The Best Waterproof Speakers for the Pool, Beach, and Beyond (2024)

As the brand name suggests, this is the ultimate in waterproof speakers. We swam with these speakers underwater, tossed them around in the ocean, and rolled them in the sand without noticing any wear and tear or damage to the crystal-clear audio. The 360-degree sound delivers a robust bass, and its outdoor boost function keeps it powerful in open spaces. We particularly love that you can sync multiple Ultimate Ears speakers together for a stereo effect. (We found the process to link them a touch tricky to figure out the first time, but it was smooth sailing from then.)

This device's 14 hours of battery life is more than enough for the vast majority of single-day events or excursions, and we’ve used it for beach day after beach day without needing to recharge. If you want tunes for camping trips or other situations when power is a hot commodity, the Wonderboom is an excellent choice. In addition to being waterproof, this speaker is also dustproof and floatable, allowing it to be used in virtually any outdoor setting and making it especially handy for boat trips when sinking could become an issue. To top things off, it has a 131-foot Bluetooth range, so you can control it from all over.

The Details: 14-hour battery life | 131-foot range | Dustproof | 3.75 x 4 x 4 inches | 0.94 pounds

If you're shopping for speakers you can use in a variety of settings, Bose has you covered with its SoundLink Flex model. Aside from being waterproof, it's ultra-durable so it can handle any bumps and bruises sustained in transport. Plus, its helpful utility loop allows it to be hung or fastened to just about anything, from a backpack strap to an umbrella pole at the beach. And as with everything made by Bose, its sound quality is just about as good as it gets. Where it has room for improvement, however, is its Bluetooth range — it's only 30 feet, per Bose. But in our tests, we found that you could push the range by a few feet and not notice any difference in the connection's quality. We also found the speaker exceptionally easy to set up; it took us less than five seconds to connect our phones to it.

The Details: 12-hour battery life | 30-foot range | 2.06 x 7.93 x 3.56 inches | 1.3 pounds

The JBL Clip 4's standout feature is right in its name: Its integrated carabiner, or clip. Thanks to this handy little tool, it's easy to clip this petite speaker to belt loops, bag straps, or any sort of loop. Despite its diminutive size, we found the JBL Clip 4 to have a surprisingly robust sound quality —you could hear music over a crowd, which makes it great for a party. The one downside to the device, however, is the fact that it can't be connected wirelessly to other speakers to create a surround-sound setup. But we did enjoy using this speaker solo, pairing it with an iPad to watch a movie with boosted sound.

The Details: 10-hour battery life | Dustproof | 3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8 | 0.53 pounds

This speaker features an extraordinary battery life of 24 hours, a duration that far surpasses most of the competition. Consumers who want essentially endless audio during a weekend camping trip will find an ideal speaker in the Anker SoundCore 2. It's also durable enough for the outdoors in any season, protected against snow, dust, and rain. And at a price point that’s appealing against similar devices on the market, it's also among the most affordable waterproof speakers available. But a Bluetooth range of 66 feet is a bit lacking compared to other speakers, and its audio quality is a touch bass-heavy, which could be a pro or a con depending on your taste.

The Details: 24-hour battery life | 66-foot Bluetooth Range | 12.7 ounces | 6.5 x 2.2 x 1.8 inches

Many listeners love a rich, deep bass sound that makes it feel like they're at a live concert. Sonos Roam definitely delivers that type of sound — perhaps to the detriment of the audio quality of podcasts and audiobooks. But we love that the Sonos Roam is a smart speaker equipped with Amazon Alexa, not to mention that it's durable and floatable, thus suitable for some outdoor listening experiences. Like other models of speakers, it can be paired with additional Sonos products for a true stereo sound or even a surround-sound experience. It's on the pricier end of the spectrum but makes up for it with some bonus features, such as Trueplay, which autotunes to the best sound quality for your current environment.

The Details: 10-hour battery life | Bluetooth Range: N/A | Weight: 15.2 ounces | Dimensions: 6.61 x 2.44 x 2.36 inches

Many waterproof speakers boast about their ability to withstand whatever Mother Nature can hurl at them. The House of Marley No Bounds XL is indeed that rugged: It's not only waterproof, but also dustproof and floatable. But where it stands out in the crowded marketplace is with its built-in microphone that allows you to make and receive calls through the speaker. What's more, it has an auxiliary input — how retro! —to provide maximum connectivity options. One nice bonus: Its 16 hours of battery life is better than most comparable models from other companies.

The Details: 16-hour battery life | 98-foot Bluetooth range | 60 ounces | 10.3 x 4.4 x 3.2 inches

The Xeneo X21 delivers a surprising number of features given its price point, including, most notably, an FM radio—that is somewhat rare among waterproof speakers. For a competitive price, you'll get a speaker that has an auxiliary input jack, a microSD card slot to play music from something other than a Bluetooth-enabled device, a built-in microphone, and a travel case. That last feature is definitely a plus, as the speaker itself is not as durable as other models on this list. Its battery life of 10 hours isn't especially impressive, but it's likely perfectly fine for most users.

