UE Wonderboom 4 review

When you go camping, it’s more than likely that you don’t have much space to fit things. You need to be able to carry your clothes, sleeping bag, tent, and more in the small confines of your camping pack, leaving little space for the fun stuff. That means you need small gadgets to take with you, and the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4 might just be the best Bluetooth speaker that fits the bill.

Waterproof, dustproof, and drop-proof, the Wonderboom 4 doesn’t look much different from the previous model, the UE Wonderboom 3. It adds in a new EQ for the button on the bottom and improves the sound all around, but it otherwise doesn’t bring all that much of an upgrade to the table. Given that the 3rd generation was a great speaker that’s not such a bad thing, but it is a shame if you were looking to get some more features.

If you’re looking to invest in a new Bluetooth speaker for your outdoor activities, then the Wonderboom 4 is a great option. Wonderboom 3 owners shouldn’t feel too left out, however. There’s not enough here to warrant an upgrade.

UE Wonderboom 4 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A compact Bluetooth speaker
• What does it cost? $89
• Who is it for? If you want a Bluetooth speaker to take out and about, but you want something more substantial than the Miniroll.
• What should you use it for? Listening to music outdoors, or filling your dorm room with tunes.
• What are its weaknesses? Deep bass makes it vibrate, the EQ settings don’t do much, and the strap's a bit useless.

UE Wonderboom 4 review: Price and availability

At $89, the Wonderboom 4 isn’t the most expensive Bluetooth speaker. It’s not very big though, and there are other options from the likes of Tribit that are slightly bigger. That’s not why you’re buying the Wonderboom 4 though. You buy this speaker because you want something compact, but that has better sound than the smaller Tribit Micro 2 or the Ultimate Ears Miniroll. To that effect, the UE Wonderboom 4 is a great option.

UE Wonderboom 4: Build and style

There’s not much that’s changed here — if anything — since the Wonderboom 3. Thankfully the design is rugged and slick enough for that not to matter. The almost spherical Wonderboom 4 has a matte, rubberized plastic top and bottom, while the middle band of the speaker is wrapped in color-matched fabric mesh. On top of that mesh you have the UE signature oversized volume controls, which are in a contrasting color.

There’s a small, stretchy strap on the top of the speaker. It doesn’t really do all that much, and i’ve not found it all that useful for attaching the speaker to things. Instead, it feels like a place for the Ultimate Ears logo to sit on a small rubber panel.

You won’t have to worry about damaging the speaker. The whole package feels incredibly well constructed, the rugged plastic feeling solid in the hand. The mesh isn’t too much of a longevity worry either. I’ve seen Ultimate Ears speakers last a long time, without any kind of damage to the softer mesh that covers the driver units. In this case, that mesh wraps all around the edges in an uninterrupted belt. That doesn’t mean that there are speaker units all the way around, but it does signify that you’ll get 360 sound, hearable no matter where you are around the speaker.

Finally, and most importantly to those who want to take the speaker on excursions, the Wonderboom 4 features IP67 dust and water resistance. That means it will survive an accidental drop into a pool or sandy beach. The USB-C charging port has its own sealing door as well, so you don’t have to worry about any liquid or dust getting in.

UE Wonderboom 4: Features

The Wonderboom 4 doesn’t connect to the UE Boom app, unfortunately, but it still packs some great features. First and foremost is the stereo pairing, which lets you hook two together for left and right sound. Unlike other UE speakers, like the Miniroll, you can’t pair it up with unlimited speakers for increased volume in ‘partyup’ mode. The stereo playback also only works with another Wonderboom 4, so you can’t pair it with a Wonderboom 3 or any of the other speakers in the Ultimate Ears lineup.

In addition to stereo pairing, there are EQ modes, and there’s a new one this time around. There’s the Outdoor boost mode that came with the previous generation Wonderboom, but now there’s also a podcast mode. I… wouldn’t use them. The outdoor boost just raises the volume. Given the speaker already gets plenty loud enough, it’s not really worth touching. As for the podcast mode, I struggle to see the appeal. It reduces the bass and the treble to become a kind of vocal and voice-focused sound, but playing podcasts through it just makes it sound like the hosts are talking to you down a plastic tube. Just leave the little button on the bottom alone.

UE Wonderboom 4: Connectivity

The speaker uses Bluetooth 5.3, although the lack of an app means that some of the features you might expect are missing. You can’t turn the speaker on or off remotely, for example, and there’s no support for features like one-touch Spotify listening. Other than that, the Bluetooth connection is stable and lag-free.

Connecting it to your phone, tablet, or laptop is also super easy. Just put the speaker in pairing mode with the Bluetooth button, and then find it in the settings menu on your phone. Super easy.

UE Wonderboom 4: Sound quality

You can’t expect genre-defining sound quality from something so small, but you’ll be surprised how big the diminutive Wonderboom 4 is capable of sounding. While there is not masses of bass in the sound profile, there’s a definition that makes for a super engaging listen. There’s plenty of energy in the highs, although they can get lost in the pursuit of bass. Mids are the most prevalent of the frequencies, so vocals and guitars get top billing.

F5ve’s Underground bounces with palpable energy, although you might long for just a little more in the pulsating bassline. The girls are perfectly on time, however, and you’ll soon have loads of fun with the Jpop bop. Glass Beam’s Mirage shows how much detail and crunch there can be in a bass guitar riff, although it would be nice if there was more body. The Sitar is perfectly defined on the other hand. Finally, Sylosis’s The Blackest Skyline struggles a little more. There’s not quite enough bass to give width to the distorted guitars, and the cymbals are hidden behind the rest of the soundscape. It’s not bad, by any stretch of the imagination, but it could be better.

Overall though, my complaints are nit-picking. For most people, the Wonderboom 4 is going to sound great while listening to pop hits on a walk in the countryside, or Tim McGraw at the campsite. There is one thing to be aware of: Ultimate Ears has tried its hardest to make the Wonderboom 4 go as loud as is humanly possible. As a result, it does go very, very loud — but it doesn’t sound very good at higher volumes. There’s a sweet spot at about ¾ volume. If you go beyond that, your music will fall apart at the seams.

UE Wonderboom 4: Battery life

According to Ultimate Ears, you’ll get 14 hours of battery. During my testing, I found that number to ring true. Compared to other speakers that are about the same size, like the Sonos Roam 2, you’re getting about 6 hours more, which is always a bonus. Charging the speaker is easy, thanks to the little USB-C port on the rear of the speaker. You don’t have to worry about that socket getting filled with sand or water either, thanks to the little door that pushes into place over the top.

UE Wonderboom 4: Verdict

It’s not perfect, but the Wonderboom 4 should reach your shortlist if you’re looking for a speaker that fits effortlessly into a camping bag. It sounds much bigger than its small stature might suggest, and the stereo connect feature is a cool one for small bedroom spaces. Don’t expect earth-rumbling bass, mind you — there’s only so much a small speaker like this can give you.

Compared to other speakers of a similar size, like the Tribit Micro 2 or the UE Miniroll, you are getting extra sound and more battery life. You do pay a price premium of course, but if you want the extra sonic width you’ll be glad you spent it.

It would have been nice to see a style update, and those sound modes are almost entirely unusable, but at it’s core the Wonderboom 4 is a great little outdoor Bluetooth speaker.

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