The Best Waterproof Bluetooth Speakers of 2024

The Bose Soundlink Flex performed the best in hands-on tests

By
Jason Schneider
Jason Schneider
Writer
  • Northeastern University
Jason has been writing for tech and media companies for nearly ten years. He reviews audio products, including speakers and headphones for Lifewire.
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Updated on June 26, 2024
Fact checked by
Rich Scherr
Fact checked by Rich Scherr
  • University of Maryland Baltimore County
Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire.
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Group of waterproof speakers on wooden steps.
Photo:

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

Waterproof Bluetooth speakers are more than just a tech category—in the warmer weather, they can be your party sidekick going wherever you go.

Our Top Picks
Just Buy This (All Around Best):
SALE
Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker at Best Buy $150 $120
Jump to Review
Also Great:
Soundcore Motion X600 Portable Bluetooth Speaker at Amazon $200
Jump to Review
Loudest:
Ultimate Ears Hyperboom Portable & Wireless Bluetooth Speaker at Amazon $449
Jump to Review
Easiest on the Budget:
Tribit XSound Go Bluetooth Speaker at Amazon $37
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Just Buy This (All Around Best)

Bose SoundLink Flex Bluetooth Speaker

PHOTO: Amazon
$150 $120 at Best Buy View on Dell $149 at B&H Photo Video

TL;DR: The SoundLink Flex balances portability, durability, and audiophile excellence—making it the best choice for most people.

Why We Recommend This

Bose is one of those brands that’s successfully released audio projects for years. While generally, I don’t love their approach to marketing-style language instead of actual specs on their product descriptions, the SoundLink Flex is just too capable of a portable speaker for me to dismiss.

Pros

  • Excellently balanced sound

  • IP67 waterproofing and dust resistance

  • Thick, grip-friendly rubber enclosure

  • Loop for accessory attachment

Cons

  • Could be louder

  • Rubber shell, though protective, could get scuffed

  • Less app customization than other brands

Lifewire fans will remember I selected the SoundLink Flex as my top waterproof shower speaker for its impressive clarity-to-resonance ratio and durable form factor.

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

While the Flex takes these two features out of the shower and into the world, the additional on-the-go conveniences put it over the top for me.

It’s got an excellent "boomy" support in the 50–80 hertz range that adds plenty of oomph for Top 40 mixes, while the vocal-heavy mid-range brings the clarity you need—even at top volume.

You’ll also find a thick, grippy rubber shell to prevent damage if you drop it and a rugged loop on the side to attach to a backpack or strap it to a bike using a carabiner.

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

The SoundLink Flex sports IP67 water resistance, which ensures a high level of moisture protection (letting you submerge the speaker up to 15 meters of depth). Many speakers forgo dust resistance, but Bose is doubling down to protect their speakers from total dust ingress.

This ensures a supremely durable device perfect for the backyard, a mountaintop, or nearly anywhere in between.

  • Who else recommends it? You’ll find positive rankings from top audio reviewers, including Sound Guys, CNET, RTINGS.com, and more.
  • What do buyers say? With nearly 25,000 reviews on Amazon scoring almost a perfect score, it’s safe to say that the general public is satisfied with their SoundLink Flex.

Also Great

Soundcore Motion X600 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

PHOTO: Amazon
$200 at Amazon $449 at Walmart $400 at Best Buy

TL;DR: The latest Bluetooth speaker from Soundcore delivers features, design, and more. It's compact, with a big sound and impressive water resistance.

Why We Recommend This

I’ve had Soundcore’s number for many years—their impressive Liberty Air series earbuds and their parent company Anker’s take on ultra-reliable chargers make them a no-brainer for high-quality products at surprisingly reasonable prices. When Soundcore dropped the Motion X600 in early 2023, the design made me skeptical.

Pros

  • Impressive 50W volume for its size

  • IPX7 water resistance is more than enough

  • Sleek, all-metal design

Cons

  • The handle doesn’t articulate

  • No dust resistance

  • Slightly less portable than smaller options

Its rigid, unmovable, boombox-style handle and the cheese grater-style grill were significant departures from Soundcore’s previous, rubberized aesthetic. When reviewing the X600 in person, though, I was pleasantly surprised.

At just over a foot long and just over half a foot tall, it’s quite a bit more compact than it looks in pictures, and I love the soft-touch finish they’ve put on the outside of the metal.

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

This sizing puts the X600 firmly in the “medium” zone of the speaker range. But when you fire up the speaker to listen to some tunes, it punches reasonably well above its pay grade. Two woofers, two tweeters, and one full-range port deliver a well-staged 50 watts of sound.

Soundcore’s onboard Spatial Audio button widens that stage even further, delivering impressively immersive sound from such a portable device.

The LDAC codec afforded by the modern Bluetooth chip offers high-quality audio when transmitting wirelessly. However, it's only available on Android (sorry, iPhone users, Apple doesn't support LDAC).

