Best portable mini Bluetooth speakers (2019 edition)

The market for Bluetooth speakers has exploded in the past few years, and with good reason: quality has increased and prices have dropped. Every model can stream music from nearly any phone or tablet, many of them double as speakerphones, too.

We at CNET have been reviewing them at a steady clip, and we've rounded up more than two dozen of our favorite models, focusing on small and lightweight units that are best suited to travel. Some of the "older" models have been discontinued, but are perfectly fine and continue to be offered for sale at great prices, so we're keeping them in the roundup until they completely disappear from the market.

Bose's SoundLink Micro is arguably the best-sounding speaker for its tiny size. Although it's a little pricey, Bose did shave $10 off its list price, bringing it down to $99. It's fully waterproof and available in three color options.

See pricing for Bose SoundLink Micro on Amazon.

Not only does this fully waterproof speaker (IPX7) have improved battery life and better sound than the Clip 2, it's more durable, according to JBL, thanks to the integrated carabiner framing the entire perimeter of the speaker, acting as a bumper. It's one of the top speakers for its tiny size. It sells for $60 (£50, AU$80).

See pricing for JBL Clip 3 on Amazon.

At $36, the Tribit XSound Go is one of the top Bluetooth speakers for the money. Besides sounding decent, it's also fully waterproof.

See pricing for Tribit XSound Go on Amazon.

The Sony XB01 is splashproof and available in multiple colors -- and it sounds great for the price (it lists for $35 but has been regularly discounted to less than $25).

See it Amazon.

Not much bigger than your phone, the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini 2 is a slim Bluetooth speaker that delivers better sound than you'd think. It also performs well as a speakerphone and can charge your phone, thanks to a USB-out port.

See pricing for Harman Kardon Esquire Mini 2 at Amazon.

While it's expensive, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better-sounding Bluetooth speaker than the Bose SoundLink Revolve Plus for its compact size.

See pricing for Bose SoundLink Plus on Amazon.

The Tribit MaxSound Plus ($56) is about 30 percent bigger than its sibling XSound Go and costs about $25 more, but it performs substantially better and is one of the best-sounding speakers in its size and price class. 

See pricing for Tribit MaxSound Plus at Amazon.

The JBL Flip 4 is about 20 percent larger than the Flip 3 -- and it sounds about 20 percent better.

See pricing for JBL Flip 4 on Amazon.

It may not sound as full as its bigger sibling (SoundLink Revolve Plus), but the slickly designed SoundLink Revolve sounds excellent for its size.

See pricing for Bose SoundLink Resolve on Amazon.

The Wonderboom is one of the best sounding Bluetooth speakers for its compact size -- and it's fully waterproof, which makes it shower-friendly. It started out at $100 but is now down to less than $60 online.

See pricing for UE Wonderboom on Amazon.

The smallest speaker in Sony's Extra Bass line of Bluetooth speakers, the SRS-XB10 delivers more bass than your typical tiny wireless speaker -- and it's water-resistant.

See pricing on Amazon for Sony SRS-XB10.

The UE Boom 2 originally listed for $200 (£179, AU$180), but has now come down in price to around $100 online. It delivers big sound for its size and is a great choice for outdoor use (it's fully waterproof).

The newer Boom 3 offers some small improvements but costs $150.

See pricing on Amazon for UE Boom 2.

The UE Boom 3 ($150) is the same cylindrical shape, but it's been redesigned, mostly for the better. The new fabric wrap is supposed to be more durable, and the speaker is rated to withstand falls of up to a meter. It's also fully waterproof and even floats if you happen to drop it in a body of water.

From a sound standpoint, I don't think the Boom 3 is much of an upgrade over the Boom 2, which sounded very good for this type of speaker -- particularly outdoors, thanks to its 360-degree sound dispersion.

See it on Amazon.

Bose's most compact and affordable Bluetooth speaker has improved sound and a water-resistant design.

See pricing for Bose SoundLink Color II on Amazon.

The Monster Superstar S100 managed to surprise us a little. It sounds decent for its tiny size and is fully waterproof.

See it at Monster Store

We liked the sound of the older JBL Charge 2 Plus a little better, but the fully waterproof Charge 3 has come down in price and is now a better value.

