Best Outdoor Speakers 2026: Listen to your tunes in the sun

When the sun is shining, there are few things better than having friends and family over for an outdoor gathering. The mere thought of good food sizzling on the barbecue and ice-cold drinks clinking together is enough to make most of us shut down our laptops and head for the nearest exit, but the one thing that truly makes the experience is a great playlist. With that in mind, these are the best outdoor speakers to have for your next shindig.

As you can probably imagine, there’s a bit more to consider when it comes to buying an outdoor speaker. Sure, sound quality and integration with your existing ecosystem is always a good place to start, but what really makes the difference is how well that sound can maintain its fidelity at higher volumes, as it’s sure to be competing with plenty of noise around it.

There’s also the question of durability. If an outdoor speaker isn’t rough and ready with proper dust and waterproofing then it won’t last long in the elements. It also needs to be tough enough to bounce back from an accidental fall off a table. These are the elements that we take into consideration when putting these speakers to the test.

Our team of tech experts take these speakers into the great outdoors and sees how well they perform across a variety of genres, whilst also taking note of the battery drain over long-term use. All of this information is then compiled into our reviews to give you a full understanding of what it’s like to own each speaker. Only those are the true cream of the crop make it into this list.

Keep on reading to see which models are highly rated by our team, and if you’re considering setting up and outdoor theatre to enjoy your favourite films under the stars, then you’ll also want to check out our guide to the best outdoor projector. Alternatively, if you just want a reliable speaker for indoor use then our best Bluetooth speaker round-up has you covered.

Best outdoor speakers at a glance

Best portable speaker:
Bose SoundLink Max – check price
Best travel speaker:
Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen – check price
Best budget outdoor speaker:
Tribit StormBox Micro 2 – check price
Best JBL portable speaker:
JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi – check price
Best outdoor speaker for gardens:
Sonos Move 2 – check price
Best party speaker:
Marshall Bromley 450 – check price
Best mid-range speaker:
JBL Xtreme 4 – check price
Best premium speaker:
Devialet Mania – check price
Best speaker for battery life:
Marshall Emberton III – check price

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Learn more about how we test portable speakers

We play a lot of music, and we play it loud. We play it everywhere – in the house, in the garden, and even in the bath if a speaker is waterproof.

We don’t just listen to the speakers; if there are special features then we make sure we fiddle with them until we’re satisfied. Some Bluetooth speakers have smart functionality, and as a result we’ve started speaking to our speakers as well. With portable speakers we take them outside and listen to them to get a feel for how they sound in the great outdoors.

Of course, it always comes back to the music. Speakers are tested by reviewers who have a love of music, a knowledge of sound quality, as well as a context of the market. We’ll listen to Bluetooth speakers alongside similarly priced rivals, so when we recommend a particular model, it’s among the best you can buy for the money.