The best Bluetooth speakers in Australia for 2024: top portables for any budget

The best Bluetooth speakers have become almost an essential in Australia. The ideal companion for a trip to the beach, a hotel staycation or a summer BBQ garden party, being able to play your favourite music wherever you want is something we've all come to love and expect. Bluetooth speakers combine portability, versatility and convenience, and connect seamlessly to your device to make getting the party started completely hassle-free. 

It certainly helps that these wireless Bluetooth speakers also offer excellent sound quality, as the best wireless speakers have become so impressive that they now rival or even surpass the top USB and corded alternatives for overall quality.

We've tested all the top speaker contenders in every shape, size and specification over the years, so we're confident we know what it takes to sort the best from the rest when it comes to Bluetooth speakers. No matter what you want to listen to, where you want to listen to it or how you want to stream it, you’ll find the right Bluetooth speaker for you in our guide below.

The quick list

Below you'll find a quick roundup of our choices for the best Bluetooth speakers in Australia. We've selected a range of models, covering all budgets, sizes and uses. You can jump to a more detailed review of each pick, and shop the latest deals using our price comparison tool.

The best Bluetooth speaker overall

The Sonos Roam Bluetooth speaker in black

(Image credit: Sonos)
The best Bluetooth speaker for most people

Specifications

Weight: 430.9 grams
Battery life: 10 hours
Wireless range: 40m - 240m
Frequency response: Up to 5kHz
Connectivity: Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5
Drivers: One tweeter, one mid-woofer
NFC: Yes
Aux-in: No
USB charging: Yes (USB-C)

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful audio performance
+
Tough and very portable design

Reasons to avoid

-
Not the longest battery life
-
Bass is heavier than some might like

The Sonos Roam is our pick for the best Bluetooth speaker on the planet, with a powerful sound, rugged design, excellent connectivity features, and smart home control. 

A bass-heavy audio performance makes it ideal for use outdoors, because during our testing we found it's powerful enough to cut through wind noise. Meanwhile, a clever Automatic Switching feature means it seamlessly becomes part of your Sonos Wi-Fi multi-room setup indoors.

Of course, all these flashy features would be pointless if the Sonos Roam didn’t sound great – but we’re happy to report that, despite its small stature, the Roam delivers a powerful sonic performance, with remarkably prominent bass, even if it does lack the rhythmic accuracy you'd expect from an audiophile speaker.

Following in the footsteps of the Sonos Move, the Sonos Roam comes with both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, which means it can work as a portable speaker as well as part of your wider multi-room Sonos system – and with Google Assistant and Alexa onboard (when you're on Wi-Fi), it doubles up a smart speaker too. 

Compared to similar priced Bluetooth speakers we've tested, you’re getting a lot of features for your money here. Its slick design means the Sonos Roam won’t look out of place in your home, while a rugged, waterproof and dustproof build make it ideal for listening to music outdoors. The battery life isn't huge, though, although certainly enough for a good day out.

Sonos has also now added the Sonos Roam SL to its line-up. This new version of the Roam lacks a microphone but is otherwise identical in terms of specs. If you’re concerned about privacy and want to save around AU$20-30 then the Roam SL could be exactly what you want.  

Read our full Sonos Roam review

The best budget Bluetooth speaker

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 held in a hand over a yellow table

(Image credit: TechRadar)
The best cheap Bluetooth speaker

Specifications

Weight: 315 grams
Battery life: 12 hours
Wireless range: 36m
Frequency response: 70Hz-20kHz
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Drivers: One
NFC: Yes
Aux-in: No
USB charging: Yes (USB-C)

Reasons to buy

+
Great sound quality for the size
+
Can now charge your phone
+
Incredible value

Reasons to avoid

-
No 3.5mm line-in for wired listening
-
More expensive speakers sound better

The Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is the best-sounding and most fully-featured mini Bluetooth speaker we've had the pleasure of testing. It's not the most powerful or the loudest Bluetooth speaker out there, but at this size and price you can't currently buy better. 

The Micro 2 is a brilliantly pocketable portable speaker that's surprisingly good for music as well as an excellent option for listening to podcasts or just boosting the sound if you're watching TV shows on a mobile device. It's also a great option if you're looking for a stereo pair of speakers for a small room: you can pick up two of these for what you'd pay for one of its better known rivals.

