The Sony SRS-XG300 is a smaller version of the Sony SRS-XG500. It has a similar design with RGB lights surrounding its passive radiators. This smaller model is easier to bring with you on the go and has a built-in retractable handle. Like other Sony speakers with RGB lights, it's also compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which lets you access extra party features of the speaker like DJ and light effects. That said, unlike the SRS-XG500, it doesn't come with mic and guitar inputs to wire external instruments to the speaker.
Our Verdict
The Sony SRS-XG300 is alright for music. With its 'MEGA BASS' preset enabled, it has a boomy overall sound profile that adds extra warmth and punch to the mix, making it suitable for listening to different music genres. Its mid-range is mostly balanced, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, higher-pitched vocals and instruments sound dull and veiled at times. It lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like EDM or hip-hop. Fortunately, you can customize its sound profile thanks to the graphic EQ and presets in its companion app, though this isn't enough to feel the thump and rumble in bass-heavy audio. It also gets pretty loud, though there's compression present at max volume that degrades audio quality as you bump up the volume.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Gets loud.
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Directional soundstage.
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A lot of compression at max volume.
The Sony SRS-XG300 isn't bad for videos and movies. It gets pretty loud and plays stereo content without downmixing it to mono, so sound effects like cars and footsteps move from one side of the speaker to the other. However, due to the speaker's size, it doesn't feel as immersive as larger, movie-oriented speakers. It also has low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, so you won't notice many syncing issues when using the speaker to watch videos and movies. Some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may differ. It lacks low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble typically present in action-packed scenes.
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Gets loud.
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Low Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices.
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Directional soundstage.
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A lot of compression at max volume.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is good for podcasts. It's incredibly portable, so you can move your favorite podcasts and audiobooks with your from room to room with ease. It also gets pretty loud, so you can still hear your podcast from across a large room. Its balanced mid-range ensures voices and dialogue sound clear and present in the mix, though higher-pitched voices and sounds sound dark at times. You can tweak its sound profile to your liking, thanks to the graphic EQ and presets in its companion app. Its soundstage is perceived as narrow and directional, meaning your audio doesn't sound as clear when listening from different angles, like when listening from behind the speaker.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Gets loud.
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Incredibly portable.
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Directional soundstage.
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A lot of compression at max volume.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is poor for voice assistants. Since it doesn't have any voice assistants built-in, it uses the voice assistants from your paired smartphone. However, we use recorded voice commands to test the speaker as part of our methodology, and the speaker struggled to register the commands, even from close. That said, it did a better job at understanding commands in noisier settings. However, like many Sony speakers we've tested, it could still understand commands from a normal speaking voice.
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Gets loud.
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Directional soundstage.
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A lot of compression at max volume.
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Poor far-field performance.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is very good for outdoor use. It's incredibly portable and has a retractable handle to help you carry it in one hand when you're headed outside. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be fully dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, so you don't need to worry about it getting wet when listening to your favorite tunes by the pool. Its long-lasting battery life of over 14 hours also makes it great for long listening sessions spent outdoors. It gets pretty loud, though there's a lot of compression present at max volume that degrades audio quality when you max out the volume. It also lacks low-bass, so you don't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music like you would with larger speakers.
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IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
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Graphic EQ and presets.
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Gets loud.
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Incredibly portable.
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Directional soundstage.
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A lot of compression at max volume.
- 6.9 Music
- 6.3 Videos/Movies
- 7.5 Podcasts
- 4.7 Voice Assistant
- 7.8 Outdoors
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Sony SRS-XG300 comes in two color variants: Black and Light Gray. This review represents the test results for the Light Gray variant, though they're both expected to perform similarly. You can see its label here.
If you come across any other variants, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Compared To Other Speakers
The Sony SRS-XG300 is a smaller version of the Sony SRS-XG500 that comes with RGB lights. Unlike the Sony XG500, it doesn't come with mic and guitar inputs to wire your external instruments to the speaker. That said, it's more portable thanks to its smaller and more lightweight design. Its handle is also retractable, so it doesn't take up as much space. Like other Sony party speakers we've tested, it's compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which allows you to access extra party features of the speaker, like DJ and light effects. However, while it's compatible with voice assistants from your smartphone, it struggles to register your commands from far away.
