When you need a soundtrack for any pool party, kick-back, beach outing or sports practice that comes your way, the UE Megaboom 3 is top pick among all the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested be your DJ. And that's why its won our first ever Tom's Guide Award for the top Bluetooth speaker.
The UE Megaboom 3 has powerful sound, can handle nature’s elements, lasts a long time on a charge and can pair with other UE speakers for stereo sound. Since it replaced the UE Megaboom 2 two years ago, the UE Megaboom 3 has remained our favorite choice for most people because it strikes the right chord between price and value.
For $180, it offers just about everything you’d want from a wireless Bluetooth speaker, from throbbing bass and clear vocals to a colorful design and obvious durability. We even left the IPX67-rated Megaboom 3 underwater for 5 minutes, and it continued to play fine after that.
It also continues to play longer than the 20 hours UE advertises. After about 10 hours of use at low and moderate volume, the Megaboom 3 still had over 75 percent of its battery left in our tests. So even when you’re heading out overnight, you can pack one less charger knowing your speaker will survive whatever activities are in store.
We also like the UE Megaboom 3 for it’s low IQ — yes, you read that right. While all of the best smart speakers are great for getting in touch with Alexa or Google Assistant, it’s reassuring to see audio brands maintaining efforts towards mic-free devices. Not everyone wants AI eavesdropping on their lives, though almost all of us still want to have a great-sounding portable speaker on hand.
That’s not to say “smart” options like the Sonos Move or Bose Portable Home Speaker aren’t also excellent wireless Bluetooth speakers. But sometimes less is simply more, and the UE Megaboom 3 is proof.
