I compared reviews and watched videos for nearly a dozen different models…JBL, Bose, Sony, UE, Anker, Tribit.
So much has changed in this space. And the market has really opened up a lot for the MICRO category. It’s not about being portable anymore, but rather to be really really small. With small size comes with many challenges…sound quality, loudness, battery life, durability, shape.
Best micro bluetooth speakers:
- JBL Clip 4 ($80) – I loved my friend’s JBL Clip 3, so I researched this one. Great battery life, fun clip, loud, good colorful sound profile. Needs to stand up and the shape doesn’t let it stand up easily (even when leaned against something, since it’ll vibrate/slide off). But you can remedy that with a special case that has little feet. Compared to others, it has nice highs but not so much bass. Personally, I think having more highs is really useful in outdoor environments where outdoor nose makes your music sound muddy.
- Sony XB13 ($50) – great sound quality and bass. Also has 2 strap positions so you can hang or mount it from many places/positions. Beloved by many but the main complaints are low volume. Many people argue back and forth between whether JBL or Sony sounds better. I think if you’re into bass-heavy music, you will prefer Sony…as it tends to favor lows over highs. I personally don’t like the bulky round shape.
- Tribit StormBox Micro 2 ($60) – version 1 was designed as the cheaper, better, updated version of the Bose’s Soundlink Micro. Many people agree that it’s better, especially at half the price. The complaints are some people don’t like its bass-centric sound profile. Others complain about sound lag (serious issue if you want to watch movies). And still some people say it only does bass well, and everything else not so well.
- JBL Go 3 ($40) – great size, shape, sound quality, bass. But the Clip 4 is still arguably better sound quality. Also, there are battery complaints for this one. I do love the small flat rectangle shape. Very very portable.
- Bose Soundlink Micro ($120) – the old champion. Still a respected name. And to many, it has the clearest and best sound profile. I will agree that I do like the Bose sound profile very much, it’s very neutral. Which to some people can sound flat or dull. But if you really listen to music a lot (like an audiophile), you’re not going to want your sound system trying to color up your songs.
- UE WonderBoom 2 ($80) – I’ve tried many versions of Logitech’s portable bluetooth speakers before and can simply say that I hate their sound profile. The only thing good is the bass. Everything else (mids and highs) sound muddy as hell. They always sound really cheap and muffled. You can hear the “noise” from far away, but you have to get closer to hear any details in the voice or high frequency notes. Btw, this one is the biggest shape compared to the others. It’s like a big apple, or small grapefruit.
- Anker Soundcore Mini ($25) – I’ve yet to see anybody rave about these. They’re probably a good value because of the price. Pay $25 and you have fun without any care if you lose these at all.
Things I care about:
- Sound quality – because no duh, you want shit to sound good.
- Sound profile – I prefer neutral over heavily customized ones (some speakers have their own equalizer setting applied). It’s important to know personally if you like more clarity (mids/highs) or bass (lows). This alone drastically affects what speakers sound good to you personally.
- Battery life – the ones lasting only 3hrs full charge worry me. I’ve had multiple beach days in a row where we forgot to charge (the night before) and the music cuts out. Sad moment!
- Shape – I prefer a slimmer square or rectangle shape, rather than a bulky ball or cylinder shape. Because they’re easier to slip into pockets and tight spaces. Of course…the ball or cylinder shape speakers are easier to have an omidirectional shape (blasting sound 360 degrees), whereas flatter speakers need to be “aimed” towards you for best sound.
- Sound lag – if you ever plan to use your speakers to play movies or chat on the phone, this is a big deal.
- Build quality – key things like the materials, how the buttons are built, durability of the charge port. Basically all key areas where devices usually fail or malfunction.
- Volume – this really matters as many speakers lose quality once you go over 50-60% sound. Also higher volume means faster battery drain. So long story short…volume is an indirect indication of sound quality and battery life.
Things I didn’t compare or care for too much:
- Phone calls – I don’t care for this as I can just use my phone on speaker mode for phone calls.
- Waterproof/Floating – I don’t plan to drop my speakers in water. And regardless, it seems most portable speakers are built with some water-resistance already. The floating feature is nice in theory as well but I don’t see it being useful on a daily basis. If you think about it, nobody should be floating their speaker in the ocean as salt corrodes things. And if you’re in a pool, the speaker can just be on the edge. Besides…my phone and speaker are usually side-by-side…and my phone can’t float.
- Weight – I care more about size than weight.
- Durability – as long as it doesn’t look like a fragile indoor speaker, I’m happy with it. I treat my stuff well.
- Bluetooth distance – I don’t plan to walk my phone out of the hearing range of my speakers. I suppose there might be SOME useful scenarios for an ultra long bluetooth range but I never needed it.
- Equalizer app – a nice idea but I don’t care for it. We usually have different people connecting their phones anyway.
- Price – because anything below $100 is cheap for me. I’m not a broke college kid.
- Pairing feature – I don’t care for this because I don’t plan to travel with 2 speakers.
- Battery bank feature – some speakers let you connect and charge your phone via USB/USB-C port. Cool idea but not a deal-maker/breaker for me.
- AUX port – who even does this anymore? My travel life is about portability.
- Lights – hahaha…really?!
- Design – ok fine, I do care a little bit. But it’s not the main feature. I care more about the shape of the speaker, not so much the colors.
Other words of advice:
If you don’t care…buy the cheapest smallest thing. If you do care, listen to sound comparisons on YouTube and read user comments and Amazon reviews carefully. Most ideal is you go into a store and listen for yourself.