Tech
Bluetooth speakers
Portable speakers compared on sound, battery life and price.
Battery claims are measured at low volume, so treat the hours on the box as a ceiling. An IP67 rating means dust-tight and survives a dunk, worth having for any speaker that goes outside. Beyond that, size tracks sound: bigger boxes move more air and produce real bass, palm-size pucks do not.
What bluetooth speakers cost right now
We track 4 products here across 7 offers from 4 retailers. Every figure below comes from a price we opened and checked ourselves, on Aug 28, 2026.
- Typical
- $104.50
- Most expensive
- $129.95
The middle of the 4 best prices on this page
Top of the range we currently track
Where stores disagree today
Same product, different shelf, different price. These are the gaps we found on the dates shown, and they are the whole reason to check before buying.
- Sony ULT Field 1: $78 at Best Buy against $98 at Target. $20 apart, checked Aug 28, 2026.
All 4 products we track, cheapest first
Sony ULT Field 1
Sony's compact rugged Bluetooth speaker with a bass-boost button, for buyers who want a name-brand outdoor speaker at a sale price.
Anker Soundcore Motion 300
Anker's budget mid-size Bluetooth speaker with hi-res LDAC codec support, for listeners who want stereo drivers and app EQ under 80 dollars.
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
Bose's flat, rugged portable Bluetooth speaker, aimed at people who want fuller sound than a cylinder speaker and a built-in speakerphone.
JBL Flip 7
JBL's seventh-generation cylinder speaker, a mid-size portable Bluetooth speaker for outdoor and around-the-house listening.
What actually differs
The specs that vary across the bluetooth speakers we track. Sorted cheapest first, so you can see what the extra money is buying rather than guessing.
| Product | Best price | Bluetooth | Charge Time | Water and Dust Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony ULT Field 1 | $78 | 5.3 | About 5 hours at 7.5 W over USB-C (Sony rating) | IP67, and Sony also claims salt water resistance |
| Anker Soundcore Motion 300 | $79.99 | 5.3 | About 4 hours with a 15 W charger (Soundcore spec) | — |
| Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) | $129 | 5.3 with multipoint, about 30 ft range (Bose rating) | About 4 hours with a 7.5 W USB-C supply (Bose rating) | IP67, and Bose says it floats |
| JBL Flip 7 | $129.95 | 5.4 with Auracast multi-speaker pairing | — | IP68, submersion to 1.5 m freshwater for 30 minutes |