If you’re looking for a compact Bluetooth speaker that’s stylish, durable and offers amazing sound quality then you’ve just found it in the Marshall Emberton.

This little pocket rocket is a miniature marvel with a far bigger sound than you’d expect. Add in long 20-hour battery life and IPX7 waterproofing and there’s very little to complain about here. It’s also got USB-C, a handy control knob and battery indicator.

Right now, this is the best portable Bluetooth speaker you can get at the higher end of the market with a price lower than many rivals.

Really, the only things missing are a 3.5mm jack input and the ability to stereo pair if you buy two but these are common downsides.

Read our full Marshall Emberton review

Sonos has hit a decent price-point with the Roam and there’s a lot to like about this stylish, compact and clever speaker.

It’s IP67, can be used in either orientation and has something rarely found on a speaker in the form of wireless charging. As you’d expect from Sonos, the sound quality is excellent too.

This is really a purchase for existing Sonos users or those who plan to create a multi-room system. Bluetooth is limited to streaming so you’ll only get the most out of the Roam by using it over Wi-Fi as well with digital assistants and Sound Swap features.

Battery life is behind rivals, too, at up to 10 hours.

Read our full Sonos Roam review

JBL hasn’t added smart features to the Charge 5 like some rivals, so there are no microphones to use your digital assistant or take calls.

But this is a speaker designed primarily for parties with its portable and robust design. An IP67 rating means it’s fully dust and waterproof, and chunky buttons make it easy to use.

Importantly, the sound quality is great and you can link up almost endless amounts for even the biggest parties.

Battery life is long plus, as the name hints, the Charge 5 can be used as a power bank to top up devices like your phone to keep the tunes flowing.

Read our full JBL Charge 5 review

There’s not a huge amount of upgrades here but that doesn’t stop the SoundLink Revolve II from being an excellent Bluetooth speaker.

It looks the same, so it’s a well-made attractive compact cylinder with buttons on top but Bose has boosted the durability to IP55. It’s a shame that this still has Micro-USB and you can’t tweak the EQ but those are minor downsides.

Sound quality is excellent for a small speaker with a true 360-degree experience and battery life is much longer than the quoted 13 hours. Furthermore, the Revolve II has things others don’t like an aux input and the ability to take phone calls and use your phone’s digital assistant.

Read our full Bose SoundLink Revolve II review

The Beosound A1 2nd Gen is an almost perfect portable Bluetooth speaker with a luxurious design and high-end build quality. It’s also durable with an IP67 rating for full dust protection and water submersion.

While the buttons are better than the original, they are still more tricky than many rivals and we’d like more LEDs to get volume and battery info.

Still, you can get that from the app which, when it connects properly, has some useful extra features headlining with a customisable EQ. Even without adjusting the tuning, the sound quality is excellent, there’s plenty of power and a 360-degree experience.

Battery life is solid and support for Amazon Alexa (via your phone anyway) is a standout feature but then, in a negative way, so is the high price. It’s also a shame you can’t stereo pair with the original A1.

Read our full B&O Beosound A1 (2nd-gen) review

The Sonos Move really achieves what it sets out to by being both an indoor part of the Sonos system, but also something you can take outdoors (or around the house) when needed.

The addition of Bluetooth means that you can go even further than your garden but the Roam is better for that.

The design is robust albeit heavy, but sound quality is excellent and very powerful. Auto Trueplay makes sure the Move sounds good wherever you put it.

The price might put some off and it’s not the Sonos speaker for everyone, but it’s certainly the Sonos speaker we’ve been waiting for.

Read our full Sonos Move review

Beautifully made and offering a credible Hi-Fi performance, Huawei’s Sound X is not going to disappoint those seeking a Bluetooth speaker with high-end aspirations, but the lack of smart connectivity is a significant consideration.

It namely offers incredible bass and high-end tones that outpace rivals that are a similar size. It’s great for dance and pop then, but rock and metal fans will want to look elsewhere for a better-controlled mid-range.

However, despite having the technological capability, the Sound X doesn’t support any digital assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant outside of China. Whether this gets added a later date is unknown.

Read our full Huawei Sound X review

So the Hyperboom isn’t exactly portable in the traditional sense but this chonky speaker can still travel around with you if you’re not planning to lug it too far.

Expensive and heavy, sure, but if you perhaps want a speaker to use inside and then transport a short distance to the garden then it’s great. And you’ll be rewarded with serious sound so it’s great for parties where smaller speakers will struggle to provide enough oomph.

If the booming bass isn’t enough, you can pair up more speakers and UE offers 24 hour battery life and wide range of connectivity options so you’re not limited to Bluetooth.

Read our full UE Hyperboom review

The Bose Portable Home Speaker is a welcome addition to the Bose smart speaker range, adding some much-needed flexibility thanks to a 12-hour battery life and IPX4 waterproofing, without compromising on audio quality.

Despite the portability it still delivers bass-heavy sound with plenty of oomph, so there’s little compromise on audio.

Built-in support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa delivers the smarts, though be warned that this integration isn’t as fully featured as on official products or even other third-party rivals, so it might not do everything you want it to.

At this price, it’s just a shame that it doesn’t come with the charging stand included, which takes the portability to the next level.

Read our full Bose Portable Home Speaker review

The Lotsen is arguably the best-looking speaker in our roundup, sporting a combination of fabric wrapping (available in several colours) and physical knobs that blend the new and the old.

It may be wired, but the connectivity and functionality more than make up for it; alongside Bluetooth 4.2, the Lotsen offers aux-in and Wi-Fi capabilities, with the latter opening a new channel of connectivity for the speaker including Chromecast, AirPlay and Spotify Connect support.

The audio quality is decent and it’s more than loud enough for small-to-medium-sized rooms, though we did notice a distinct focus on bass. It’s not necessarily a negative point, but it’s worth keeping in mind when thinking about buying the speaker. 

Read our full Urbanears Lotsen review