Ultra Portable Bluetooth Speakers Small Yet Powerful Offering The Best Premium Quality Sound

Samuel J Tan Bluetooth Speakers, Entertainment, Home & Kitchen, Portable Speakers, Speakers 1

When it comes to portability and best sound quality, these ultra portable bluetooth speakers do it best. Pair it with your mobile device and enjoy hours of premium quality sound on the go.

Not only have these portable speakers gotten smaller and more durable; rugged, waterproof, water resistant and splash resistant, manufacturers have also been working hard to bring out the best sound from these tiny packages. Designed for optimum volume and sound quality, these speakers will pump out deep and rich tunes that will impress even the most sceptical audiophiles.

Why would you need an ultra portable speaker? If you are not one for headphones and ear buds, and love to share your tunes with your friends, especially when you are out and about, then these ultra portable speakers do just that. The built-in rechargeable batteries let you enjoy hours of play time on the go.

While these speakers can produce loud and crisp sounds, we are not suggesting these tiny speakers will outperform its bigger counterparts. You do compromise on the smaller range and heavy bass reproduction due to its size limitation. The bass is present and is more balanced at higher volumes. It won’t be heart thumping or ground-shaking, but it will certainly let you enjoy and share your music.

Table of Contents

Top 10 Best Ultra Portable Bluetooth Speakers

For ease of selection, we have arranged the best most portable bluetooth speakers according to size. As speaker profiles may be a factor in choosing which one to buy – there are two distinct profiles, flat or cylindrical with the former being easy to slip in the bag and the later, offering a bottle like grip. The links below goes to a major online retailer in your country. Feel free to use this to access further information and to research your preferred ultra portble speaker.

1. Bose SoundLink Micro Waterproof

The smallest speaker from Bose, SoundLink Micro is everything you would expect from the company. You might even say that the volume is enough to fill a small room. But its strength lies in it being an outdoor gadget with waterproof and rugged silicone covered body with a thoughtfully designed, tear-resistant elastic strap that lets you strap it on your bike handle, belt or backpack easily.

For a small speaker, the battery lasts, a very impressive, up to 6 hours. It takes Siri and Google voice commands when paired with the smartphone, simply press the multi-function button and speak normal. With the onboard microphone it can also function as a speakerphone and for ease of connectivity, it comes with voice prompts to help with Bluetooth pairing.

2. UE ROLL 2 By Ultimate Ears Bluetooth Waterproof Portable Speaker With UE Floatie

This small and lightweight waterproof speaker is actually the first to speaker to feature an elastic bungee cord making it easy to wrap around or hang onto any bar or hook. The UE ROLL 2 sound quality is great and packs plenty of volume for a small speaker. Set your preferred volume with the super easy volume control. You can also pick from a set of custom sound profile from Dance to Classic Rock using the UE app.

It also comes with a UE Floatie (blow up float) so you can strap the speaker on and take it to the swimming pool. The speaker on its own however, does not float. Other features include, the amazing battery life of up to 9 hours per charge, the ability to stream to 2 UE ROLLs from one source, remembers up to 8 Bluetooth enabled devices and has an long mobile range of 20m (65ft) so you can leave the speaker in one room and move around the house without it disconnecting.

3. B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay P2 Splash & Dust Resistant – 10 HRS

Amazing sound as you would expect from B&O. Not only does it offer big quality sound but is wrapped pearl-blasted anodized aluminium grill for a rugged exterior. Inside, there is a polymer frame that protects the speakers from damage. In true B&O fashion, a genuine leather carrying strap is added for ease of portability. Plus, it fits nicely in the palm of your hand and the slim profile meant its easily pocketable.

It has a built-in Lithium-Polymer rechargeable battery that offers up to 10 hours of playtime, chargeable with included USB-C cable. It also has a built-in microphone for hands-free calling and voice activation. The voice activation feature goes with Beoplay App. The only thing it does not do is stereo pairing and no line-in 3.5mm option. However, it does come with a shake or tap to access smart functions like playing and pausing, skipping tracks, voice activation and speakerphone, wake-up alarm with snooze and ToneTouch for sound profiles.

4. B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1 Dust and Splash Resistant

The Beoplay A1 is bigger than the Beoplay P2 featured above and offers better sound for playing your tunes outdoor. Being larger, it is heavier and hefty but you get rich and detailed sound reproduction. The difference between the two is that given its size, the A1 has actual control buttons and a longer lasting battery live, up to 24 hours at normal volume. There is definitely more bass from the bigger speaker with True360 B&O signature high quality sound. You can also choose from a variety of colour combinations all carrying a sense of class with the use of premium durable materials.

Unlike the P1 you can pair the A1 with a second speaker for stereo imaging. The on-board microphone turns the speaker into a speaker phone when need be with the microphone offering uniform speech sensitivity around the speaker. It can also be used for Apple Siri and Google Now voice commands but you will need to press a button first. The USB-C charging port also lets you connect the speaker to a PC and while charging, turns it into a PC speaker once the required drivers are located and installed. Like the P2 and A2, the A1 has a flat profile making it easy to store in a back pack or suitcase.

B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay A1 Outdoor Ready

5. UE Wonderboom Waterproof

While we have been looking at mainly flat profile speakers, the UE Wonderboom has a grenade shaped profile. Like the bigger UE boom speakers, you won’t have any trouble locating the volume controls as they are plastered across the speaker in bright colours and form part of UE’s unique design. The small speaker is capable of producing crisp and clear 360 degree sound but you are most likely to buy this speaker because of its IPX7 waterproof feature. Just remember that it is good for up to 1 meter and up to 30 minutes submerged only.