See also our recommendations for the best portable Bluetooth speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers, and the best speakers for parties.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is better than the JBL Xtreme 3 overall. You can use the Sony speaker to answer and reject phone calls, and it supports voice assistants via your paired smartphone. It comes with customizable RGB lights. It's compatible with Sony's Fiestable app, which lets you access extra party features of the speaker. It also has lower Bluetooth latency with iOS and Android devices, making it better suited for watching videos and movies. Some apps compensate for latency differently, and your experience may vary. That said, the JBL offers a better-balanced sound profile overall.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is a more versatile speaker than the Sony SRS-XG500 overall. You can use the XG300 to answer and reject phone calls, and it supports voice assistants through your smartphone. It's smaller and lighter too, making it more portable. That said, if you're looking for a portable speaker to bring to your next party, the XG500 is the better choice. It can produce a slightly more extended low-bass and comes with mic and guitar inputs you can use to wire your external instruments to the speaker. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 26 hours from a single charge, so the speaker doesn't die on you in the middle of your party.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is a slightly better speaker than the Sony SRS-XB43, though not by much. The XG300's sound profile is slightly more balanced and has a wider-sounding soundstage. It also gets a touch louder. The XB43's battery life lasted almost an hour longer in our tests, though this varies depending on your chosen volume levels and settings. Overall, the differences between the two speakers are pretty minor, so unless you're very particular about your speaker's sound, the XB43 offers similar performance at a more affordable price.
The Ultimate Ears HYPERBOOM is a better speaker than the Sony SRS-XG300 overall. The Ultimate Ears can get louder with significantly less compression present at max volume, so audio quality is clearer and cleaner when the volume is maxed out. Its sound profile is more balanced with its room correction feature enabled. It also has a longer-lasting battery life of almost 24 hours. That said, the Sony is smaller and lighter, making it easier to bring along with you on the go. It supports voice assistants through your smartphone, though its performance isn't great. It's also battery built with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance that certifies it to be dust tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes.
The JBL Boombox 2 is a better speaker for music than the Sony SRS-XG300 overall. The JBL has a better-balanced sound profile out of the box and can produce a slightly more extended low-bass. It also gets a bit louder with slightly less compression present at max volume. Its battery life lasts significantly longer, making it better suited for longer listening sessions. That said, the Sony is better built and is smaller, making it more portable. You can use it to accept and reject phone calls, and it supports voice assistants through your smartphone. It comes with customizable RGB lights and is compatible with Sony's Fiestable app to access extra party features and effects.
Test Results
The Sony SRS-XG300 is a smaller version of the Sony SRS-XG500. Like the XG500, this cylindrical speaker is tightly wrapped in fabric and comes with RGB lights surrounding its passive radiators. It also comes with a built-in retractable handle. You can find it in Black and Light gray.
The Sony SRS-XG300 is incredibly portable. This lightweight speaker comes with a retractable carrying handle to help you transport it. It's battery-powered too, so it doesn't need to remain wired to a power source to work.
The Sony SRS-XG300's build quality is very good. The speaker feels solid overall, and its retractable handle is sturdy and smooth. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be fully dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, so you don't need to worry about it getting wet when taking it outdoors with you. There's a flap on its rear to protect its ports that seals tightly. The rest of the speaker is tightly wrapped in fabric.
The Sony SRS-XG300 offers a good selection of easy-to-use texturized controls. You can use the play/pause button to answer or reject incoming calls, double-press it to skip your track, and triple-press it to backtrack. You can also long-press it to activate the voice assistant on your paired smartphone. There are indicator lights to inform you of the speaker's status, and which features are enabled. This speaker also emits an audible cue when it's in Bluetooth pairing mode. When you reach its minimum or maximum volume, the power button's light blinks three times. The charge light also slowly flashes orange when the battery's running low. A battery button on the rear also lets you know the speaker's approximate battery level. You can long-press the MEGA BASS button to enable its 'Stamina' mode when the battery's running low. There's a light button you can use to turn the RGB lights on and off.
