portable speakers

Two new speakers — one portable, one not — aim squarely at easy home setup for listeners who want room-filling audio without headaches, and both work seamlessly with Apple AirPlay 2, Sonos said Tuesday.

“Much of consumer tech promises innovation, yet too often delivers isolation — new devices replacing old ones instead of building on what already works,” said Sonos CEO Tom Conrad. “We believe a great sound experience shouldn’t reset every time you add something new. It should get better.”

The portable Sonos Play ($299) and mic-free home speaker Era 100 SL ($189) go on pre-order Tuesday with general availability set for March 31.

If you’re hunting for a portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers exceptional sound without breaking the bank — maybe as a holiday gift — now’s the time to pounce. The Soundcore Motion X600 — my all-time favorite of its kind — is currently on sale for $139.99 at both Amazon and Soundcore, marking a $60 discount off its regular $199.99 price tag.

After spending quality time with the Treblab HD-360 Pro, I’ve come to appreciate what this Bluetooth speaker represents: excellent audio that’s good enough for home use but just happens to be wireless for portability — unlike Apple’s excellent-but-limited HomePod 2.
In a market saturated with speakers that promise much but deliver mediocrity, HD-360 Pro stands out by focusing on what matters most — genuine audio quality backed by serious hardware. And at roughly half the price of great home speakers like HomePod 2 but with the option of portability, it’s worth considering, depending on what you want in a speaker. 

This hot Beats Pill deal lands you one of Apple’s great-sounding portable Bluetooth speakers for just $49.99. That’s a whopping 67% discount off the $149.95 list price — just be aware that not all colors are available at that astonishingly low price.

It’s part of Amazon’s Big Deal Days, and it might not last long. And don’t worry if those big product showcase boxes on our page don’t show the sub-$50 price — things are changing so fast that sometimes tech can’t keep up!

The JBL Charge 6 portable speaker gives you quality sound, long battery life and fun extra features. It’s an easy way to take music, podcasts and calls anywhere you go.

Right now, you can grab an open-box JBL Charge 6 for just $139.99 (regularly $199.95) with free shipping.

Portable wireless speakers these days give home audio a run for its money — but you can take them anywhere (or enjoy them on the kitchen counter or in the shower). The likes of Beats Pill and Bluetooth boxes from companies like Bose, JBL and Soundcore keep getting smaller, more waterproof and better sounding. So gear up for summer barbecues and fall hayrides — or just having better audio in the kitchen, for that matter. Check out Prime Day speaker deals on wireless units below.

Ultimate Ears’ new Miniroll is the smallest and most affordable entry in the company’s Bluetooth speaker lineup. The tiny new speaker with a “river rock-inspired design” isn’t quiet for its size, the Logitech-owned company said. But for more sound over a larger area, it easily connects to others. And it features a hook-able silicone strap to easily connect to almost anything and go where you go.

“Miniroll started with a consumer ask,” said Jonah Staw, general manager of Ultimate Ears. “We heard our fans loud and clear. They wanted a speaker that could strap in and go anywhere to keep up with their active lifestyles. This led our design and engineering teams to build our most portable speaker, showing how passionate consumers can drive innovation.”

The recent return of the iconic Beats Pill portable Bluetooth speaker wasn’t just a typical product update, but a complete overhaul to help cement Beats’ identity as a premium-products subsidiary of the iPhone giant, according to a new interview with Apple executives.

“We wanted to do something special with the Pill and completely re-architect and reimagine it,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple VP of Apple Music, Apple TV+, Sports and Beats. “It wasn’t a case [of] let’s swap out one or two things. We really wanted a complete refresh. This is a completely new product inside, and outside as well.”

A cryptic new video ad featuring basketball star Lebron James rapping along with L’il Wayne suggested Monday that the long-rumored return of the discontinued Beats Pill+ speaker could be just one week away.

That’s if the video’s ending reference to “The Predicament 6.25” means the updated speaker, which celebrities have been photographed carrying around recently, will launch next Tuesday.

The new SoundLink Max Portable Speaker adds a bit of heft and a bunch of powerful sound to the Bose line of SoundLink Bluetooth speakers, the company said Thursday.

“This all-new portable speaker has lasting power, rugged durability, and delivers incredible sound for its size,” Bose noted. “Now you can set the vibe with your favorite playlist no matter where you go.”

Summer outdoor activities are no more, but if you’ve got a fall hike or hay ride coming up, bring Soundcore’s compact new Motion 300 portable speaker. It’s one of the best of its kind.

It’s small, it’s tough, it looks good, it sounds great and it goes on sale today for $80. Soundcore got it right with the Motion 300, a 30-watt speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Certification and 13 hours of playtime.

