Many Bluetooth speakers now are now fully waterproof and some fully dust-proof. If you're planning on taking the speaker with you to the beach or on a hiking trip, having a more durable speaker is a desirable trait. Speakerphone capabilities When choosing a Bluetooth speaker, what it really comes down to is size and price. If you're looking for a very portable speaker, you'll want to get something very compact, but remember that smaller speakers usually produce less sound and bass than larger ones. So while there are plenty of mini Bluetooth speakers that deliver bigger sound than you might expect, they do have their sonic limitations. For a lot of people it's a question of finding a speaker that's not too big or too small -- one that travels well but also is capable of producing good sound for its size. But finding the best portable Bluetooth speaker also comes down to your budget.

I've tested hundreds of mini Bluetooth speakers over the last 15 years, and because there are so many good ones, it's hard to declare one model as the best overall. That said, a couple of models do stand out, including the Bose SoundLink Flexand two speakers it inspired: the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 and Tribit StormBox Flow. While the speaker drivers remain the same, the Qualcomm chipset that powers the speaker has been upgraded (the speaker uses Bluetooth 5.1), bumping the sound quality up a tad, particularly at higher volumes, with better digital signal processing. It remains one of the best-sounding mini Bluetooth speaker models, with richer more tonally balanced sound than other Bluetooth speakers its size -- and it should sound good, considering its elevated price point. Bigger speakers tend to sound better, delivering bigger sound with more bass. But going bigger means they weigh more, which can make them a little harder to carry around. So you have to balance size with performance if you're looking for something that's easily portable. If you're interested in a larger portable speaker, one feature worth looking out for is a built-in handle. Durability

This Bose is tiny, but its warm, rich bassy sound is music to our ears