We particularly enjoyed the bass response, which is where small speakers can usually falter: Tribit is keeping quiet about the exact specifications of the driver in this model but whatever it is, it delivers impressive bass for such a small footprint. And battery life is superb, up from the 8 hours of the original Micro to a travelling or beach day-friendly 12 hours.

If you're looking for a speaker to chuck in a bag or clip to a bike, you'll find it hard to get a better speaker for such a low price. It's superb, and its flaws are very minor, such as there being no wired connection. But you're here looking for Bluetooth speakers for streaming, so that shouldn't matter too much. 

Read our full Stormbox Micro 2 review

The best mid-range Bluetooth speaker

the jbl flip bluetooth speaker in dark blue

(Image credit: JBL)
A fun, no frills Bluetooth speaker for a good price

Specifications

Weight: 544.3 grams
Battery life: 12 hours
Wireless range: Not listed
Frequency response: 63Hz - 20kHz
Connectivity : Bluetooth 5.1
Drivers: 16mm dome tweeter, 45x80mm bass driver and 2x passive radiators
NFC: No
Aux-in: No
USB charging: No

Reasons to buy

+
Well-balanced, bassy sound
+
Simple to use

Reasons to avoid

-
No charging port for your phone
-
No voice assistant

The JBL Flip 6 is a prime example of a Bluetooth speaker that sticks to the basics, and gets them all right. This rugged, portable speaker is super simple to use, sounds good, and can be paired with up to 100 other JBL speakers at once to create a huge wall of sound. 

You won't find extra features such as voice assistants or Wi-Fi connectivity (or even a 3.5mm aux-in), but the Flip 6 sounds so good that you won't miss them. During our testing, we found that its warm, well-balanced audio performance is far more powerful than you might expect from a speaker of this size, and while the treble can sound a little harsh at higher volumes, you're getting plenty of clarity and detail.

A 12-hour battery life and water and dust resistance makes this an ideal speaker to take to the pool or beach, and it's available in an array of eye-catching colours. It's a shame it doesn't have a port to charge your phone, like some of larger JBL speakers do, but that's not a big deal. 

Like the JBL Flip 5 before it, the Flip 6 is an ideal speaker for anyone who wants to simply play their music, crank it up loud, sit back and enjoy – whether you're listening at home or on the go. 

Read our full JBL Flip 6 review

The best Bluetooth speaker for sound

the beosound a1 2nd gen portable speaker on a beach

(Image credit: Bang & Olufsen)
The best small Bluetooth speaker for audiophiles

Specifications

Weight: 540 grams
Battery life: 24 hours
Wireless range: 30m (100ft)
Frequency response: 55 - 20,000 Hz
Connectivity : Bluetooth
Drivers: N/A
NFC: No
Aux-in: No
USB charging: USB-C

Reasons to buy

+
Crisp sound quality
+
Tough but lightweight design

Reasons to avoid

-
Flawed Alexa support
-
Buttons are tricky to find

Almost identical to the original A1, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) is an attractive and highly portable Bluetooth speaker that comes with (admittedly flawed) Alexa support without the need for Wi-Fi. 

The puck- or even burger-shaped speaker looks sophisticated, while its IP67 water and dust resistance rating means it's more robust than it looks, making it suitable for use outdoors and for surviving a dunking in water.

We found that its crisp audio performance and 360-degree soundstage makes the A1 ideal for soundtracking small gatherings. The impeccable balance between bass, mid and treble made it seem like we were listening to our favourite songs for the first time again during our review. It's performance also goes some way to justifying the admittedly high price tag. 

Music is exciting, punchy and energetic, yet it achieves this without overloading the bass, or pushing the treble so far that it loses realism. It's what you expect from B&O (and for a premium price), and is what makes this the best smaller portable speaker for hardcore music lovers. 

Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity means that the A1 (2nd Gen) is easy to pair with your smartphone, while built-in Alexa voice assistance means it can double up as a smart speaker. The A1 is the first speaker to offer Alexa support without needing to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network – and while this is impressive in itself, we did find that the voice assistant could be quite slow to respond to our commands. This is because routing is carried out via Bluetooth to your phone, with your phone then making the request over whatever internet connection it has… which won't always be great.