Summer’s ending, but the new Soundcore Motion 300 and Motion 100 portable high-fidelity Bluetooth speakers can still give you stereo sound for outdoor activities this fall and winter, the company said Wednesday.

The $80 Motion 300, available October 9, is a 30-watt speaker with Wireless Hi-Res Certification and 13 hours of playtime. The similar $60 Motion 100, which lacks the 300’s SmartTune EQ, will ship in November, Soundcore said.

The new oval-shaped EpicBoom Bluetooth speaker joined Ultimate Ears’ lineup Monday, promising loud, bass-driven, 360-degree portable sound, the Logitech subsidiary said.

You can preorder the $349 boomer now for September 15 shipping.

The revamped Sonos Move 2 portable speaker sports stereo sound, up to 24 hours of battery life — twice that of its predecessor — and a slew of design changes since the water-resistant speaker’s initial release four years ago, the company said Wednesday.

Sonos Move 2 becomes available September 20 for $449.

BenQ, known for desktop monitors and accessories, unveiled its new treVolo U Desktop Dialogue Speaker Tuesday. Say what? A “dialogue speaker?”

Yes, and it uses special technology “designed to reinvent your digital life, offering exceptional audio for online learning, remote working, podcast and audiobook listening,” the company said.

Esteemed Danish audio brand Bang & Olufsen unveiled its new portable Beosound A5 speaker Thursday. The pricey and powerful device’s design results from a collaboration with the Danish-Italian duo GamFratesi.

“Beosound A5 is our new high-end portable speaker which combines Bang & Olufsen’s long-standing approach to timeless design with our vision on sound for the future,” said VP of Product Marketing Michael Henriksson.

“We’re excited to collaborate with GamFratesi for the first time, to create two speaker designs that are rooted in a Scandinavian aesthetic with a distinct design signature on their own,” he added.

Soundcore unveiled its elegant new Motion X600 Portable High Fidelity Speaker Monday. The compact speaker offers hi-res, spatial audio in a handsome package with a metal grille and a choice of gray, green or blue colors.

When it becomes available in early May, it’ll go for $200. But you can get an early-bird discount. See below.

Apple killed the Beats Pill+ portable speaker in January, and yet it lives on. In March it saw a special-edition release through a partnernship with Stüssy. And now it rises from the dead once again.

This time, a collaboration with Devin Book and Book Projects will result in a customized Beats Pill+ exterior design that takes its cues from the Sonoran Desert.

Cue the lights, strike up the music and let the garden party begin. Ikea’s got a new outdoor lantern coming. What’s interesting is that it doubles as the first Bluetooth speaker on the market with Spotify Tap built in.

The one-touch Spotify functionality isn’t the only music streaming service you can use with the lamp, called the Ikea Vappeby. But it’s handy.

Not every Bluetooth speaker on the market packs 60W of power, but the new Tronsmart Bang Outdoor Party Speaker does. And it brings a beat-driven light show to the party, too. The company rolled it out on Tuesday, emphasizing that the four-driver speaker is “loud and powerful.”

“The Bang delivers an audio feast with an impactful stereo sound thanks to its two tweeters and two woofers,” the company said.

We fit all the music in the world in our pocket; if only we could also carry around a great way to listen to it. Enter the Soundfreaq Pocket Kick Bluetooth Speaker, a pocket-size brick that brings the beat and fits anywhere you can keep your wallet. And you won’t have to empty your wallet to get one, either: Right now you can get a Pocket Kick for just $59.99.

Now that we can basically all the music in the world anywhere we go, it’s up to us to make sure we’re hearing it at its best. Headphones are great, but when it’s time to share the noise you’ll want to pick up a UE BOOM Bluetooth Speaker. The critically acclaimed speaker will get any room moving with rich, balanced sound, and right now you can get one for just $149.99.

The Beats Pill+ is on its way and equipped with that Apple lovin’. The successor of the Beats Pill takes a somewhat different design approach from the Beats Pill and comes with some terrific improvements to sound and battery life. Most interestingly, the speaker is the first the company released since Apple’s acquisition last year.

LAS VEGAS, CES 2013 – Party rockers were in the house last night at CES. Ion unveiled several new products from their 2013 catalog. Two in particular caught my eye.

Nyne’s new NB-250 portable speaker is a modern update on the venerable boombox: portable and loud.

But it’s a lot smaller and more discreet than a boombox of old.

The Bluetooth speaker comes in a trendy, unobtrusive black shoulder bag for transporting to park, pool or a party. It not only looks good but sounds nice as well.