10 best portable speakers

Given that they’ve been in business since 1932, it’s no surprise to learn Roberts make a damn fine radio. But they also make other stuff, like record players and soundsystems. The Beacon is their characterful wireless speaker, created to blend flawlessly with their Revival retro range and available in attractive colours including dusky pink, duck egg and berry red. The tower design allows multi-directional sound and there’s an auxiliary input in case your Bluetooth is on the fritz. Prices start from £129, but we’d recommend splurging on the £199 330 model, which can pair to another 330, has up to 15 hours playback and charges while playing.

Call the crew, because as soon as you get this travel speaker you’ll be ready to party. The JBL Xtreme 3 is not only waterproof and dustproof, but it comes with a convenient carry strap with a built-in bottle opener. It’s a little heavy at 4lbs (similar to a small bag of sugar) and they’re £299 a pop, but it can be linked with other speakers in JBL’s PartyBoost range, including the more affordable Flip 5 and Charge 5. The sound is bass-driven with two radiators (the things that help a speaker sound bigger), it offers 15 hours playtime and comes in black, blue and camo.

This Marshall Stockwell II not only looks great (like a pint-sized amp) but puts out top notch sound, but you’d expect nothing less from the rock experts. It’s crisp, I fa little heavy on the bass, but there are analogue knobs on top so you can control that for yourself, along with the treble and volume. There’s also an indicator of how much of the 20-hour battery life you have left, a guitar strap styled carrying handle, and a metal and silicone case to ensure it survives any bashes. Another bonus is that you can have two Bluetooth devices connected at once and switch seamlessly between them.

Prone to dropping things? Get your hands on the W-King 50W. This beast comes with a protective cover that’s designed to take accidental bumps, knocks, drops and dinks. It’s also waterproof and sand-proof and you can control the sound balance to some degree, which isn’t an option on many portable speakers. There’s a built-in microphone, you can pair two together and it has three inputs: auxiliary, Bluetooth and TF-card (like a micro SD). The only downside is its size. It resembles an 80s boombox and is almost double of the weight of its closest competitor, the JBL Xtreme 3.

Claiming 24-hour playtime is a big boast, but Tribit’s XSound Go genuinely goes the distance. It only takes five hours to charge fully, too, so even the hardiest of party animals can use it all day long and have it ready to go after the few hours of inevitable kip. It’s lightweight, has an aux input, you can pair two together and there’s a detachable strap. But the best part? It’s only £40, which is a bargain for what you get. It can’t compete with the JBLs and Sonys for sound, but for the price, you’d be hard-pressed to find better quality in such a diddy speaker.

Forget the cheap plastic speakers that constantly fall down because the sucker cup has given up the ghost, Ultimate Ears is taking bath time to the next level. Their Wonderboom 2 not only has an elasticated hook, but it floats too, so if it falls in the bath, it’ll still work. In fact, it’s made to be accidentally submerged and still work and there are plenty of videos online of people dunking theirs to prove it. You can also pair two together and control the music from either device. The best part is you can bag one for under £100.

The speaker on this Bang & Olufsen second generation Beosound A1 is on top, so it sounds good from any direction, and there are three microphones. Why? Because B&O have designed this little multitasker to function for conference calls too. No idea why, but it’s a nice bonus. The battery lasts for 18 hours at high volume and a whopping 48 turned down low. It links up with Alexa, has a leather carrying strap and, true to B&Os usual design policy, looks beautifully minimal and is conveniently the size of a skinny hockey puck.

There’s nowt wrong with being dazzled by something flashy, even if it’s just for a bit of atmosphere. Bright, colourful things are pretty, they just are, and that’s why we like this Soundcore Flare Mini. Admittedly, if you use it outdoors the LEDs aren’t going to shine that far, but the fact they pulse to the rhythm of your music is cool. Rather handily, it’s waterproof too, so if you’re listening by the pool you don’t have to worry about an accidental dunking. The sound is quality enough too, it may not impress your muso mate, but it’ll impress everyone else.

Want something that’ll fit in the palm of your hand (and your pocket) but still give quality playback? Look no further than the JBL Clip 4. As these guys specialise in sound, it’s no wonder they’ve managed to get this tiny Bluetooth speaker to provide punchy audio. Sure, it’s no match for their bigger Xtreme 3, which we mentioned earlier, but for the size it’s very impressive and that’s reflected in the £60 price. But along with great sound, you also get great design (there’s a carabiner clip built in), a selection of colours, 10 hours of battery life, and it’s water- and dustproof.

It’s not easy to find a Bluetooth speaker with relatively good playback for a tenner, but we searched and by Jove we think we’ve found one. The Elari Portable Mini speaker isn’t going to win any awards for boundary-pushing design, but it’s simple structure actually makes it relatively durable, which you’ll need when it’s clipped to your bag or belt via the carabiner included. It’s dust- and waterproof too, so perfect for cyclists. Plus, and this is a bonus, it has a microphone so you can take calls through it, although the quality is unlikely to stand up to speaking via the phone.