Best Portable Mini Bluetooth Speaker for 2022: JBL, Bose, Sony and More
Aside from a good pair of headphones, a portable Bluetooth speaker is the best way to hear music whenever and wherever you are. Not only can you stream your tunes from a phone, tablet or computer, but some of the best Bluetooth speakers also have built-in microphones so you can use them as a speakerphone for calls or meetings.
Luckily, wireless Bluetooth speakers have improved with time, and now offer better sound, longer battery life, increased Bluetooth range, more reliable connectivity and increased durability, with many speakers now being fully waterproof. In fact, some models can even float.
As for smaller portable Bluetooth speakers -- I call them mini or micro speakers, depending on just how compact they are -- you will encounter some limitations to their sound, particularly when it comes to bass output and overall volume. But for their small size, many models manage to exceed expectations when it comes to sound quality.
While this list is focused exclusively on very compact speakers, we also have a list of Best Bluetooth Speakers overall, as well as a list of Best Wireless Bluetooth Boom Box Speakers, which features larger portable speakers. We'll update this list as new ultraportable Bluetooth speakers hit the market.
When it launched, Bose made some bold claims about its new SoundLink Flex Bluetooth speaker, particularly its bass performance. But it mostly lives up to the hype and is arguably the best-sounding wireless speaker for its relatively compact size. Available in three colors -- black, white smoke and stone blue (pictured) -- the speaker is IP67 dust- and waterproof, and rated for 12 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.
It's also equipped with Bose's PositionIQ technology to automatically detect the speaker's orientation and deliver optimized sound based on whether it's upright, hanging or flat on its back. The Flex also floats and Bose says it can survive drops and bumps, with a soft silicone back and powder-coated steel grille that "won't peel or flake and is resistant to corrosion and UV light."
While Bose's SoundLink Micro also delivers impressive sound for its tiny size, this speaker is bigger, weighing just over a pound (0.45 kg) and measuring 7.9 inches wide, 2.1 inches deep and 3.6 inches high (20 by 5.3 by 9.1cm), so the Flex sounds significantly better than the Micro. For some reason, it uses the older Bluetooth 4.2 instead of 5.0, but I didn't have any problems with connectivity.
Bose says it can fill a living room with sound. From my tests, I'd say it would have to be a relatively small living room -- it can only output so much sound as a single speaker. However, if you pair two of them together in stereo mode, the sound gets to a whole other level and indeed fills a larger room with sound.
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Back in 2020, Tribit released the StormBox Micro, a budget version of Bose's excellent SoundLink Micro speaker that delivered surprisingly good sound for its size and modest price. Now we get the StormBox Micro 2, which offers improved sound and battery life, along with a charge-out feature that turns the speaker into a power bank for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. An integrated strap allows you to clip it to your backpack or your bike's handlebars.
Like the original, it's an excellent value and easy to recommend if you're looking for a super compact portable wireless speaker.
David Carnoy/CNET
With each new version of the Flip, JBL makes small improvements, and while the latest model, the Flip 6, doesn't look much different from the Flip 5 on the outside, it does feature improved sound. It has two-way drivers with a woofer and tweeter and dual passive radiators that help the Flip 6 deliver much deeper bass than you think it could.
It's fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IPX67 rating. Like the Flip 5, it's rated for up 12 hours of audio playback at moderate volume levels and charges via USB-C. Available in multiple color options, it's one of the best-sounding speakers for its compact size.
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