Why You Can Trust CNET UE Megaboom 3 speaker hits all-time low at Best Buy and includes free charging base
The biggest Boom speaker from Ultimate Ears is down to $130 in one color, and Best Buy includes the $40 charging base for free with the other two color options priced at $150.
The Megaboom 3 speaker from Ultimate Ears has never been cheaper. The big, bassy Bluetooth speaker was released at a price of $200 and over the nearly two years since has occasionally dipped to $170 or $180. Right now, you can get the Megaboom 3 for only $130 or $150 at Best Buy. The black-and-white Moon model is discounted to $130, but the two models priced at $150 are the better deals because they include the Power Up charging dock that usually sells separately for an additional $40.
The cylindrical Megaboom 3 is the third iteration of Ultimate Ears' biggest Boom speaker. My colleague David Carnoy found the Megaboom 3 offers better bass than its predecessor with fuller sound that also sounds better at higher volumes. It also has a new button on the top that pauses and plays your music and can be linked to your playlists on a number of streaming services, including Apple Music , Deezer and Spotify. A short press on this Magic Button starts your music even when the speaker is off, and a long press advances to the next playlist you've stored in the Ultimate Ears app.
Read more: The best Bluetooth wireless speaker of 2020
Unlike the jumbo UE Hyperboom, the Megaboom 3 straddles a more sensible line between "large" and "portable." To that point, the 2-pound speaker can be dropped without missing a beat, and it's fully waterproof and will even float if it happens to get tossed in the pool.
The Power Up charging dock is a much appreciated addition. It costs $40 on its own but is a free add-on when you buy the Megaboom 3 in either Night Black or Lagoon Blue. You can charge the speaker with the included Micro-USB cable, but the charging base lets you keep the speaker always powered up and ready to rock. For times when it's away from its base, the Megaboom 3 has a rated battery life of 20 hours.
This deal is so good I'm putting in an order for a Megaboom 3 (in Lagoon Blue, thank you very much) to replace the current Bluetooth speaker in my kitchen. I have an off-brand speaker that sounds pretty good but has terrible battery life and is constantly interrupting my dinner prep with its low-battery warning, which then sends me on a hunt through my house for the charging cable, which always seems to run off to a new location each time I need it.
