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Having the best portable speaker to take with you on holiday, or to the beach is essential these days.
Mobile phones are an infinite library of music these days thanks to streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify. Yet don’t really offer decent audio quality.
Bluetooth speakers fill that void nicely.
The biggest challenge is finding the right product. You can pick up a tiny, tinny speaker for under $10 from Amazon, but it is unlikely to give you any level of satisfaction.
You could also spend thousands on a top of the line speaker that offers Bluetooth functionality but sacrifices some of the implied portability for sound quality.
To help you choose the best Bluetooth speaker for your needs, we went ahead and did the research for you and compiled this list of the six best Bluetooth speakers in Australia today.
To do this, we did what most consumers do: We went to Google. Searching for Best Bluetooth speaker, we compiled the products that appeared most frequently, and offset it with our own experience.
You can see the full approach to how we came up with this list below.
It is important to remember that everybody’s needs are different. If the picks below don’t suit your needs, let us know why.
These are the best Bluetooth speakers in Australia right now:
JBL Charge 5
Recommended by 7/10 review sites
High volumes tend to distort the sound with smaller portable speakers, but not so with the JBL Charge 5. This little pocket rocket gets nice and loud, while keeping your music sounding great.
It’s IP67 rating makes it perfect for the beach or bush, though you probably don’t want to take it swimming.
It can also charge your mobile device, effectively turning the speaker into a portable battery. This is just the kind of versatility that makes this an impressive option.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3
Recommended by 6/10 review sites
With big, 360-degree sound and a whopping 14 hours of battery life, the IP67 rated Wonderboom 3 is the perfect poolside speaker.
It can deliver exceptional bass for its size, and even pair with a second speaker to create even louder stereo sound.
But most impressive is that it floats, should you accidentally drop it in the pool or bath.
The fabric loop makes it easy to carry around as well, making it versatile in any situation.
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom
Recommended by 6/10 review sites
Physically, this is the largest speaker in the list which explains why it has the biggest sound. The Hyperboom is a beast of a speaker, perfect for parties.
It has a splash proof IPX4 rating, so you can feel comfortable taking it out and about. Also included are auxiliary and optical inputs for connecting other equipment to instead of using the Bluetooth connection.
It can also accept dual Bluetooth connections, and switch seamlessly between them, making it a fun option for DJs.
Sonos Roam
Sonos Roam Portable Bluetooth Speaker (White) Hall of Fame
Recommended by 6/10 review sites
Sonos got its start delivering in-home wireless speaker systems that seamlessly streamed music around the entire home. The Sonos Roam takes the brand into the outer world.
Ruggedly built with impressive audio quality, the Roam can be used as a portable Bluetooth speaker as well as a versatile mobile addition to a broader Sonos home system.
It can also leverage either the Google or Alexa smart assistant when on Wi-Fi, which is an impressive function for this compact speaker.
JBL Flip 6
Recommended by 5/10 review sites
Compactly built, the JBL Flip 6 is a great little Bluetooth speaker. It’s easy to pair to, has great sound quality for its size and can get pretty loud as well.
It has an IP67 rating so it can be taken pretty much anywhere without worry.
Audio can be customised using JBL’s app and there’s no integrated microphone, so it can’t be used as a speakerphone or digital assistant.
Which is fine, because being a speaker is what the Flip 6 does best.
How we chose the best Bluetooth speakers
Review sites – including this one – are subjective by nature. Everybody has a different opinion of what is best.
So to try and counter the fact that every best guide on the internet has a different opinion of what is best, we approached our list by combining the results of some of the top sites recommending Bluetooth speakers on the market today.
To determine this list, we followed the same journey most consumers would follow: we went to Google.
We searched for “Best Bluetooth speakers” and identified the top 10 results. Note that Google results change often, so we outlined the full list of sites referenced below:
Referenced sites:
We listed out all of the Bluetooth speakers listed on each site, tidying up any slight differences in spelling for consistency.
We calculated the frequency in which each product was mentioned across those 10 guides. The more frequently a product is mentioned, the more agreement there is between experts reviewing these products that it is, indeed one of the best products available.
We set a minimum of five mentions across all 10 guides to be eligible for inclusion here. This means that at least 50% of the sites surveyed recommend each product.
Before we created this page we took some time to remove products that are either unavailable, or difficult to find in Australia.
We also leveraged our own experience with products to ensure that we wouldn’t be recommending any product that doesn’t deliver.
What to look for when choosing Bluetooth speakers
Whether you’re after one of the models listed above or something completely different, the decision factors you need to consider when buying a Bluetooth speaker is the same.
Portability
You should understand just how portable you want your Bluetooth speaker to be. Does it need to be small and lightweight to fit into a suitcase? Or does it need to be a powerful beast capable of filling a hall with high quality audio? Understanding your needs will help define your purchase.
Sound quality
You don’t want to spend a fortune buying a speaker that doesn’t sound great. In particular for Bluetooth speakers, you want to know whether the speaker still sounds good at loud volumes, or does it start to distort.
Additionally, knowing how important well balanced audio, with solid bass and clear high notes, is important. The cheaper the speaker, the less likely you are to get these qualities.
Build quality
It’s now common to find Bluetooth speakers with good IP ratings, meaning they can get splashed, dusty or even dunked in water without breaking. If you plan on taking your speaker to the beach or outdoors, this feature is going to be important.
Battery life
Not only do you want to know how long it takes for the battery to drain, you also want to know how quickly you can charge it. Some speakers also allow you to charge your devices from it, turning it into a portable battery. This can be hugely useful.
Bluetooth standard
This one is a little more technical, but could still be useful. The introduction of Bluetooth 5 saw an increase in range up to four times (compared to Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy), a doubling in speeds and the ability to transfer up to 8 times as much data.
Ultimately, having a better version of Bluetooth in your speaker could mean better performance, though it will depend on multiple factors.
Other Features and functions
Some speakers offer a dedicated app for balancing your equaliser settings to your personal taste. Other speakers will offer digital assistant integration, so you can get weather updates at a voice prompt.
Some speakers offer multiple Bluetooth connections simultaneously, with the ability to switch between sources effortlessly. Other speakers will let you pair two together to create a stereo pair.
Some speakers have NFC chips so you can pair your mobile device with a tap.
There are too many different options to list them all here. But it’s important to consider the functions you want when making your decision.
Price
Price is always important, but it can mean different things to different people. Consider your budget before making a purchase decision. Understand that the best product for your needs is likely the one that sits within your price range while delivering most of the elements above you find important.
Update history
- 6 December 2022 – First Published
- 10 January 2023 – Updated the number of recommendations. Removed Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2.
- 6 April 2023 – Updated the number of recommendations. Added Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3.
- 5 July 2023 – Updated the number of recommendations. Removed the Bose Soundlink Flex.
- 11 October 2023 – Updated the number of recommendations. Removed the Sonos Move and Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen).
- 29 January 2024 – Updated the number of recommendations.
