What to Look for in Bluetooth Speakers

The speakers in iPhones and iPads get better with each new model, but they’ll never power a party, or even shift enough air to accompany an action movie. Bluetooth speakers are the way to go for most people. You skip the annoyance of wires, and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of AirPlay, which never seems to work right. Also, Bluetooth is universal, so you can also use the speaker with an Android device or PC.

Bluetooth speakers are so diverse that it’s hard to say what features to look for. After all, many of them are compromises — a waterproof speaker won’t sound as clear as an otherwise-identical non-waterproof version, for example.

But there are some features that are common to all speakers. Battery life is one, and is probably the most important consideration after sound quality. It may even be more important, if you’re a teenager who likes to inflict your music on any and all passersby. Or you may not care about a battery at all — perhaps you want to install the speaker permanently in one spot.

Bluetooth range is also worth bearing in mind, but for most users won’t really make any difference — unless you have a huge home with extra-thick walls.

Other than that, consider the features you want. I hate speakerphones, for example, because Siri never works through them, but you might love the feature. Waterproofing is good for the beach or the shower, but less important in the kitchen or living room. You get the drift. We have mentioned any unusual extra features below.

GGMM E2 is one of the best bluetooth speakers for most folks. It’s almost perfect — it’s slim, yet the battery lasts 14 hours.

The GGMM E2 is also Wirecutter’s favorite portable Bluetooth speaker. The publication says the speaker “sounds full, with with Amazon Alexa, Multi-Room Play, Stream Online Music (Spotify, Tidal, TuneIn), and it plays loud enough to fill a hotel room or a spot at the beach with sound.”

Those are good examples, because the GGMM E2 really is a take-anywhere speaker.

You may interested on: portable speakers