We're longstanding fans of Ultimate Ears (UE). It makes a wide range of highly durable, impressively designed portable speakers that can fill a room but also take a heck of a lot of punishment.

Known for the prominent plus and minus buttons on its speakers, as well as a wide range of colour options to pick from, waterproofing is pretty much always present too, making for some really excellent life-proof speakers. With a lot of size and price options out there, though, we've done our best to list them in the order we'd recommend them, with all the information you might need.

UE Megaboom 3 on a purple gradient background
UE Megaboom 3
1. Best UE speaker for most people

The Megaboom 3 feels like the default UE speaker for most people - the perfect balance of features, price and performance in the classic UE style.

Pros
  • Punchy sound with plenty of bass
  • Waterproof and dustproof
  • Great battery life
  • Lovely design
Cons
  • Won't make a stereo pair with older models
  • Uses Micro-USB

The UE Megaboom 3 features a nice seamless design. It has a "Magic Button" on its top which allows users to play, pause and skip tracks without using their phone, as well as access playlists with a long press from services including Apple Music and Deezer. The Megaboom offers 360-degree sound and delivers great sound quality, via two 50mm drivers and two 55 x 86mm passive radiators. It has a frequency range between 60Hz and 20kHz, a maximum sound level of 90dB, whilst also offering a 45-metre Bluetooth range.

Ultimate Ears UE Megaboom 3 review image 1

The Megaboom 3 doesn't have Alexa built-in and there's no Wi-Fi either. It does have a battery life of 20 hours though, and charging is convenient thanks to a repositioned Micro-USB port on the back. It's still Micro-USB, however, so could do with an upgrade.

UE Wonderboom 3
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3
2. Best UE speaker for portability

The UE Wonderboom 3 is the smallest speaker that Ultimate Ears offers, but don't worry about that impacting the sound. It's still very much holds its own, with a larger than life sound and waterproofing that UE has become known for.

Pros
  • Sound is superb
  • Stereo pairing is great
  • Even better battery life
  • So durable
Cons
  • Still uses Micro-USB
  • No major upgrades compared to last model

The Wonderboom 3 is a great little speaker, in a bunch of ways that are no surprise at all thanks to an incredibly minimal upgrade over the Wonderboom 2. You get slightly better Bluetooth range and a slither more battery life - now up to 14 hours - but, otherwise, there's no massive change to speak of. That's no bad thing, considering how much we love this uber-portable range. It sounds excellent with two 40mm active drivers and two 46.1mm x 65.2mm passive radiators delivering a frequency range between 75Hz and 20kHz and a maximum sound level of 86dBA. You'll get a touch more oomph in the Wonderboom's dedicated Outdoor Mode, with an equaliser boost to suit the great outdoors too.

Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Still packing a proper punch photo 1
Pocket-lint

The sound is delivered through 360 degrees and it sounds much bigger than you'd expect from its size - which is supremely dinky and the perfect speaker for chucking in a bag (though does have some heft to it at 420g). From a feature perspective, its Bluetooth range is 30 metres and it is IP67 water and dust resistant - our only niggle is the Micro-USB port, when an upgrade to USB-C seems well overdue.

Epicboom 1
Ultimate Ears Epicboom
3. Best outdoor UE speaker

The Epicboom is a powerful new addition to the UE range, and while it's a bit pricy it makes up for it with excellent sound and terrific ruggedness.

Pros
  • Lovely design
  • Punchy sound
  • So rugged
Cons
  • Expensive
  • Quite heavy

The latest UE speaker to come to market is the Epicboom, and it makes a slightly more easy-to-carry option than the Hyperboom, while still coming close to its power and volume levels. This is a perfect party speaker, with full and loud 360-degree sound.

There's all the weatherproofing you've come to expect from UE, at IP67 water and dust resistance, and it's fully floatable in case it takes a dip in the pool. The sound quality is terrific but it's also nice and simple to use, and an included carrying strap makes picking it up for a relocation really easy despite its nearly 2kg weight. It is suprisingly expensive, however.

Which Ue Speaker Is Best Megablast Blast Megaboom 3 Boom 3 And Wonderboom Compared image 6
UE Boom 3
4. Best UE speaker for value
$129.99 $149.99 Save $20

The Ultimate Ears UE Boom 3 is a great mid-range speaker with plenty to offer. It packs an all-round fresher look compares with its predecessor, along with a more convenient interface on the top and better charging functionality to boot. Sound hasn't changed too much, but then we wouldn't really want it to.

Pros
  • Compact design
  • Great sound for its size
  • Solid battery life
Cons
  • No huge performance update
  • Still uses Micro-USB

The UE Boom 3 is the smaller model of the UE Megaboom 3 and the successor to the popular Boom 2. It offers the same design as the Megaboom 3 but in a smaller and more compact model, and there are personalisation options too if you pay a little extra through the MyBoom service. The "Magic Button" is on top like the Megaboom 3, offering play, pause and skip capabilities, as well as access to playlists (music service dependent) and you get the more streamlined design too.

Ultimate Ears UE Boom 3 review image 4

Inside, everything is exactly as it was on the Boom 2 so you'll still get that excellent sound. There are two 50mm drivers and two 50 x 80mm passive radiators, delivering a frequency range between 90Hz and 20kHz and a maximum sound level of 90dBA. Like the Megaboom 3, it offers a Bluetooth range of 45-metres and it is compatible with the UE App and Equaliser.

The Boom 3 isn't smart like the Blast, but it does offer a 15-hour battery life, which is charged via the outdated Micro-USB port on the back, or the Power Up contact charging port on the bottom.

which ue speaker is best megablast blast megaboom 3 boom 3 and wonderboom compared photo 12
UE Hyperboom
5. Best UE speaker for big parties

The UE Hyperboom is the biggest speaker in the Ultimate Ears family, and so - it figures - also its most powerful. It's still just about portable, thanks to a built-in carry handle, but you will only be wanting to lump it around your home and garden, rather than taking it away on holiday.

Pros
  • Bassy and bold sound
  • Wired or battery-powered
Cons
  • No Wi-Fi or smart connectivity

The Hyperboom is the largest speaker from UE, and brings absolutely titanic sound to the table. It's also a bit of a departure from the cylindrical design of the majority of its speakers, but it does keep the iconic oversized volume controls to keep it instantly recognisable.

As a Bluetooth-only speaker, it's not the smartest out there, but for sheer sonic power it's hard to beat it, and the bass on offer is particularly earth-shattering at high volumes. Inside, there are two 114mm woofers, two 25mm tweeters and two 89mm x 190mm passive radiators. Its Bluetooth range is 45 metres and it's said to have a 24-hour battery life. If you're looking for a monster speaker that's just about portable, this is a great shout.

How did I choose these Ultimate Ears speakers?

Ulitmate Ears has long been the go-to brand for outdoor speakers. They are popular with campers or those heading to the beach, or for those who just want something for a festival or pool party. At Pocket-lint we have reviewed most of the speakers from Ultimate Ears and have done so through many generations of speakers. So these recommendations come from first-hand experience of using the speakers and in many cases using them for longer than just the review period. The Wonderboom has become a permanent fixture as a travel speaker, so there is plenty of experience in these recommendations.

Aside from Ultimate Ears, however, plenty of other Bluetooth speakers have been reviewed across Pocket-lint, including plenty of other waterproof Bluetooth speakers so that you can trust that we know what we're talking about when it comes to Bluetooth speakers.