I review Bluetooth speakers for a living – my 2025 top pick isn't a Sonos

Whenever I travel, I always take a certain Bluetooth speaker with me in my backpack – as it's nice to be able to listen to some music privately in my hotel room or out in, say, a park on a summer's afternoon, without having to don a pair of the best headphones.

I've tested heaps of the best Bluetooth speakers over the years, as it's part of my job as Tech Editor here at T3. Many have impressed, for a variety of reasons, but for 2025 there's a brand new release that's topped my chart – and I find it preferable over a portable Sonos.

I went on a cycling vacation in New York City earlier this year, which happened to coincide with the launch of the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Mark 3 – the brand's inevitable third-gen portable speaker – which I used while away.

I was already an avid user of the second-gen model, but this new and re-engineered product really had me captivated – it can deliver massive sound from its small scale and is just so impressive.

You can get larger speakers with bigger sound, sure, but this B&O is my number one pick. Here's why the Beosound A1 is a winner – and, price irrelevant, ought to be on your consideration list too.

What are the best Bluetooth speakers?

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However! There is plenty of competition. The Bluetooth speakers market is deeply competitive, which is great news for consumers. Many brands are multiple generations through their product iterations, improving them generation by generation.

If the Beosound is a little too rich for your wallet – as it doesn't come cheap, I'll admit – then you could slide down the price scale and grab the Ultimate Ears Megaboom or, at an even smaller scale, Wonderboom 4. Both are brilliant for portability, the latter in particular.

If you want a Bluetooth speaker that's less about taking on long-distance treks with you, however, then Sonos does make an absolute banger in the Move 2. It's like a normal Sonos speaker, with multi-room abilities available, except you can also Bluetooth to it and cart it into the garden for a really great-sounding experience. It's the bigger proposition, but it's got the biggest sound too.

So why is the Beosound best?

For me, however, it's the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Mark 3 that's the winner out of the whole lot. It just embodies everything I want from a portable Bluetooth speaker – it's small, portable (obviously), lasts ages, sounds amazing, and is brilliantly made too.

Bang & Olufsen is big on sustainability, too, with this A1 being the first Cradle to Cradle Bronze certified product I've ever seen in tech – identifying its responsible sourcing and circularity. None of the others can claim that to this degree.

The product is even available in a bunch of colours, for extra verve. I like the silvery finish of my Natural Aluminum model, but you can also pick Warm Granite (black), Honey Tone (bronze), or Eucalyptus Green (as it's described!). There's plenty of variety.

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Otherwise, it's the sheer quality of this product that I really do love. The faux-leather strap. The aluminium shell with its machined openings. The soft-touch rubberised base. Hidden buttons for controls. It's very elegant.

Sure, as with any Bang & Olufsen product, there's a premium to pay. But you can feel why – in addition to hearing it, too. The sound of the Beosound A1 3rd Gen is really impressive for something so small, irrelevant of genre – and with a good dose of bass when needed.

If you want the best speaker for travel then you could pick an Ultimate Ears or a Marshall and spend less. For me, I'd pick the Bang & Olufsen each and every time though. It's travelled with me plenty already – and shall continue to do so for years to come.