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6 Best Portable Mini Bluetooth Speakers for Bike Rides, Pool Parties, and More
Little body. Big sound.
Around here, we love a good pair of headphones. They're one of our favorite things to review and test; as New Yorkers, we find them infinitely useful. That said, we understand that a portable wireless speaker can serve many of the same purposes—especially if you find yourself in situations where blasting 2000s emo hits through your earbuds is potentially unsafe. That's when you need a good, reliable speaker that is small and portable. These mini speakers should do the trick.
There are plenty of small speakers out there, smart or otherwise. We're talking about the ones you would go out of your way to call impressive in form factor. These are mini. Tiny. We're talking speakers like the JBL Clip or the infamous Wonderboom all your friends had in college.
We tested these mini speakers and found them perfect for all types of days. They can be a real source of entertainment when attached to a bike or a backpack on a lengthy solo ride or hike. Or maybe you just need something waterproof enough to take to all your pool parties before the summer ends. Either way, you'll find the right fit in one of these six mini Bluetooth speakers.
Pros
- Carabiner is perfect for showers and bike rides
- Slightly slimmer than its predecessor
- Tougher than it appears
- Comes in a variety of appealing colors
Cons
- Not as powerful as some others
- New design has shorter clip
Not too long ago, we wrote a love letter to the JBL Clip 4, calling it "the definition of small but mighty." The Clip 5 is essentially the same speaker, only with a few tiny design and tech tweaks. It's slimmer, weighs just a bit more, and (crucially) has a higher-watt output. For our purposes and yours, this is the best portable mini Bluetooth speaker.
Not only does this JBL mini speaker have its eponymous clip, but it also has an IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating. This will hold up to beach days and long showers. In terms of sound, the quality is solid, with an emphasis on the lower end and bass tones, as is typical of JBL. It doesn't get as booming as some of these other speakers, but its form factor and durability more than make up for that.
| Maximum Output Power | 7 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 10 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
Pros
- Can connect to two devices simultaneously
- Outdoor Boost mode
- Pair two of 'em for left and right speakers
Cons
- Small strap doesn't do much for portability
If you need a speaker for pool parties (emphasis on the party), get yourself a Wonderboom 4 or two. We say two because they're only $100 each, and they allow you to sync two at a time to one device. This means a left and right speaker for music blasting or immersive sound for an outdoor movie night, your choice.
No matter how you use it, you are going to get great sound from the Ultimate Ears mini speaker. The Outdoor Boost mode doesn't just make the speaker louder; it adjusts the bass and other aspects of the sound to help it carry and be clear even from yards away. And yeah, you can drop it and it won't break. Just don't drop it in the pool. It can only take light water damage.
| Maximum Output Power | 10 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 14.81 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 14 hours |
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Generation)
Pros
- Elegant design
- Long-lasting battery
- Voice-assistant compatibility
Cons
- Heavier than other speakers of its size
- Luxury price
Okay, so maybe the pool party and the 12-mile bike ride aren't your vibe. Maybe you genuinely want a great speaker for your home (or apartment—trust us, we understand) that you can move around. Portability in a small package doesn't have to come at the cost of quality. It will simply just come at a cost—a money cost.
Don't get us wrong: Bang & Olufsen audio equipment is worth the price of admission. This is a high-end audio brand that cares about audio quality and balance as much as it does usability. The second-generation Beosound A1 mini speaker is a result of years of technological refinement and designs that have evolved by listening to what the customers want. In addition to that promise, the Beosound offers the longest battery life of any speaker on this elite list—advertised as a whopping 18 hours between charges.
And regarding the comment about the pricing. While it retails at a steep $300, this speaker can be found for just under $200 on Amazon.
| Maximum Output Power | 60 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 19.69 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 18 hours |
Pros
- Compact design
- Strap to carry or attach to handlebars
- Full, balanced sound
Cons
- Microphone isn't great for calls
For what is, at the time of this writing, the cheapest price for any of these top-tier mini Bluetooth speakers, the Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 shares many traits with the others here. It is durable and rugged, and it boasts an IP67 protection rating for dust and water (or sweat). It's more powerful than the JBL Clip technically and weighs about as much as the Wonderboom. Nothing about this screams budget.
