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Cheap Bluetooth speaker reviews

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Last updated: 17 July 2018

Turn an ordinary outing into a party for less than $100 with the right Bluetooth speaker. Music stored on your smartphone can be shared in but a few taps, and most are small enough to disappear among the stuff in your backpack. Learn about their different features in our buying guide, or gain a glimpse into how we test different speakers, such as more expensive wireless speakers. See what we found for added insights from our testing to help you buy the best.

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Our experts test 18 models in our sound room to find the speakers that:

  • have the best sound quality
  • have longest lasting battery life
  • are the easiest to use.

Our interactive comparison tool can help you find the speakers with the features most important to you – like the ability to handle phone calls, or take on splashes from wet hands.

Did you know CHOICE tests much more than just bluetooth speakers? Check out our Top 50 reviews.

Peter Zaluzny
By Peter Zaluzny
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Brand

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List of brands we tested in this review.

Price

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Recommended retail, as of August 2016.

enter value/s in increments of 1 between 30 and 100

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Takes phone calls

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A microphone built into the speaker makes it possible to take an incoming phone call.

Stereo speaker

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Stereo speakers play audio from a left and right channel, creating the illusion sound is coming from more than one direction.

Pair with additional speaker

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Some speakers can be paired together in order to play back music with more volume, or to simulate a stereo speaker set up. 

Splash resistant

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Can tolerate splashes, but cannot be submerged in water.

Shock proof

Test results

Overall score

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The overall score is made up of the audio score (60%), battery score (20%) and ease of use score (20%).

enter value/s in increments of 1 between 50 and 76

Audio score

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Performance tests are based on our listening panel's appraisal of two pieces of music. The speaker is positioned about two metres away from the listener, with the panel assessing overall quality.

enter value/s in increments of 1 between 34 and 73

Battery score

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We drain the battery life of each speaker using a fixed, looped, nine hour playlist. The speakers are drained twice only if the results are consistent, and a third time if the difference between the first two runs is greater than five percent.

enter value/s in increments of 1 between 64 and 92

Ease of use score

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Ease of use is important for a wireless speaker, particularly with some of the more fully featured models that can take some time to learn the controls and options available. Our tester looks at initial setup, how the speaker deals with an incoming phone call in the middle of music playback and any physical controls on the speaker.

enter value/s in increments of 1 between 70 and 82

Related products

Availability

A Similar model is identical in most aspects except for a few. This means that a majority of its test results are identical so you can reasonably expect to get the same results from the model we tested, but for those aspects which aren't identical, we'll note these as "Not Tested" in the Compare tables.

A Tested model refers to a model that is still current and available in the Australian market. You should be able to order this model through your local retailer, or find it online.

These models can't be found in retailers or online or are no longer manufactured. You may still find these models on second hand websites, or in second hand dealers. Test methods may change over time, so criteria which can't be directly compared will contain an N/A. 

An Identical model is exactly that. Performance characteristics will be identical and the only difference will be something trivial such as colour, which won't have an impact on performance.

These are models we haven't yet tested but that are available.

Included in this review

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  • Overall score
  • Recommended
  • Audio score
  • Battery score
  • Ease of use score
  • Weight (g)
  • Battery time - measured (hours)
  • Good points
  • Bad points
  • Availability
  • Price
  • Brand
  • Model
  • Stereo speaker
  • Pair with additional speaker
  • Bluetooth version
  • Auxiliary input
  • Auxiliary cable provided
  • Takes phone calls
  • Other features
  • Dust proof
  • Splash resistant
  • Waterproof
  • Shock proof
  • Charging time claimed (hours)
  • Dimensions (mm, HxWxD)
  • Attachments
  • Warranty
  • Contact
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