The Sony SRS-XG300's frequency response accuracy is alright. It has a slightly boomy sound profile. The overemphasis in the high-bass range adds extra warmth and boom to the mix. Its mid-range is mostly balanced, so vocals and lead instruments sound clear and present in the mix. However, the underemphasis in the treble range causes higher-pitched vocals and instruments to sound dull and veiled at times. It also lacks some low-bass, so you can't feel the deep thump and rumble in bass-heavy music. Fortunately, you can customize its sound profile to your liking thanks to the graphic EQ and presets featured in its companion app, though it isn't enough to add much thump and rumble to the mix.
Note: The Sony XG300 was tested horizontally, with its 'MEGA BASS' preset enabled, and its ClearAudio+ feature turned on. ClearAudio+ is a feature advertised to adjust the speaker's sound field according to what you're listening to. This feature turns on automatically when 'MEGA BASS' is selected.
The Sony SRS-XG300 has a decent soundstage performance. It can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, so musical instruments and sound effects in your audio are localized to a pinpoint location. It means that if you play a song that normally has the guitar on the left and the synth on the right, it emits the guitar sounds from the left side of the speaker and the synth sounds from the right.
However, it has mediocre directivity since the Sony XG300 projects audio from one direction, meaning audio sounds different when listening from different angles, like form behind the speaker. It results in a narrow and directional-sounding soundstage.
The Sony SRS-XG300 has a decent dynamics performance. It gets loud enough to fill large areas with sound. However, there's a lot of compression present at max volume that degrades the quality of your audio at louder volume levels, so your audio doesn't sound as clean and clear at max volume.
The Sony SRS-XG300 has an excellent battery performance. The manufacturer advertises that its battery lasts around 25 hours from a single charge when the volume is at level 19 and its RGB lights are turned off. That said, with its volume at level 30 and its RGB lights on, it could last over 14 hours from a single charge during the testing process. It's great news if you don't like to regularly charge your speaker and enjoy longer listening sessions. There's also a power-saving mode Sony calls 'Auto Standby', which you can enable in the app, that shuts the Sony XG300 off following 15 minutes of inactivity.
The Sony SRS-XG300 has a poor voice assistant performance. Since there are no built-in assistants, it uses the assistants from your paired smartphone. We use recorded voice commands as part of the methodology to test the speaker's voice assistant performance. During these tests, the speaker struggles to register these commands, even when you're close to the speaker. However, it doesn't have much trouble understanding the slightly louder recorded commands in noisier settings. That said, while this isn't part of the testing process, like many Sony speakers we've tested, it could still understand commands from a normal speaking voice. If you're looking for a Sony speaker that does a better job registering commands, check out the Sony SRS-XE200.
The Sony SRS-XG300's Sony Music Center app is very good. It features a graphic EQ and presets, so you can customize its sound profile to your liking. You can customize its RGB lights, and can access Sony's Fiestable app, which lets you access extra party features of the speaker, like DJ and light effects. You can also use the app to connect the Sony XG300 to other compatible speakers too, when you want to create a stereo pair, or when you want to amplify your audio across a larger area.
Like other Sony speakers we've tested, there are a few power-saving and battery-protection features. There's a 'Stamina' mode you can enable in the app, which significantly reduces the bass in your audio to lengthen the speaker's battery life when it's low. You can enable its 'Battery Care' feature when you charge the Sony XG300 to protect and optimize its battery performance in the long run. This feature suppresses the speaker's charge amount to 90% when you charge it fully. You can also enable a power-saving feature Sony calls 'Auto Standby' mode that automatically turns the speaker off following 15 minutes of inactivity.
Aside from its charging port, the Sony XG300 comes with an AUX input you can use to wire your devices to the speaker. There's also a USB-A port you can use to charge devices like your phone via the speaker. That said, you can't use the USB-A port to playback audio.
The Sony XG300 has fantastic Bluetooth connectivity. You can pair up to two devices to the speaker at once, making it easy to switch between audio sources. It has outstanding range, so your paired devices remain connected to the speaker, even from far away. Also, it has low latency with iOS and Android devices, so you won't notice many syncing issues when using the speaker to watch videos and movies.