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The 7 Best Outdoor Speakers - Fall 2024

Updated Sep 27, 2024 at 09:43 am
Best Outdoor Speakers

Whether you want to host a pool party, listen to your favorite tunes in your backyard, or spice up your next hike at the local park, an outdoor speaker is a great way to bring audio with you on the go. Many portable Bluetooth speakers on the market are battery-operated, so you can use them outside without worrying about plugging them into an outlet. Plus, their sturdy and solid designs help withstand the bumps and falls that come with an active lifestyle, and they even boast IP ratings for dust and water resistance to help them withstand the elements. We've also tested a few speakers that blend into your landscaping, which is a neat touch. However, the scope of our testing hasn't expanded to speakers designed to live outdoors permanently, so you'll want to remember to bring them inside at the end of the day unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer.

We've tested over 130 speakers, and below, you'll find our recommendations for the best wireless outdoor speakers. If you want more options, check out our recommendations for the best portable Bluetooth speakers, the best golf speakers, the best waterproof Bluetooth speakers, and the best small Bluetooth speakers.


  1. Best Outdoor Speaker

    The JBL Boombox 3 is the best outdoor speaker we've tested. It's great for listening to music wherever you go, whether you're soaking up the sun in the backyard or relaxing at a campsite over a long weekend. It's also designed to hold up against the elements—it's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance and even floats in water. Its solid and sturdy build gives it a great feel, and with a built-in handle, you can carry it around with one hand. Since it lasts for over 29 hours off a single charge, you don't have to worry about getting it back to a power outlet for a recharge all that often.

    Granted, this Bluetooth speaker is larger than some of the other picks on our list, but it pays off in terms of sound quality. That's especially true in the bass range, as the speaker's deep thump and rumble really bring genres like EDM and hip-hop to life. There's even a graphic EQ on hand to customize its sound. If you want something a little lighter for longer treks outdoors with a slightly smaller form factor, it's worth checking out the Bose SoundLink Max. The Bose is a fair bit lighter and can get louder. However, its battery life is half that of the JBL, its default sound isn't as balanced, and there's more compression present at max volume.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Outdoor Speaker

    The Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM is another premium speaker that's great for listening to your favorite tunes outdoors. It's a little more affordable than the JBL Boombox 3, but it still comes with lots of premium features to make the most of your listening experience. Notably, it's also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, and it comes with a built-in handle to help you carry it around. Again, it's a little larger than the more budget-friendly picks on our list, but you may find it's worth the trade-off. Thanks to its bigger size, it can bring more thump and rumble in the low bass than smaller speakers.

    This speaker also comes with many premium sound enhancement features, like an Adaptive EQ room correction tool that automatically optimizes its sound based on the acoustics of your listening space. As a result, it can bring the best possible sound to larger and more open spaces like your backyard and smaller rooms like your bedroom. There's a graphic EQ on hand to manually customize it, too. That said, it only lasts around 7.8 hours off a single charge, which can be limiting, especially compared to the more premium JBL. If you like to keep your time outside on the shorter side, you may still find it worth the value.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Outdoor Speaker

    Looking for an even more affordable speaker to bring outside? Check out the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3. This versatile device is great for indoor and outdoor use and is available at a wallet-friendly price. Take it to the park for an afternoon with your friends, then bring it back home to relax and listen to music in your living room. Its small and lightweight design makes it easy to bring wherever you go, especially compared to our top picks, and you can even clip it to your bag with its built-in hook. Plus, it's sturdy enough to endure some exposure to the elements while you're outside, thanks to its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.

    This speaker is available in many colors to suit your style, and its sound makes it suitable for listening to different music genres. Voices and lead instruments are reproduced with clarity right out of the box. Granted, it doesn't have a room correction tool like the Ultimate Ears EPICBOOM, so it sounds slightly different depending on your space. It doesn't bring as much low bass as our top picks, either. Still, you can customize its sound a bit thanks to its graphic EQ, which is a nice touch.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget Outdoor Speaker

    The Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 is one of the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers in the budget range we've tested. For an affordable price, this small but mighty speaker lets you bring your music wherever you go. Thanks to its lightweight and compact design, you can carry it around in one hand or clip it to your bag using the included strap. It's an especially great option for the pool since it can float in water, and it's also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance. This iteration of the popular portable speaker features over 13 hours of battery life and the welcome addition of USB-C charging.

    While its sound quality isn't as impressive as our top picks, it still performs well compared to similarly priced models. Since it's smaller than the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3, it's not a surprise that it can't reproduce as deep of a low bass, so you'll notice a little less rumble in tracks like EDM and hip-hop. Still, voices and instruments are reproduced with clarity. The speaker's Outdoor mode is even designed to bring a little extra crispness to the mix when you're out in a larger, more open-air space, which is a cool touch. It's a standout pick if you're on a tighter budget.

    See our review

  5. Best Cheap Outdoor Speaker

    If you're looking for a simple speaker that won't break the bank, the Anker Soundcore 3 is the top outdoor speaker for cheap. The next generation of the Anker Soundcore 2 comes in the same small and lightweight frame, so it's easy to carry this speaker around. Take it to the backyard or on a hike, and its IPX7 rating for water resistance keeps it safe from some light exposure to the elements. Its 13-hour battery life isn't quite as impressive as what you get with the more premium Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4, but it's still more than enough for most days outdoors.

