Best Portable Speaker Under $150 (Australia Buyers Guide 2023)

Start dancing the night away from any place you want with the Sony SRS-XB10B Wireless Speaker. This wireless speaker brings your music to life with the extra bass function that enhances low–end tones and boosts the bass in music.

For a small compact device, it really does pack a loud sound! The design of the SRS-XB10B is made for taking the music with you, wherever you go so all you need to do is pop it into your bag and you’re good to go.

With up to 16 hour listening time and water-resistant surface, you are free to take the SRS-XB10B wherever you go without worrying about damage to the speaker.

This wireless speaker is easy to set up, either connect via Bluetooth or with NFC One–touch to get your music beating in an instant. No need to deal with pesky cords any more.

If you’re wanting to achieve stereo sound, simply connect two wireless speakers together to get the perfect sound output.

This Sony wireless speaker comes in 5 colours; red, black, green, white and blue so you can pick whichever you desire. The SRS-XB10B is charged via a micro USB so even if you lose the wire, it can be easily be replaced.

Start listening to your favourite music with the Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker.

This portable speaker produces high-quality clear stereo sound with deep bass and zero distortion. This is through the two high-sensitivity drivers and patented bass port. So, you’ll be sure to hear every lyric just as the artist intended for it to be heard.

The Anker SoundCore has a play time of 24 hours due to the long-life battery technology so no need to constantly charge your portable speaker throughout the day.

You can instantly pair your smartphone with the SoundCore using Bluetooth 4.0 and maintain a connection of up to 66 ft. You can also link your Anker with voice-command software such as Alexa or Siri.

This portable speaker is small and compact yet very robust, so it is drop-proof to ensure you can take it anywhere on the go without worrying about damage.

Get the most out of your portable speaker with the Sony SRS-XB21W Speaker.

This compact Bluetooth speaker comes with built-in Extra Bass Technology to enhance your party experience.

This portable speaker is made for you to party with as it has a Party Booster function where all you need to do is simply tap your speaker in different places to produce different sounds such as a scratch drum and cowbell.

You can also control the volume of the speaker with gestures of force, such as a gentle tap changing the music to a soft or giving it a good hit for louder sound output.

You can experience your music in a whole different way with Live Sound mode that brings to life your music with unique 3D sound output, as though you are having a festival in your own backyard.

To make it even better festival experience in your own backyard, your portable speaker can connect up to 100 wireless speakers with the Wireless Party Chain function.

Enjoy up to 12-hours of play time and Smartphone charging, with USB-DC output. The SRS-XB21 is completely rustproof, waterproof, dust-proof and washable, so there’s no place that you can’t take your portable speaker to.

Comes in other colours: black, cyan and white.

Start jamming to your favourite tunes with the Soundcore Flare portable speaker. This portable speaker delivers 360° sound as the dual drivers arranged back-to-back in combination with passive bass radiators deliver you intense all-around sound.

Double the intensity of your music by pairing two speakers simultaneously so that they are synchronised to give you a multidimensional experience of your music.

The built-in BassUp Technology in the Flare produces precise EQ adjustment. The digital signal processor enhances the bass frequencies of your music in real time.

A unique feature of this portable speaker is the halo of LEDs that react and phases with the rhythm of your music, giving you a whole new audio-visual experience.

You can choose from 5 colour themes to create the right ambience for your occasion, and then 5 adjustable illumination patterns that give you the freedom to choose the perfect light to suit the mood of your music

The Flare can be controlled with the new Soundcore app that allows you to customise your device with ease. You can adjust the sound profiles, lighting and much more all with the tap of your finger.

When it comes to choosing a suitable portable speaker the first thing most people want to know is how good the sound quality will be. 

If you've heard the expression, you get what you pay for, it couldn't be more true when it comes to buying a speaker. Cheap speakers use cheap components so your sound quality will be inferior and probably disappointing.

If you really want to test the sound quality you'll need to find a physical retail store or a product with lots of positive reviews online. Another option is to look for Youtube sound test videos or 'unboxing' style videos. 

Brands that specialise in purely audio only hardware such as Bose often cost more but use high quality sound components, offering better bass and sound quality. Other brands that dabble in audio may not have the same experience or exposure to putting high quality parts inside speakers. 

Build quality is something that is very similar to sound quality. Generally a brand that focuses purely on creating audio products will have mastered the production process of their speakers, after all that's what they do all day everyday. However don't be fooled into thinking other brands have inferior products, they can offer just as good if not better build qualities.

Be sure to check the reviews of each product and see what others are saying. Does the product break frequently? 

Things to consider when checking the build quality include things such as, is it waterpoof? is it shockproof and is it robust? Some brands use 'military grade protection' to describe their products. A strong robust product might be better for outdoor use than a lightweight fragile one designed for in the house only. 

You might not think about battery life and charging until you're about to kick off a party and find out your portable speaker is out of battery. That's so annoying.

So you should look at how fast your speaker charges, does it offer USB-C super fast charging? If so your device will be ready to go in under 30 minutes. If not, how long does it take to charge the battery? 

And once you're partying, how long will it last for? Does the speaker drain battery faster if you're using heavy bass or listening to loud music? 

Most speakers generally last for up to 12 hours, it's a good starting point. 

Most smartphones come with Bluetooth and most of the speakers we've mentioned today come with Bluetooth connectivity however it pays to check before purchase.

Some newer models only offer wireless connectivity which can be problematic if you're on the road with no wireless for your speaker to connect to. Others use WiFi between your phone and speaker, creating a virtual wireless network. Again this can be frustrating if you want to connect to public WiFi to stream music as your phone can only use one network at a time.

The best option for modern day smartphones is a bluetooth connection to your portable speaker so ensure bluetooth is a feature on your speaker.

Check to ensure there's no issues using Bluetooth in your desired location. While rare, some other local interference can cause Blueooth to fail. 

Another option to consider is daisy chaining. This allows you to connect two or more portable speakers together to create a wider area of sound. Imagine having a party in your backyard, you could connect two of the same speaker into a network, both playing the same music at the same time from one smartphone.

It's a cool feature especially if your friends (or yourself) buy the same speakers. You can check the speaker description to see if dual play or daisy chaining is possible. 

Getting a daisy chain setup can be hard so be sure to read the instructions carefully.

Ultimately most consumers will consider the cost of the portable speaker before purchasing however as mentioned earlier, you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheapest market offer, you probably can't expect too much.

Brands such as Bose, Sonos, JBL, Sennheiser generally cost more but they offer better components and newer technology compared with cheaper local or Chinese brands.