The Best Bluetooth Speakers Under £100 In 2023

Marshall’s pedigree and iconic status is hard to match. After all, it is the maker of pioneering amplifiers and speaker cabinets favoured by Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and countless other musicians over the past five decades. As of late, the company has turned its hand to producing Bluetooth speakers, applying the knowledge accrued from years of crafting stacks and valve cabinets to creating a variety of speakers at a surprisingly reasonable price. 

As a portable speaker, The Willen has plenty going for it. You can literally carry it around in one hand, and it’s durable and, in keeping with the classic black and brass Marshall aesthetic, it looks great. Most importantly, when it comes to audio quality, the Willen has a balanced sound with natural midtones and defined bass. 

While it’s not the loudest speaker on our list, for the price range the sound quality is excellent. Given Marshall’s connotations, it’s perhaps no surprise that this speaker is great for rockier, guitar-led music, but it also sounds great when playing more electronic-based tracks or even just voices for radio and podcasts. Plus, if you and a friend both have a Willen, you can link them together, boosting the sound and allowing you to play your music across a much larger area - perfect for a party or outside drinks.

Resembling a cola can, the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is a Bluetooth speaker with an energetic audio profile - it has a bass performance that’s rounded with bounce and power, while the clarity of the mid and high ranges combine to create the speaker’s distinctive punchy and bright energy. It can also go really, really loud without distorting.   

The placement of the speakers inside the shell provides 360-degree sound, with the bass firing downwards for extra resonance. So, if you’ve got two, you can connect to both at once to create a true left-right split stereo experience. 

While the bass-heavy sound might not be for those looking for a more nuanced audio refinement, it’s still remarkably versatile, (we got some rich and thick tones blasting Depeche Mode’s latest album out of it, though found it lost something when we tried a bit of Pink Floyd).

Waterproof, dust-proof and robust, you needn’t worry about accidentally spilling a drink on the Wonderboom 3 or leaving it out in a downpour. Plus, the battery life will keep your daily soundtrack rolling for up to 14 hours. Pop it onto recharge, and you’ll be back to capacity in under three hours.

Though it might look like something you’d expect one of Run-D.M.C to have slung on their shoulder in the early 80s, the Soundcore Anker Motion Boom is crammed with mod-cons and a battery with up to 24 hours of life in it.

As a fully waterproof speaker, the Motion Boom is a welcome guest at outdoor gatherings. It makes sure it's heard too, with an impressive volume. Thankfully, it’s worth hearing - the sound produced by the Motion Boom’s titanium drivers is well-defined, with crisp mids and highs which add detail to the mix. 

The bass response is powerful on account of the dedicated woofers and the BassUp Technology, which uses a digital signal tuner to intensify the low end. However, if at any point you get tired of feeling like you live in Jah Wobble’s bass cabinet, BassUp can be switched on and off at the touch of a button for a more measured experience. For additional control, download the smartphone app to access EQ options. 

This is by far and away the largest Bluetooth speaker on our list and as a result, is the least portable - despite its built-in handle. But this is the sacrifice you’ll need to make if you’re looking for audio clarity combined with high volumes.

JBL is renowned for producing high-quality Bluetooth audio products. Whether it's the JBL GO 3 - a dinky little speaker weighing only 200g - or the powerful Partybox speakers, it’s a brand known for delivering quality user-friendly designs. The JBL Flip Essential 2 is no exception. 

This speaker had a sturdy minimalist design and – more importantly ­– delivers outstanding audio quality, too. It provides powerful bass and warm, natural mid-tones at a standard you wouldn’t necessarily expect in this price range. It also has a clear high range, on account of a separate dedicated tweeter. 

A few downsides to this impressive audio is the battery life, which is only 10 hours, and its robustness. Though waterproof, it's not rated to defend against dirt, nor does it feel as durable in the hand. Overall, however, the JBL Flip Essential 2’s exceptional audio performance at this price point makes it one of the best buys out there if you’re more concerned with how your speaker sounds rather than whether you can drop it down the stairs or take it kayaking with you.

Amazon's Echo Dot is one of the best smart speakers available, on account of its built-in support for Alexa, a leading smart assistant -  but, it’s also an adept Bluetooth speaker, too. A double-whammy for music lovers who want to check on the weather forecast while streaming their favourite playlist.  
Setting up the Echo Dot is a breeze, and its user-friendly design ensures that even less tech-savvy individuals can effortlessly access a wide range of features – traffic updates, news headlines, or Googling trivia - with just a voice command.

Despite its small size, the Echo Dot 5 provides a surprisingly robust sound performance. The mids and highs are front and centre, allowing guitar and vocals - as well as the spoken word for podcast fans - to cut through the room clearly. However, there are limitations with loud, busy songs having occasionally muddled and compressed mid-tones and thin bass, which slightly diminishes the overall performance. To circumvent this issue, you can attach an external speaker wirelessly or with the 3.5mm audio out. 

Despite its flaws, given its Alexa smart functionality and affordability, the Echo Dot offers exceptional value for money.

The Sony SRS-XB13 is perfect if you’re looking for a small portable speaker. Squeezing in under 10cm tall and weighing only 259g, the diminutive XB13 can easily be tucked away in a bag. Coupled with its excellent battery life of 16 hours, it’s a great choice to take on holiday or to a festival.

Despite its size, the SRS-XB13 delivers a very respectable sound. Sony has made a special effort to ensure that bass is well catered for, which is often where smaller speakers fall down - while still thinner than what you will find elsewhere on this list, the bass does still cut through in the mix. The middle ranges are well represented too, allowing vocals and guitar to cut through well. It’ll also push out its sound evenly across 360 degrees, which is a nice feature. 

That being said, the size of the SRS-XB13 does mean it’s not the loudest speaker out there. But for listening in small spaces or for some light background music on the go, it’ll do nicely.