Anker estimates the Soundcore Mini 3’s battery life to last roughly 15 hours, but your results will vary based on your volume levels. com and PC Magazine are among the federally registered trademarks of Ziff Davis and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. Constructed with durability in mind, the Anker SoundCore Mini is made from high-quality materials that ensure long-lasting use. This model retains the special Outdoor Boost mode that boosts treble and you can link two together (or pair a Wonderboom 3 to a Wonderboom 2) to create a stereo sound pairing by simply pressing a button on each speaker.

The device features a micro-USB port for charging and a LED indicator light to show when the speaker is fully charged. Battery life is good at around 15 hours of playback time at moderate volume levels, and the speaker is IPX67 dust-proof and waterproof.All the extra features wouldn’t mean much if the Anker Soundcore Mini sounded as bad as most tiny speakers, but it doesn’t. Its 2-inch full range driver and two passive radiators put out more sound than you'd think it would for its tiny size, and it offers decent clarity as well just enough bass to avoid sounding tinny (you can choose from three preset sound modes). Its sole dynamic driver is paired with passive bass radiators for surprisingly powerful audio, which you can adjust via an app.

Tribit is billing the XSound Mega as more of an outdoor speaker -- a lanyard is included for toting it around as a sort of mini boombox -- but it works just fine indoors. The app also has a Bass Up option, which I left on for testing because the setting is enabled by default. A typical Bluetooth speaker weighs 2 pounds or more, so we focused here on speakers weighing around 1 pound (or less) and made for easy carrying. Also like those speakers, it has an integrated strap on its base so you can clip it onto a backpack or even to your bike's handlebars. You can argue that this feature is overkill for a single-driver, 6-watt speaker and that you might not even be able to detect a major difference most of the time, but as I discuss in the next section, the customizable EQ can be useful in some cases.

One downside is that the Bluetooth chip isn’t as great as it could be (we’ll come back to that in a second). Prior to my career in reviewing tech, I worked as an audio engineer—my love of recording audio eventually led me to writing about audio gear. The drums get some bass boosting; I wouldn't expect much bass depth from this driver, but you do get a slight sense of some added body. Like the Flip 5, it's rated for up to 12 hours of audio playback at moderate volume levels and charges via USB-C.