The Details: 10-hour battery life | 100-foot Bluetooth range | 17.6 ounces | 7.25 x 2.75 x 2.75 inches

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is pretty much as loud as a portable waterproof speaker can get, with extremely deep bass, which makes it great for parties and social events. Speaking of parties, you can connect up to four devices to this behemoth of a speaker, so multiple revelers can pick the next tune —no need to rely on a single DJ. Given the speaker's size and strength, a short battery life would be understandable, but the Hyperboom defies expectations and can keep playing for 24 hours. It also has an adaptive equalizer to adjust its sound settings for any environment.

The Details: 24-hour battery life | 150-foot Bluetooth range | 208 ounces | 7.5 x 7.5 x 14.33 inches

This relatively large waterproof speaker is less rugged and durable than most but delivers exceptional sound quality and has a variety of smart features. It can connect to both Bluetooth and WiFi, and it works with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Move, like many Sonos speakers, has an automatic Trueplay feature that will autotune its output to suit your environment. It also uniquely has touch capabilities so that you can adjust the volume or skip a track as you would on a smartphone or tablet. There's just one place it falls short —it has a disappointing battery life for the cost.

The Details: 11-hour battery life | 105.76 ounces | 9.44 x 6.29 x 4.96 inches

Unlike printers, which always seem to be difficult to set up, speakers are fairly easy to get going. That was evident in our tests with Treblab's HD77 Bluetooth Speaker — turn the device on, and you'll immediately spot its Bluetooth connection in your phone's settings. One tap, and you're ready to play music via your speaker! We found the sound quality to be superb, whether in a quiet or noisy place (we tested it at the beach). But do consider getting a carrying case if you plan on bringing it out and about, as it only comes with a wrist strap. At nearly 1.4 pounds, it's a rather heavy portable speaker!

The Details: 20-hour battery life | 33-foot range | Dustproof | 3.15 x 3.19 x 7.36 inches | 1.38 pounds

Reader, we did indeed drop the Sony XB100 several times during testing,including down an entire flight of stairs, and it came out with nary a scratch. Best of all, those bumps never affected the speaker's sound quality, which is big, bold, and crisp, especially for such a small and portable device. We're particularly fond of its 16-hour battery life, which we suspect would outlast our phones —we never used it for more than 10 hours straight, and it kept chugging along the whole time without a hitch. Plus, a quick 15-minute charge is able to keep the speaker going for at least two hours.

The Details: 16-hour battery life | Dustproof | 3.43 x 4.41 x 3.43 inches | 9.7 ounces

Our tester called Ultimate Ears' Epicboom "the best-sounding speaker I have ever heard in my life." It has 360-degree sound, plus multiple modes like bass boost and cinema, which makes listening to any audio coming out of the speaker an exceptionally pleasant experience. As with all Ultimate Ears speakers, this is a very rugged model capable of handling various conditions —though at 4.3 pounds, it's not necessarily the easiest to carry around with you. It does come with a carrying strap to make things easier. If we could improve upon this speaker, we'd ask for smart features, because as it stands, Epicboom only works with Amazon Music and Apple Music, and it doesn't have a voice assistant. At this price point, additional features would be welcome!

The Details: 17-hour battery life | 180-foot range | Dustproof | 6.3 x 4.7 x 9.5 inches | 4.3 pounds

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the difference between waterproof and water-resistant?

  The terms waterproof and water-resistant are rather vague. Waterproof normally means a speaker can technically withstand any amount of time underwater, but many speakers are mislabeled as such—they can only be submerged at a certain depth for a certain period of time before they may suffer damage. Water-resistant usually means water can splash onto the speaker without causing permanent damage. A water-resistant speaker cannot be soaked or submerged, while a waterproof speaker can —at least at certain depths and for a certain amount of time. Instead of relying on the words waterproof and water-resistant, check the IP rating instead, as it'll provide a clear indication as to how protected your speaker is.

• Will sand hurt my waterproof speaker?

  The answer to this depends on the IP rating and the specific speaker but in general, it's best not to get sand inside any speaker. If you're at the beach, try to keep your speaker on a blanket, towel, or chair unless your speaker is rated IP5X or higher.

• How can I make outdoor speakers louder?

  Some speaker companies allow their models to be paired with other speakers so you can significantly increase the volume of your music. Some models also come with an enhanced playing mode that increases the volume and intensity of your music outdoors.

• Can I bring a portable speaker on the plane?

  Yes, portable speakers can be brought on the plane —but they can't be used on a plane. You should always use headphones when listening to entertainment on a plane so as not to disturb your fellow passengers.

The 12 Best Wireless Headphones of 2023, Tested and Reviewed