The best portable Bluetooth speakers for every kind of party

The Bose SoundLink Revolve Series II is the next-gen version of Bose's already impressive Revolve. It's handily portable and delivers true 360-degree surround sound for an all-round listening experience. Quite literally.

It's significantly smaller that other high-end 360-degree audio speakers. But don't be fooled by the size. The Revolve Series II packs plenty of volume. It's made to go loud, with zero distortion at top volume. That makes it great for outdoor shindigs — not to mention water resistance in case of poor weather.

If you're already a Bose fan, the SoundLink Revolve Series II can pair with a second speaker to create a stereo sound, or to integrate into the Bose audio system via SimpleSync technology. You can also access your voice assistant.

The speaker is controlled with the Bose Connect app, which allows you to switch between Stereo mode or Party mode (yes, the Revolve Series II is very much a speaker for all occasions) with enough battery for 13 hours.

The durable and smart Sonos Move is a great Bluetooth speaker for your home — especially if you want one you can move around with you. It's portable — great for house parties — but don't expect to travel with it over long distances. It's a hefty piece of kit, so it's really best for using in and around the home.

For its size the battery may be slightly underwhelming — 10 hours, which is less than other speakers at this level — but it comes equipped with a charging base, so there's no reason for it to run out of juice entirely. You can also recharge it on-the-fly with a trusty USB-C charger. 

We love how user friendly the Sonos Move is, too. It’s quick to set up and easy to control through the Sonos app. You can switch from WiFi to Bluetooth streaming when needed, though it's worth noting that not all of its smart features work when it's in Bluetooth mode.

The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 looks less impressive than its rivals, but it provides high-quality sound. Indeed, it performs way beyond its small stature. The bass is powerful, while the mids and highs are well balanced and the lows are pleasingly crisp. It sounds like a much bigger system, though for true stereo sound you'll need to connect it to a second speaker.

The Beoplay A1 is controlled by an excellent, highly-intuitive app, which gives you the option to cycle through EQ levels and listening modes — the most impressive customisation on this list.

One negative point is that Alexa is limited. Because it's Bluetooth rather than wireless, you need to connect the speaker to a smartphone to use Alexa, and it can't access all of Alexa's features, such as streaming. For most partygoers, however, that's unlikely to be a dealbreaker.

The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is a powerhouse considering its size and price. It's made for party-hard, active lifestyles — particularly if you're into travelling. It's easy to stick in your bag without taking up much space, and rugged enough to endure the normal bumps and knocks that come with constant activity. In fact, it's drop-proof — you can drop it from a height of up to five feet and it will survive the fall.

It’s also waterproof and even floats in water, with a healthy 13 hours of battery life. That's more battery than you'll get from far more expensive speakers.

But the mark of a good speaker isn’t just how portable it is. What matters most is the sound — and once again, the Wonderboom 3 performs well beyond its size and price point, with booming bass. As an extra party bonus, you can pair it with another Wonderboom 3 speaker to create a bigger, stereo sound.

Nothing — and we do mean nothing — says party time like colourful lights that flash and dance along with the music. That’s why we have to include the JBL Pulse 5, which promises JBL’s great signature sound along with a 360-degree light show for ultimate party vibes. The lights actually sync to your favourite tunes, though you can also customise the lights via the JBL app.

The JBL Pulse 5 is a bit pricier than most JBL speakers we’d usually recommend — JBL is king of the mid-range speaker — but this one ups the ante sound-wise with specially designed speaker tech to crank the bass.

It’s actually built with partying in mind. It has a PartyBoost feature — a fun way of saying that you can link two or more JBL PartyBoost-compatible speakers together via Bluetooth and fill your home with tunes and dancing lights. In addition to all that, it’s resilient to the elements and has a 12 hour battery life.

How could we not include Bose again? Its range of speakers is too good and diverse. The Bose SoundLink Micro might lack the stylish looks of some of its competitors, but it offers excellent sound quality. 

The Bose SoundLink Micro is also bordering on indestructible, so it's perfect for taking out and about with you. And it gets right to the point with a top-facing speaker and a micro USB charging port to the side. 

Its small stature makes it far more travel-friendly than some of the rivals on this list — easy to toss into your bag, with a bonus strap for easily clipping it to yourself or your luggage. The only real downside is it doesn't have full 360-degree sound, which is due to the placement of its front-facing speaker. And the battery life is a tad stingy at just six hours. But it's not a dealbreaker for us.

The JBL Clip 4 is small — it weighs just 239 grams — but it will impress you big time. You can take it anywhere — to any party — and bring the good vibes.

The key to its portability is a built-in carabineer clip that attaches the speaker to your belt loop, backpack, or bike. If you are taking it out and about, the JBL Clip 4 is also waterproof and hard-wearing. It's small but robust.

Its limited size means it has limited volume, but you can wirelessly connect two or more clip speakers together to amplify your sound if you need to.

It boasts 10 hours of battery life (more than enough to keep you dancing all day and night) and comes in a range of fun colours — including red, blue, and camo — so you should always be able to find something that matches your style.