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5 Portable Speaker Deals That Would Make Perfect Last-Minute Gifts

Sonos, Sony, Bose, Beats and Ultimate Ears are slashing the prices of their most popular portable Bluetooth speakers.

best portable speaker dealsPhoto by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

By Tucker Bowe

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Portable Bluetooth speakers make great gifts. They’re small, relatively affordable and pretty much everybody can use one to play music. If you’re struggling with gift ideas, a portable speaker feels like an easy “get out of jail free card.”

Of course, the question is which one should you buy? There are a ton of great options. Bose, Sony, Sonos, Ultimate Ears are some of the biggest names in portable Bluetooth speakers. Picking between them can come down to sound quality, looks, durability or price.

As far as price is concerned, the good news is that all the most popular portable Bluetooth speakers by all the biggest names seem to all be greatly discounted.

The Bose SoundLink Home is a portable Bluetooth speaker that looks old school thanks to a metal body and fabric grille. It lacks any app compatibility, so it should be straightforward to use. And, as it doesn’t have a water-resistance rating, it’s meant predominantly to be listened to indoors. Available in silver or grey finishes.

Beats’s Revived Classic

The Beats Pill is a revived version of the company’s classic Pill Plus portable Bluetooth speaker. It retains a similar pill shape, but the new speaker packs improved sound, battery life and ruggedness. It also features quick iPhone pairing and support for Apple’s Find My network. Available in several different colored finishes.

UE’s Redesigned Boom

Released in September 2023, the Ultimate Ears Epicboom is the best portable Bluetooth speaker that the brand has released in years. It delivers true 360-degree sound and has a super rugged and resistant design — heck, it even floats. And unlike all of UE’s smaller Bluetooth speakers, the Epicboom is the first to charge via USB-C instead of micro-USB.

Sonos’s Ultra-Portable Speaker

Released in June 2024, the Roam 2 is Sonos’s ultra-portable speaker. It supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can use it as a traditional portable Bluetooth speaker or bring it inside and group it with your other Sonos multi-room speakers.

Sony’s New Flagship

Released in 2024, the Sony ULT Field 1 is our pick for best all-around portable Bluetooth speaker because of its sound, price and simplicity. It has a mostly cylindrical design and sounds bigger than you’d think. It also features a new ULT button for those who want to boost the bass.

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