Read our full Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) review

The best Bluetooth speaker for parties

Tribit Stormbox Blast on a blue table outside

(Image credit: TechRadar)
The best Bluetooth speaker for room-filling sound

Specifications

Weight: 5.45kg
Battery life: 30 hours
Wireless range: 40m
Frequency response: Not specified
Connectivity : Bluetooth
Drivers: 2x 4.2-in 30W woofers, 2x 1.2-in 15W tweeters
NFC: No
Aux-in: Yes
USB charging: USB-C, plus USB-A for charging your device

Reasons to buy

+
Meaty, room-filling, talented sound
+
Simple and easy-to-use control panel 
+
USB-C charging of your other devices

Reasons to avoid

-
Lacks mics for speakerphone duties
-
No dustproof rating

The Tribit Stormbox Blast takes a classic boombox silhouette and gives it a few flashes of pizazz that may or may not be to your liking. What we reckon everyone will be able to get onboard with however is the amount of power it's able to deliver. This is genuine, room-filling sound at its finest. 

It's not the most portable Bluetooth speaker ever, owing to its large size and nearly five and a half kilos on the scales, but a decently sized grab handle does at least give you the option. We also need to talk about those lights. You can't turn them off completely, unfortunately, but you can make it so they only pop up when you're switching the volume levels. 

So, it's not the subtlest looking device ever, but that's where the criticism ends. The Stormbox Blast is the biggest and most powerful Bluetooth speaker in Tribit's ever-growing arsenal of portable speakers and it sounds every inch as detailed – even at higher volumes – as models from better-known audio specialists at three times the price.

We've said it's the best Bluetooth speaker for parties, but if you have sensitive neighbours, then you may find there's actually too much power here. But if you have a good relationship with those around you, it's the best speaker for the job of entertaining a crowd. We found the difference of two to three volume increments was enough to go from too quiet to too loud indoors, if you want quiet background playlists. 

But Tribit has made no secret of wanting to bring the party to both your ears and your body, and it has emphatically delivered. This thing can go loud and still sound good when it does. If you're worried whether one speaker will be enough for the garden party, it will here – and for this money, it represents unbeatable sound-per-pound value.

Read our full Tribit Stombox Blast review

The best Bluetooth speaker for charging and listening

The JBL Charge 5 in navy with the JBL logo in white

(Image credit: JBL)
A Bluetooth speaker that also charges your phone

Specifications

Weight: 900 grams
Battery life: 20 hours
Wireless range: 30 ft (10 m)
Frequency response: 65Hz–20kHz
Connectivity : Bluetooth 5.1
Drivers: N/A
NFC: No
Aux-in: No
USB charging: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Balanced sound quality
+
Gets extremely loud
+
Long battery life up to 20 hours

Reasons to avoid

-
Takes a while to charge 
-
No more aux jack

Looking for a portable speaker that can charge your phone while it's blasting music? Check out the JBL Charge 5.

In terms of features the JBL Charge 5 is relatively basic compared to something like the JBL Pulse 4 – which provides a customisable lightshow for users – but for this fifth generation JBL has incrementally improved sound quality and volume while still offering all-day battery life. 

While the sound is well balanced, we found distortion starts kicking in above 60% volume, resulting in harsh-sounding highs and bass stops getting louder beyond this point too, leading to a bright tonal balance. 

For the best sound quality, we recommend keeping the speaker around 50-60% volume based on our experience – when you have to push beyond this volume, there’s likely so much ambient noise that sound quality isn’t the first priority. 

Physical controls remain the same with slightly raised buttons on top of the speaker. There are buttons to control playback, volume, power, Bluetooth pairing, and “Party Boost” that turns the volume up to 11. 

Around the back, the JBL Charge 5 has a waterproof USB-C charging port as well as a flap hiding the USB-A port that can be used to charge up your smartphone. The Charge 5 drops support for the 3.5mm aux jack from the JBL Charge 4, which is a bummer for some who have legacy devices they want to hook up. 

Overall, the JBL Charge 5 sounds like a bigger portable speaker than it is. It dishes out an impressive amount of bass for its size without sacrificing on the mids or highs.

