The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is a premium ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker with a minimalist Scandinavian design. This model retains the sleek circular aluminum body and leather strap of its predecessor, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2, while adding an improved battery. It's also the world's first Cradle to Cradle Certified (Bronze) Bluetooth speaker, meaning it's designed to be serviced rather than replaced. With its compact form factor and IP67 rating, this speaker could be your new best friend in the great outdoors.
Our Verdict
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is okay for music. It's a small speaker, so it doesn't get loud enough to fill a larger room with sound. That said, its great directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle, although it does downmix stereo content to mono. Its tiny size means it can't reproduce any low-bass to speak of, but a boost across the high-bass and low-mids adds warmth to basslines at the cost of slightly muddying up vocals. Still, voices sound fairly true-to-life, and you can always tailor the sound to your preferences using the EQ in its companion app.
Flexible EQ in the companion app.
Good directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle.
Downmixes stereo content to mono unless paired with another unit.
Small size means it can't get very loud.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is inadequate for watching movies and videos. While its balanced upper mid-range ensures clear dialogue, it lacks the low-end punch needed to bring cinematic moments to life. The speaker also downmixes stereo content to mono, which makes cinematic soundstacks less immersive, and its small size means it can't get very loud. On the upside, its great directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle. While we measured remarkably low latency via iOS, latency is much higher via Android. But since latency varies with apps and devices, your experience may vary.
Flexible EQ in the companion app.
Downmixes stereo content to mono unless paired with another unit.
Small size means it can't get very loud.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is very good for podcasts. It's highly portable, making it easy to carry from room to room with you, and its built-in loop makes it easy to hang from clothing or lines. It has a relatively well-balanced upper mid-range that ensures voices come through with clarity, and its great directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle. Of course, its small size limits how loud it can get, so you'll probably want to keep this speaker fairly close to you. It's not the best choice for filling a larger space with sound.
Flexible EQ in the companion app.
Good directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle.
Superb 24-hour battery life.
Downmixes stereo content to mono unless paired with another unit.
Small size means it can't get very loud.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is not compatible with voice assistants.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is very good for use outdoors. It’s compact and easy to carry, comes with a handy carrying strap, and has a rugged build with an IP67 rating that protects against dust and water. It also has an outstanding battery life of 24 hours, making it a great choice for longer periods outside like camping trips. Its small size means it doesn’t get loud enough to fill a large backyard and it lacks deep bass, but it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle, and you can fine-tune the sound to your tastes using the EQ in the companion app. That said, it downmixes stereo content to mono unless paired with a second speaker.
Flexible EQ in the companion app.
IP67 rating means it's well-protected against dust and water.
Good directivity means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle.
Superb 24-hour battery life.
Downmixes stereo content to mono unless paired with another unit.
Small size means it can't get very loud.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen is available in three color variants: 'Natural Aluminum,' 'Honey Tone,' and 'Eucalyptus Green.' We tested the 'Natural Aluminum' colorway.
If you encounter a variant or additional colorways, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update the review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen sits at the premium end of the portable Bluetooth speaker market, offering remarkably strong battery life of over 24 hours, a sleek Scandinavian design, and eco-conscious credentials as the world's first Cradle to Cradle Certified® (Bronze) Bluetooth speaker. That said, it lacks the voice assistant support of the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2, which may be a dealbreaker for some. If voice assistant support is a priority, you might want to consider the Sonos Roam 2, though it can't come close to the 3rd Gen Beosound A1 for continuous battery life. The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) and JBL Flip 7 are both more affordable than the B&O options and offer a more balanced sound out of the box, but again, they can't match the B&O for battery life. The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 offers a decent compromise between the trio of price, battery life (13 hours), and sound quality, but whether you'll like its colorful, funky design as much as the B&O's sleek minimalism is a matter of taste.
If you want to see more options, check out our recommendations for the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, the best portable Bluetooth speakers, and the best outdoor speakers.
Despite being different generations of the same speaker line, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen and the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Gen 2 have different strengths. In terms of sound, both speakers perform similarly. The 3rd Gen's main advantage is its superior battery life, while the 2nd Gen offers voice assistant support with built-in Alexa (though it depends on your phone's WiFi connection to work, since the speaker doesn't have WiFi support built in). Other than that, the main attraction of the 3rd Gen might be that it's the world's first Cradle to Cradle Certified® (Bronze) Bluetooth speaker, meaning it's designed to be serviced rather than replaced. If you're environmentally conscious, that's a big plus.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen and the Sonos Roam 2 are small, portable, waterproof speakers with different strengths. The B&O's 24-hour battery life is far superior to the Sonos' five hours. But the Sonos has outstanding built-in voice assistant support for both Amazon Alexa and the Sonos voice assistant. The Sonos App also allows you to link multiple speakers in Party mode, where the B&O maxes out at stereo pairing with one other speaker. If you're already invested in the Sonos ecosystem, it's the no-brainer pick, but if you're planning on taking the speaker on longer weekend trips, then the extended battery life of the B&O makes it the obvious choice.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen and the Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) have slightly different strengths and target slightly different markets. They're both portable speakers that are well-suited to use outdoors, but the B&O is priced for a premium buyer who values its sleek Scandinavian design. It's not all about looks, though, as the B&O has a battery life that's four times that of the Bose, and its replaceable battery is better for the environment. The B&O's circular design also means it sounds similar regardless of your listening angle. On the other hand, the Bose has a more even, balanced frequency response and supports your phone's Siri or Google Assistant. The Bose is also much cheaper.
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen and the JBL Flip 7 are similarly sized speakers with different strengths. Both speakers are too small to reproduce much low-bass, but the JBL has a more balanced sound by default, although some listeners may enjoy the warmer sound of the B&O. You can tweak the sound of both with EQs in their companion apps. The B&O's remarkably long battery life of 24 hours far surpasses the 5.6 hours offered by the JBL, but then the JBL is about half the price of its rival. You might prefer the JBL if you've already invested in other Auracast-enabled speakers from the brand, as you can link them all in Party mode. But otherwise, the choice is mostly battery life versus price.
Test Results
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