of the signal cutting out, unless you plan to keep the source and speaker stationery.