See pricing for JBL Charge 3 on Amazon.

JBL has improved the design and performance of its pocket-friendly Bluetooth speaker. It's now fully waterproof and sounds better than the original Go.

See it at Amazon

JBL's $150 Charge 4 Bluetooth speaker features improved sound over the Charge 3 (bigger bass), better battery life (20 hours) and some other small upgrades. It started out costing $50 more than the Charge 3 but has since come down in price to around $120.

JBL's Charge speakers are a little bigger than the company's Flip series speakers and are named "Charge" because of their ability to charge devices, thanks to a built-in USB-out port.

See it at Amazon.

Credit B&O Play for creating a Bluetooth speaker that doesn't look like anything out there already. Although it's expensive at $249, £199 in the UK and AU$379 in Australia, it sounds impressive for its small size and has a high-quality speakerphone.

See pricing for BeoPlay A1 on Amazon.

The Oontz Angle 3 Plus is one the better-sounding inexpensive Bluetooth speakers. It's $35 online and sometimes gets discounted to $30.

See pricing for Oontz Angle 3 Plus on Amazon.

The Beats Pill+, which charges via Apple's Lightning cable, has a lot to like about it if you can overlook its inflated list price: $229, £189, and AU$267. In the US and UK, it's being discounted online to around $110 (£150), which makes it more appealing (particularly in the US).

See pricing for Beats Pill+ on Amazon.

Available in multiple color options, the B&O Play P2 is a slim Bluetooth speaker with a premium design that sounds very good for its small size. Its online price has come down a little.

See pricing for B&O Play P2 at Amazon.

At around $80, Anker's Soundcore Boost costs more than the popular Soundcore 2, but it does sound richer and plays louder, with better bass.

See pricing for Anker Soundcore Boost on Amazon.

A lot of these small Bluetooth speakers sound fairly similar, but the JBL Pulse 3 manages to distinguish itself with a built-in light show that's fairly mesmerizing. It lists for $200, £180 or AU$300, but in the US it can be had for less online ($135). 

See pricing for JBL Pulse 3 on Amazon.

We prefer the sound of Anker's more expensive Soundcore Boost, but the Soundcore 2 is decent mini Bluetooth speaker for around $40 online.

See pricing for Anker Soundcore 2 on Amazon.

We were fans of UE's original Roll Bluetooth speaker, a compact, waterproof wireless speaker with a unique design that sounded very good for its size and has decent battery life. The UE Roll 2, which retails for $100 USD (£80, AU$95), but can be had for significantly less online, offers improved range and plays louder. It's one of our favorite mini Bluetooth speakers.

See pricing for UE Roll 2 on Amazon.

With the better sounding Flip 4 out on the market, JBL's older Flip 3 is being sold at a discount. A 2015 model, you can now find it online closer to $70 and for as low as £73 or AU$117 in the UK and Australia, respectively.

See pricing for JBL Flip 3 on Amazon.

The Bose SoundLink Mini II has been out for a while but is still good mini Bluetooth speaker with excellent build quality and impressive sound quality for its size. It's come down in price a little since the newer Revolve and Revolve Plus came out last last year.

See pricing for Bose SoundLink Mini II on Amazon.

Polk's Boom Bit -- also referred to as the Bity -- is a tiny speaker you can clip to your shirt. As you might expect, it doesn't sound great, but it works well as a wearable speakerphone in the car and can be used for running and on bike rides.

See it at Amazon.

We thought the water-resistant Braven BRV-1 was overpriced at its $180 list price, but now that it's come down to less than $50 (£120 in the UK, AU$195 in Australia), it's a lot more attractive.

See pricing for Braven Braven BRV-1 on Amazon.

Polk Audio's Boom Swimmer Duo is a small waterproof wireless speaker that has a bendable tail which allows you to hook the speaker onto anything you want. When it was first released, it listed for $60 (£50, AU$79), but can now be had for significantly less online.

It also comes with a suction cup, so you can attach it to the wall -- or glass -- in your shower. It offers better sound than its small size would indicate, but it gets on the list for its flexible, bathroom-friendly design. Available in multiple color options.

See pricing for Boom Swimmer Duo on Amazon.