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

The third criterion—as I’ve focused on with the rest of the speakers reviewed—is durability. The IPX7 waterproofing ensures that heavy rain and even a drop into a shallow pool will be fine for the X600, though it is a shame that Soundcore forwent a dust rating (likely a product of grated metal being used instead of rubber).

That metal does have a secondary benefit, though—it seems less prone to scuffs and dings than a plastic unit. So, this could be a great bet if you’re after a premium look that’ll be more resilient to cosmetic scuffs.

Overall, I’m impressed by the volume and feature set here, especially considering its reasonable price and decently portable size.

  • Who else recommends it? Even in its short tenure, the Soundcore Motion X600 has garnered favorable reviews from Digital Trends, RTINGS.com, TechHive, and more.
  • What do buyers say? The Soundcore Motion X600 sits with a 4.7-star user rating on Amazon, with nearly 1,000 customers weighing in.

Loudest

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom Portable & Wireless Bluetooth Speaker

PHOTO: Amazon
$449 at Amazon $400 at Best Buy $400 at B&H Photo Video

TL;DR: For more boom for your buck, go for the high-volume, high-impact UE Hyperboom. It's not as portable or waterproof as the others, but it's louder and ultra-protected against bangs and drops.

Why We Recommend This

If you’re after a waterproof Bluetooth speaker that projects volume and durability, then the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is your best bet. This speaker is by no means a small and light device, but if you’re looking at this level of the speaker range, you’re likely to sacrifice some ease of transport for vibe-setting volume.

Pros

  • Loud - up to 100 dB (comparable to a nightclub)

  • Ultra-thick, durable rubber shell

  • Many ways to connect the speaker to your devices

  • Impressive customization with the Ultimate Ears app

Cons

  • IPX4 water resistance is the bare minimum

  • Heavy and bulky

  • No shoulder strap

The Hyperboom combines two larger 4.5-inch woofers, two 1-inch tweeters, and two elliptical passive bass ports around the column for a 360-degree sound that can push up to 100 decibels in all directions for an excellent sonic response inside or outside.

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

The top and bottom of the column are capped with super-thick rubber bumpers, so dropping, tipping, and moving the speaker won’t result in damage quite as easily. It's IPX4 waterproof, which isn’t quite as substantial as many smaller speakers but will be enough to protect the Hyperboom from standard precipitation, spilled drinks, and more.

While it does measure almost 15 inches tall and weighs about 13 pounds—making it the least portable speaker on my list—it comes with a rugged rubber handle that nicely flattens out along one of the corners for a sleek, grabbable form factor.

The large size means you get up to 24 hours of battery life on a single charge, so it’ll take a lot of continuous music playback to drain this thing.

Plus, thanks to two separate Bluetooth inputs, an auxiliary input, and even an optical input (one of the only speakers in this category I’ve seen to include this), you’ll have many options for connecting the Hyperboom to your party playlist.

  • Who else recommends it? The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom garnered top spots on TechRadar and SoundGuys and was even named one Verge editor’s "desert island speaker."
  • What do buyers say? More than 2,500 Amazon reviewers rate the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom an average of 4.6 stars.

Easiest on the Budget

Tribit XSound Go Bluetooth Speaker

PHOTO: Amazon
$37 at Amazon $42 at Walmart $37 at Best Buy

TL;DR: It's rare to see a sub-$50 speaker pack in the right speaker technology to produce a sound that's both clean and loud, but somehow Tribit has pulled it off. 

Why We Recommend This

Most inexpensive Bluetooth speakers don't sound much better than an old-school transistor radio, but the inexpensive Tribit's XSound Go is a refreshing surprise.

Pros

  • Very affordable

  • Good sound

  • Speakerphone capability

Cons

  • Weak on bass

The highs and mids are crisp, and there's a good bass presence here, but it can't belt out distortion-free sound at a party as a premium speaker would. 

Still, XSound Go is an affordable and versatile speaker for casual listening. It has the usual IPX7 rating that can withstand up to a meter of water for 30 minutes, speedy USB-C charging, and 24-hour battery life.

It also features a built-in mic, so you can use it as a speakerphone or call up your favorite voice assistant, and a 3.5mm auxiliary input lets you use it as a wired speaker, too.

What do buyers say? Over 30,000 Amazon reviewers rate the Tribit XSound Go an average of 4.6 stars, with about 75 percent giving the speaker a perfect score.

How We Test and Rate Waterproof Speakers

A Bluetooth speaker brings a lot of features to the party, but in general, the key categories I rated my speakers on were:

  • Overall sound quality and loudness
  • Ruggedness and durability
  • Connectivity and additional features
Bose SoundLink Flex, Soundcore Motion X600, and Ultimate Ears Hyperboom speakers.