For play time, it keeps going for up to 10 hours per charge and you can connect up to 2 Wonderboom for double the volume. It also comes with a handy colour matched loop to strap the speaker to a bag or back pack. It does not however have audio in or an easy way to determine the battery level but rugged enough to survive drops (up to 1.7m) and bumps. It takes around 2.8 to 3 hours to fully charge and you can only guess the charge level from a series of tones emitted when pressing both volume control buttons simultaneously. With a standard microUSB charging port, you can top up with a power bank to continue playing on the move.

6. Bose SoundLink Color II Bluetooth Water Resistant Speaker

The second generation SoundLink Colour II still looks the same like the first SoundLink Color with its soft touch silicone exterior and soap bar like shape with its rounded corners. The speaker uses dual opposing passive radiators to pump out sound while keeping the vibration to a minimum so it does not bounce off the table. The 6 control buttons microphone are on the top of the speaker and are clearly marked for quick access to answering phone calls, skipping tracks, switching between devices and more.

On a full charge, the speaker offers up to 8 hours of playtime. Like the SoundLink Micro also featured on this list, the SoundLink Colour II supports voice prompts to help you through pairing and to switch between two connected devices, while remembering up to 8 recently connected devices. Use the Bose Connect app to get the most of the speaker. Sound quality is superb, detailed and crisp with sufficient volume as you would expect from Bose. What it lacks is an easy way to strap the device to the shower rail, motorbike handle or camping tent but will survive the splash, rain and dust.

7. Libratone TOO Bluetooth Splash-Resistant Portable Speaker

Unlike the bigger cylindrical Libratone Zipp and Zipp mini, the Libratone ONE Style and Libratone TOO are splash proof with an IPX4 rating, and so is not afraid of the rain or shower. The batteries on the TOO last up to 12 hours of play time and the pill shaped speaker has intuitive touch interface and a physical power button as well as an easy-to-carry strap. Libratone prefers that you see this as a sound bottle given the strap and when carried upright or strapped onto the backpack.

The slightly slim and flat profile also means that you should be able to easily find space for it in your luggage, suitcase or handbag.The companion app lets you manage any of the Libratone products and you can pair up to 2 of these speakers for extra volume or have them in multiple rooms. Like most portables, the speaker has built in microphones with noise isolating and echo cancelling features. Overall, it is a solidly made speaker with an impressive 360° sound perfect for both indoor and outdoor.

Available in four attractive colours.

8. Libratone ONE Bluetooth Splash-Resistant Portable Speaker

The ONE or ONE-click is the most versatile speaker with the ability to attach either a carry strap or a click on hook depending on how you wish to attach the speaker. These hanging accessories are also removable should you want just a rectangular flat block no bigger than a paper book so will fit perfectly in any bag.

The speaker is designed to push out 360 degree sound, is splash proof so can withstand the weather and splashes (IPX4 Splash Proof) and has 12 hours of battery life. Like the Libratone TOO, you can pair up to 2 speakers to play from the same source and it comes with an intuitive touch sensitive control interface and easy to use Libratone app. Thanks to its 3″ woofer and 1″ tweeter as well as 2 passive drivers, the ONE click performs room filling sound very well while maintaining a balanced and detailed sound across the range.

9. Bose SoundLink Revolve Water Resistant

SoundLink Revolve is the smaller of two speakers with a similar cylindrical profile. The bigger SoundLink Revolve+ is not only taller and wider but comes with a fabric handle. But as we are looking mainly at portable speakers, the smaller SoundLink Revolve is preferable. Both speakers are water resistant and splash proof with built-in speakerphone function. They also have a soft base, what Bose calls the bumper to protect the speakers in case you bump or drop it.

Revolve has an omni-directional 360° design you can place in the middle of the room or near a wall for the sound to radiate and reflect around the room. With a full charge, the speaker offers up to 12 hours of playtime and use the Bose Connect app to connect any two SoundLink Revolve speakers for Party Mode or Stereo Mode. On switching on, the speaker tells you the remaining battery life. When playing music, there is plenty of depth and bass from the speaker and the usual Bose clarity and detail.

When paired with a smartphone, press and hold the multifunction button to access voice input for Siri and Google Now from the speaker. For reasons only Bose will understand, the speaker has a threaded universal mount at the bottom, much like a camera so you can attach it to a tripod.

10. UE BOOM 2 By Ultimate Ears Bluetooth Waterproof Portable Speaker

The biggest feature in our book, if one ever gets to test this out is the ability to link more than 150 UE speakers in PartyUp mode and there you thought pairing 2 speakers are plenty. The BOOM 2 has plenty going for it, a waterproof and splash proof design with IPX7 rating (30 minutes for 1 hour), omnidirectional sound with deep bass and great volume and an amazing 15 hours of play time to keep you going. Tap the speaker or use the volume control buttons to get your preferred settings.

The companion app offers over the air update, ability to set music listening profile or EQ, set alarm, pair speakers and more. The onboard microphone lets you pipe voice commands to Siri and Google Now for voice control. When you need to juggle between music sources, the Block Party function lets up to 3 devices take turns to play music, truly a speaker made to party. Like the SoundLink Revolve, the BOOM 2 also comes with a camera mount and detachable D-ring.