Read our full JBL Charge 5 review

The best for powerful sound

The ue hyperboom portable speaker in black

(Image credit: Ultimate Ears)
Powerful sound for parties both big and small

Specifications

Weight: 5.89kg
Battery life: 24 hours
Wireless range: 45m
Frequency response: 45 - 20,000Hz
Connectivity: Bluetooth
Drivers: N/A
NFC: Yes
Aux-in: N/A
USB charging: No

Reasons to buy

+
Excellent sound performance
+
Smart dual-connection function

Reasons to avoid

-
Pretty heavy at nearly six kilos
-
It's not cheap

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a powerful speaker that will deliver a party atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors. Its Ultimate Ears' largest Bluetooth speaker to date, but stays in keeping with the company's stylish designs, and adds two Bluetooth radios so you can switch seamlessly between two phones. 

Despite being party-centric (read: packing tons of bass), we found it also delivers a very well-balanced soundscape. Here you never get the feeling that you are playing bass to make a party at the expense of other elements in the music, and almost no matter what music you put on, you get a pleasant experience.

In terms of features, the Ultimate Ears app allows you to connect the Hyperboom to other UE speakers and use them together, you can switch audio source and adjust volume, and you can select four different playlists in Amazon Music, Deezer or Spotify that can be started by holding down the Play button in three seconds.

For parties small and large, this Bluetooth speaker box is a great pick.

Read our full UE Hyperboom review

The best Bluetooth speaker for outdoors

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 in pink, on wooden table

(Image credit: TechRadar)

8. UE Wonderboom 3

The best Bluetooth speaker for outdoors

Specifications

Weight: 420 grams
Battery life: 14 hours
Wireless range: 40 metres
Frequency response: Not specified
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Drivers: Two 40mm active drivers, two passive radiators
NFC: No
Aux-in: No
USB charging: Yes (microUSB cable included)

Reasons to buy

+
Portable, waterproof design
+
Dynamic and detailed sound

Reasons to avoid

-
Would've liked to have seen USB-C
-
Can get more engaging sound for not a lot more money

We haven't reviewed the UE Wonderboom 3 here at TechRadar, but our colleagues at What Hi-Fi? have. Plus, there's very little to differentiate this diminutive portable Bluetooth speaker from its predecessor (which we love) that we felt capable of including it in this list. 

Put simply, if you're looking for an inexpensive portable speaker that you don't mind receiving its fair share of knocks and water splashes, then there isn't much that can compete with the Wonderboom 3. We will say straight off the bat that if your budget can stretch to the JBL Flip 6 (above) then you will be treated to a more engaging sound, but for less than AU$100, there is still an awful lot to like about UE's offering. 

First and foremost is the sheer scale of sound that emanates from such a small body. Sound is also spacious and served up with generous levels of bass. It's a remarkable performance and one that will keep everyone entertained when out and about. 

And that brings us to the next best thing about the Wonderboom 3; it really can go anywhere with you. Its IP67 rating means it's fully protected against dust and water, but it will also float in water, so you chuck it in the pool if you wish and it will continue to belt out the tunes. 

USB-C charging would have been nice, considering we are in 2023, but a 14 hours battery life at least means you won't need to be reaching for the charging cable too often. 

The best premium Bluetooth speaker

The sonos move bluetooth speaker in black

(Image credit: Sonos)
The best Bluetooth speaker for premium sound

Specifications

Weight: 2.99kg
Battery life: 10 hours
Wireless range: Not specified
Frequency response: Not specified
Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, and 5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.2
Drivers: One down-firing tweeter, one mid-woofer, two Class-D digital amplifiers
NFC: No
Aux-in: No
USB charging: Yes (USB-C, and comes with charging dock)

Reasons to buy

+
Integrates with a home Sonos speaker network
+
Great for on-the-go tunes

Reasons to avoid

-
Not as feature-rich when using Bluetooth
-
Cant be used as rear cinema speakers

Here’s the thing about the Sonos Move – it’s so good, you might want to consider it not only as your on-the-go party station, but also as your main at-home wireless speaker too.

With two quality drivers, a solid app that unlocks playback from hundreds of wireless sources, multi-room capabilities and smart audio-tuning tech which tweaks the output based on the speaker's immediate surroundings, the Sonos Move is engineered well beyond your average Bluetooth speaker. It's a versatile speaker, one that stands solidly alongside the non-portable Sonos speakers that the company made its name on.

We put the Sonos Move through its paces with a range of songs, musical styles, and in a variety of different locations. What's always clear is that the Sonos Move manages what few other Bluetooth speakers can – tight and punchy bass, shimmering highs and a vocals that cut through it all with direct clarity. 