Lifewire / Jason Schneider

As a Bluetooth speaker’s primary goal is to deliver top-notch sound, I generally put more weight on how each speaker performed on the sound quality. Ensuring the proper resonance and balance is crucial, and it’s tough to do this in a compact, waterproof format. I also gravitated more to speakers that managed to spread the soundstage out to deliver more of an immersive, space-filling character.

Finally, the general loudness a speaker could muster was a key consideration, as many of these speakers are intended for outdoor use during parties and gatherings.

I considered a speaker’s performance inside your typical listening space (what I believe to be the absolute best representation of a speaker’s response and resonance) and its performance outside in the open air.

As most wireless speakers aren’t meant to be left in the safety of your home, durability, and waterproofing are essential features to read up on. Most speakers use an IP rating to denote their resistance to dust (the first digit in the score) and water resistance (the second digit). While the best speakers boast IP67 ratings, you’ll find some as low as IPX4. Nothing in that range is a deal breaker, but I considered the array as I tested to help direct my final assessments.

Finally, there’s the extra feature list. Smaller-format speakers often leave on-board controls off the device in favor of a smartphone app to unlock more convenience and customization. However, some notable exceptions exist—especially when testing larger, bulkier units. If you like connectivity and on-board control, you’ll likely want to go with larger speakers. However, if you like app control and some automatically adjust audio playback, go with a reputable brand like Bose, JBL, or Ultimate Ears.

What to Look For in a Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

I tried more than a dozen speakers in different sizes to understand what makes one great. While volume and sound quality stood out as the biggest variable, many manufacturers are trying new approaches to design and form factors.

If you’re in the market for a Bluetooth speaker that can go the distance with you, then you’ll want to consider three key categories:

Sound Quality

Not surprisingly, how the speaker sounds is the number one consideration—after all, it’s a speaker, so your primary use case will revolve around listening to music. There are a couple of important points here—first, consider whether the speaker features multiple individual drivers inside (with stereo or immersive layouts) or a single main driver.

This will ultimately determine the stereo spread of the sound and how well it fills a space. It’s also essential to look closely at how the sound is tuned and molded. Brands like Bose and Sonos have proprietary equalization modes that—though often adjustable—are pre-determined by the brand. Other options like JBL deliver app functionality that bakes in more full-featured control.

Durability and Water Resistance

Durability is a make-or-break consideration for waterproof speakers—first, a few words on IP-ratings. The first digit in the scale indicates the level of dust resistance, while the second digit indicates the lab-tested level of water resistance.

A higher number generally means better resistance, so while all the speakers on this list have some level of water resistance, go for a better rating if you anticipate more regular waterproofing needs.

The other factor to consider is how drop-resistant a speaker is—and while most speakers don’t feature military-grade scoring, you can judge a unit’s drop durability by how thick and rubbery its outer chassis is.

Size: Volume and Versatility

Finally, when considering a waterproof speaker, there’s a degree of versatility and how much space it can fill. Go for a much larger speaker—like our “loudest” recommendation, the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom—if you’re looking to fill an ample party space.

On the other hand, smaller speakers can be more portable and versatile, often coming with clips and hang-loops like our top pick, the Bose SoundLink Flex. On top of that, many speakers are connectible using apps that allow you to alter the character of the sound, connect to multiple like-branded speakers, or even sync with music streaming apps and the like.

This balance of volume, versatility, portability, and control makes for an important "X factor" when deciding.

Speaker Brands We Considered

  • Anker/Soundcore
  • Bose
  • JBL
  • Philips
  • Sonos
  • Sony
  • Treblab
  • Ultimate Ears
FAQ
  • Why would I want a Bluetooth speaker over a standard sound system?

    If you’re in the market for a Bluetooth speaker, chances are you’re interested in convenience and portability. While "traditional" hard-wired sound systems can be great additions to a part or listening space, Bluetooth gives you the freedom to quickly connect to the system without needing to run a wire or fuss with compatibility. You can also easily move the music to a different room, outside to the yard, and everywhere in between.

  • Are these Bluetooth speakers fully waterproof?

    It’s important to remember, that even though the industry tends to use "waterproof" and "water-resistant" as interchangeable terms, even speakers with a high IP rating will have a limit to which their waterproofing can’t fully be guaranteed. While an IPX8 speaker has been lab tested to greater depths of submersion over longer periods of time, there is a cutoff point at which the testing hasn’t been guaranteed. Every speaker on this list has basic water resistance, which should be enough for splash and precipitation protection, but it’s advised to be careful around chlorinated or salt water.

  • Can you connect a Bluetooth speaker to multiple devices (or other speakers)?

    In general, many of these Bluetooth speakers on this list feature modern Bluetooth protocols (many version 5 and above), and that means they are often capable of connecting to multiple source devices. Your mileage may vary, and some proprietary apps will do a better job of controlling this functionality, though. Similarly, brands like JBL, Sonos, and Ultimate Ears  tend to offer features that let you group your speakers and play back music on all of them—giving you even more versatility and volume. 

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