Wireless smart speakers

With their premium quality audio and voice assistants, these speakers are shaking up audio on the go

- Josh Russell

Wireless speakers have been a fixture at garden parties and campouts for years. But taking audio outside no longer means tolerating tinny treble and wrestling with pig-headed pairing procedures.

Not only have companies been upping the quality from standard Bluetooth alone – switching to the aptX codec and offering Wi-Fi connectivity – but many are making use of the brains embedded in your home’s smart speakers to offer you voice control over your audio on the go, via Alexa or Google Assistant.

We’ve brought together a selection of the best, whether you’re looking for a voice-ready speaker that’s accident-proof or one that has sumptuous sound with smarts to match.

PRO TONES ON THE GO

BOSE PORTABLE HOME SPEAKER

Thanks to its IPX4 water resistance and relatively trim 1.06kg frame, it’s clear Bose is intending this to spend far more time outdoors than the Move. And yet it makes very few compromises in terms of sound: it’s warm and smooth, offering resonant bass tones and producing very organic mids and trebles. It doesn’t quite have the guts or the brains of its rival: the low end is slightly less well-rounded, while the lack of space-sensing smarts means it’s only as good as its placement. It was also occasionally let down by its Alexa integration; the smart assistant responds to some commands with HAL-like obstinacy. But for the best combo of flexibility and fidelity, this is the one to go for.