While an external clip may be required for backpack attachment and shower singing, the Stormbox Micro does have a silicone strap at the back that makes it easy to transport both by hand and on the handlebars of a bicycle. Oh, and as a speaker it sounds really nice, too.
| Maximum Output Power | 10 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 16 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
Pros
- Gorgeous, clever visual design
- Surprisingly easy to answer surprisingly clear calls
- Stack Mode lets you connect two or more Willens
Cons
- Not the bassiest
Do you want a mini Bluetooth speaker that looks—and more importantly sounds—like a Marshall guitar amp? Well, Marshall makes one, and you're in luck because if you get on it quick enough, you can also get 33 percent off on Amazon. It's a helluva deal on the awesome amp—I mean, speaker.
Not only is the form factor clever, but the innocuous button on the front has a purpose. If you get an incoming call, just push it down to accept and take the call on "speaker" phone. It's a nice, surprising usability touch from a company that is so laser focused on audio.
There's no beating around the bush that the Marshall Willen produces great sound. It supports a multiple-connection mode of its own, Stack Mode, which lets you connect two (or more!) Willens together for the ultimate compact speaker experience.
| Maximum Output Power | 10 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 16 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 15 hours |
Pros
- Booming bass and remarkable treble
- PositionIQ means sound is rarely muffled
- The whole pair-it-with-another-one mode
Cons
- Larger form factor
Listen, we know. This pill-shaped portable speaker doesn't quite fit the bill. It's not miniature in the way the other five are, but it's got that extra oomph the others lack. This is the one that will give that extra edge. Bose has its Party Mode where (stop me if you've heard this one by now) you can link it up with another one of the exact same speaker for more power. The truth is that with the SoundLink Flex, you really don't need it.
The feature that sends it above and beyond, say, the Sonos Roam 2 is what Bose calls PositionIQ. It boils down to this—your SoundLink Flex has no bad side. No matter the angle or position of the speaker, it is constantly and seamlessly optimizing your sound so that it's as clear as it can be. That alone lands it a deserving spot on this list.
| Maximum Power Output | 20 watts |
|---|---|
| Weight | 20.8 ounces |
| Waterproof Rating | IP67 |
| Battery Life | Up to 12 hours |
What to Consider When Buying a Mini Bluetooth Speaker
We know these product listings are full of specs and details. It can be difficult to decipher what really matters. After our hands-on time with a ton of different speakers, these criteria ended up being the ones that were most important to us.
Sound Quality: Number one with a bullet is how the damn thing sounds. Is it loud enough to cut through party chatter or a high-pressure shower? Can you actually feel the beat a little, or is it just a suggestion of bass? These are some of the important questions to ask. Another distinguishing factor with small speakers is drop-off and how far away the sound starts to fade or get muffled.
Bluetooth Connection: You don't want a speaker that you have to reconnect a dozen times a session. Holding a stable Bluetooth connection and pairing to new phones easily is a crucial part of reliability. You need a speaker that won't crap out on you when you don't have the hands to fix it right away.
Water Resistance: We know that the beach and swimming pools are extremely popular places for portable speakers to end up. You need something that can get a little wet. All of the picks were rated IP67 for dust and water resistance. For more on what that means, read on in the FAQ.
Extra Features: The JBL Clip dominates Esquire because it has that little extra design quirk that puts it above the rest. This kind of thing goes a long way when comparing a bunch of products. In the case of mini Bluetooth speakers, any extras that lend to portability are a major plus.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need to care about wattage?
The amount of power a speaker can output is measured in watts. However, wattage doesn't necessarily determine ... well, anything. A higher-watt speaker isn't necessarily better than a lower-watt one; it just means the sound can fill a bigger space. The average Bluetooth speaker has a maximum output of between three and ten watts.
What is IP rating?
IP ratings determine how resistant to the elements an electronic device is. The rating follows the format "IPXX" to indicate just how strong that speaker is against both solids and liquids.
The first X will always be a number between zero and six that rates the speaker's ability to protect against solids, like dust and dirt. The closer to six, the better the protection. The second X will be a number between zero and eight that rates the speaker's ability to protect against liquids like water and sweat. If either of the numbers is an X, that means the device is untested.
Take the rating IP67—the rating each of these recommended speakers has earned—means that every speaker we picked has the absolute best protection against dust (six) and the near-best protection against water (seven).
How We Picked Mini Speakers
Here at Esquire, we don't just throw darts at a board and see which ones hit the most expensive tech products. We actually research them and, if we like what we see, try them out to test if they live up to the hype. This process is how we found the best mini Bluetooth speakers. We've used a lot more than just the six we've chosen, but these are the ones we can't live without.
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