    Despite its wallet-friendly pricing, this speaker has some cool features to help it stand out. It's one of the few speakers we've tested in this price range to offer a graphic EQ for sound customization, which is a nice touch. You can pair it with other compatible speakers to spread sound throughout your backyard. Overall, its sound quality is solid for the price, so it's a suitable choice for listening to lots of different types of music outside.

    See our review

  6. Best Speaker For Outdoor Decor

    The Pohopa EF-B210G is one of the only speakers on our list designed for 24/7 outdoor use. The speaker comes in sets of two, each with built-in LED lights that actually function to light up your space at night, giving them some additional functionality. Simply connect your phone to the speakers via Bluetooth to stream music from your phone or laptop. With an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, these speakers are more than capable of withstanding the elements. Plus, their stylish design makes them a discreet addition to your outdoor living spaces, like your patio, porch, or pool deck.

    However, like most outdoor decor speakers we've tested, these devices prioritize design over sound quality. They're more than suitable for most casual listening sessions. However, if you're an astute audiophile, you'll notice a muddier and more cluttered sound than more premium speakers like the JBL Boombox 3. Plus, without any customization tools, you don't have any way to switch up their performance. If you aren't too worried about the fidelity of audio reproduction, they're still a great choice, and you won't have any trouble hearing your music or podcasts through the speaker.

    See our review

  7. Best Outdoor Smart Speaker

    Check out the Sonos Move 2 for one of the best wireless outdoor speakers with voice assistant support. This speaker is the next generation of the original Sonos Move, and while it retains a similar design, it adds an additional tweeter for an improved sound with stereo content. Available in several colors, this speaker is sleek enough to fit into your home decor and sturdy enough to take outdoors. It's rated IP56 for dust and water resistance and can withstand some drops and falls. Since it's battery-powered, you don't have to worry about finding an outlet to plug it into when you listen to your favorite tunes.

    Built-in Alexa makes it easy to control this speaker using your voice. It can pick up on your commands from far away and if you're at a noisy park or camping site. The microphone mute button is on hand for more private moments, too. This speaker is also a great choice for connecting with other smart products. It pairs with other Sonos speakers to spread audio throughout your backyard or simultaneously play music in different spaces. If you want a smaller smart speaker for outdoor use, you can also check out the Sonos Roam 2. It doesn't get as loud as the Move 2, and its sound quality isn't quite as impressive, so it may or may not be worth the trade-off in size, depending on how you plan to use it.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM: The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is a portable Bluetooth speaker that can get incredibly loud with little compression at max volume. It can produce a more extended low bass than the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 and has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 24 hours. It isn't as well-built or portable as the MEGABOOM 3, and it's too large and heavy to take on hikes, for instance. See our review
  • Alpine Corporation Solar Bluetooth Rock Speaker: The Alpine Corporation Solar Bluetooth Rock Speaker is designed to look like a rock that blends nicely with outdoor landscaping. It has a solar panel atop it, so its battery nearly never drains when exposed to sunlight. However, it downmixes stereo content to mono to play it, which isn't as immersive. It also doesn't produce an as extended low bass as the Pohopa EF-B210G speakers. See our review
  • Limitless Innovations TikiTunes: The Limitless Innovations TikiTunes is a cheap outdoor speaker designed to look like a torch. It has a built-in amber light that mimics a flickering flame. However, it has an uneven sound profile and doesn't come with any customization features. It also doesn't get as loud as the Pohopa EF-B210G speakers, and its battery doesn't last as long. See our review
  • Bose SoundLink Flex: The Bose SoundLink Flex is a well-built portable Bluetooth speaker that the manufacturer advertises as floatable. However, unlike the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3, it downmixes stereo content to mono, which isn't as immersive. Its battery life also doesn't last as long. See our review
  • Sony ULT FIELD 7: The Sony ULT FIELD 7 is a similarly sized portable speaker to the JBL Boombox 3. Its default sound is more bass-heavy than the JBL's, especially with the 'ULT' button engaged. However, its battery life is a fraction of the JBL's, and its soundstage isn't as wide and immersive. See our review
  • Anker Soundcore Boom 2: The Anker Soundcore Boom 2 is a budget, boombox-style portable speaker. While it lacks the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4's exceptional build quality and directivity, it has a slightly better bass response and can get louder (although there's some compression at max volume). Plus, it can be connected to the companion app to access features like the graphic EQ and presets. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Sep 27, 2024: We've updated this article to feature the Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM 4 as our budget pick due to its inclusion of USB-C charging and other minor performance upgrades. Otherwise, we've made no changes to the picks.

  2. Aug 30, 2024: We've added a comparison to the Bose SoundLink Max in the Best Outdoor Speaker pick due to its more portable size. We've also added the Sony ULT FIELD 7 as a Notable Mention due to its solid outdoor performance.

  3. Jul 02, 2024: We've added the Sonos Roam 2 as an alternative to the Sonos Move 2, as the new version features some improvements in voice assistant functionality and volume. Otherwise, we've made no changes to the picks.

  4. May 29, 2024: We've made no changes to our picks but have added the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 as a Notable Mention due to its great price-to-performance ratio. Otherwise, we've made only minor changes to the text.

  5. May 01, 2024: We've checked this article to ensure all our picks are accurate and haven't fluctuated in price. Otherwise, we've added a mention of the Anker Soundcore Motion Boom 2, which we'll be testing soon.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best outdoor Bluetooth speakers for most people to buy, according to their needs. We factor in the price (cheaper speakers win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no speakers that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you would like to choose for yourself, here's the list of all our reviews for speakers, sorted by their outdoor performance. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect speakers. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.