Best $100 Bluetooth speaker. JBL’s Flip 4 would be remarkable enough for the sound it delivers at this price point, but this portable speaker also delivers another killer feature: Its IPX7 rating means it can be submersed in up to three feet of water for as long as 30 minutes without suffering any damage.

By • 9:00 am, November 26, 2017 • • Bluetooth speakers are the default kind of speaker for today's cable-free iPhones. Here are some of the best. Photo: Marshall 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. What to look for in Bluetooth speakers 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. Best backup drives for mac. 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. Best Bluetooth speakers Best Bluetooth speaker for most folks This crazy design turns out to be incredibly practical. Photo: Urban Ears The Ultimate Ears Roll 2 is the best Bluetooth speaker for most folks.

It’s almost perfect — it’s slim, yet the battery lasts nine hours. It’s waterproof (you can drop it into 3 feet of water for a half-hour), and there’s a bungee cord on the back so you can hook it up to almost anything, from your bike handlebars to a beer keg. The UE Roll 2 is also portable Bluetooth speaker.

The publication says the speaker “sounds full, with smooth reproduction of everything from bass notes to cymbals, and it plays loud enough to fill a hotel room or a spot at the beach with sound.” Those are good examples, because the Roll 2 really is a take-anywhere speaker. The waterproofing also keeps out dust and dirt, and its unique flying-saucer shape means that it is easy to carry. You can slip it into a gap at the side of a packed suitcase, or stow it in the door-bin of a car.

It even comes with an inflatable donut so you can float the Roll 2 in the pool. The Roll 2 also lacks speakerphone capability, which some may see as a downside, but is a feature I love. How many times have you tried to use Siri while listening to music? You press and hold the home button, and instead of Siri beeping on your iPhone, it beeps on the speaker, and you know it’ll never understand you. Usually I just give up and type, but because the Roll 2 doesn’t have a mic, you’ll never suffer this problem. Buy from: Bestseller at Amazon Anker’s utilitarian unit is a low-cost gem. Photo: Anker The looks like the spiritual successor to the Bluetooth speaker that kicked off this whole category — the JamBox.

It is super-affordable, claims to run for 24 hours on a single charge (more than enough to get you kicked out of your apartment), and comes with a built-in mic for making phone calls. The SoundCore seems to be a good default choice for many. The price is absurdly low, which may be a factor in the 4.5-star average on Amazon from almost 10,000 reviewers. If you’re planning to do a little music listening, or keep this in the kitchen for podcasts, then it’s just about perfect. Just don’t expect it to power a party. Buy from: Best for pretending you’re a rock star Insert “goes to 11” joke here. Photo: Marshall Marshall is famous for its guitar amplifiers, and it is using its reputation for badass rocking to push its relatively new consumer electronics division.

And unlike its guitar amp range, which is widely considered to be pretty poor these days, Marshall’s speakers and headphones are great. The Marshall Acton Bluetooth speaker is made for home use, so it doesn’t waste space with a battery — you just plug it in. Like almost all our other picks, it uses Bluetooth V4.0 + EDR APT, and the Acton can also be connected via an included (curly, retro) 3.5mm jack audio cable.