We also like the Sonos app's EQ options, allowing you to dial up and down treble and bass settings. Dialling up the bass in the EQ convincingly gives treble-heavy tracks a little more warmth than their neutral recorded sound offers, if like that kind of balance.

It’s not perfect – it’s heavy as a byproduct of its incredible sound, and it’s expensive due to its rich feature set. This is not a speaker for taking on a hike; it's for taking into the garden. It's also not waterproof, though it is splashproof. But if you’ve got the money, it’s hard to fault the Sonos Move when it comes to getting high-quality sound in or out of the home.

Read our full Sonos Move review

How to choose the best Bluetooth speaker for you

There are several key things you'll need to consider when you're looking for the best Bluetooth speaker.

First up, what do you need it for? All of the speakers here can be used as outdoor speakers, but if you specifically want an outdoor speaker it's worth looking for rugged, drop-proof casings and dust and water resistance or even waterproofing to protect your speaker from the elements. And if there's any likelihood that your speaker will get dunked in water or just left out in the rain, you might also want to check out our guide to the best waterproof speakers

Some of these Bluetooth speakers come with handy additional features baked in, such as voice control from Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. This means your Bluetooth wireless speaker can double as a smart speaker, which you can use to control many smart home devices. Or you could simply ask it nicely to play your music so you don't need to get up from the sofa.

Smart speakers add a bit of complexity and a bit of expense, though, and as a result most of the devices in this guide don't have them: they are simply designed to play your music. However, the ones that do can have the feature switched off or the microphone muted if you don't want your speaker to listen to you when you're listening to it.

It's worth pointing out that some of the models in this list can also double up as computer speakers if you want to have a cleaner PC setup, too. 

When we test the best Bluetooth speakers we look at three areas in particular: sound quality, of course, but also portability and durability: are they too heavy to haul around for more than a few minutes? Will they fall to pieces if they are accidentally knocked off a table? We also consider how easy they are to set up and use, how reliable their Bluetooth connections are and how long you can reasonably expect from their batteries when you're out and about. That's why we're confident that these are the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy today, on Prime Day or on Black Friday.

How we test the best Bluetooth speakers

We test countless portable speakers every year at TechRadar, and that means we know exactly which features and specs to look out for. 

It's important for us to compare the performance of these speakers against the specs claimed by their manufacturers, which is why we take the time to make sure the battery life and connectivity is as good as the brands say they are. 

We test each Bluetooth speaker in a range of environments and against its chief competitors too, so you know that the product will work just as well in the great outdoors as it does in your home. We live with these speakers in our homes to make sure that their performances are consistent, and we don't finalize our testing until we are certain of the sound quality.

On this, we test the audio performance using a range of musical genres and stream from various sources, to ensure that these speakers can handle everything from thumping dance tracks to softly-spoken podcasts. 

With more years in this game than we'd care to admit behind us, we are truly confident that our star-rated reviews are the best indication of the quality of the Bluetooth speakers in this list. There are no sales teams involved in our verdicts, which means if we don't like it for sound, design, usability and features, we simply won't recommend it. 

Looking for more?

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

There are lots of speaker styles to choose from – that's why we've put together lots of guides on the best speakers you can buy. 

Looking for some hi-res audiophile speakers to go with your record player? Check out the best stereo speakers. Bored of your TV's lackluster audio? Try one of our best soundbars  or Dolby Atmos speakers on for size.

If you need a speaker you can take everywhere, make sure you look at the best waterproof speakers  or if you're looking for multi room audio smarts, read our guide to the best wireless speakers

For total control of your smart home, invest in one of the best smart speakers, which come with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Siri built-in.

Apple fanatic? Try out the best AirPlay speakers.

The latest updates to this best Bluetooth speakers guide

18th July, 2023

Updated page to reflect new format. Removed some old entries and replaced with more up to date recommendations. Provided labelling to clearly explain what purpose each Bluetooth speaker has. 

Max Langridge
Staff Writer

Max is a digital content writer for TechRadar, covering home entertainment and audio, phones, laptops, gaming and virtually anything else that falls under the consumer electronics umbrella. Hailing from the United Kingdom, Max spent a combined five years writing for What Hi-Fi? and Pocket-lint, before moving to Australia in 2018. After a brief stint writing for men’s lifestyle publications, Max is back to working on his first passion of technology.

With contributions from