Ultimate Ears Boom 3

Great rugged features Loud, clean 360-degree"sound Smart-looking design

No aux input Some rivals offer deeper bass and a better soundstage

Ultimate Ears’ latest Boom 3 offers adventure-ready rugged features and good, if not class-leading, sound

IP67 waterproof/dust-proof Powerful sound Rugged design Light and portable

Audio lacks sharpness Relatively expensive Battery life isn’t improved

The UE Boom 3 is a fantastic waterproof portable speaker, but Ultimate Ears hasn’t improved the audio quality despite the increased price.

Gets fairly loud for its size IP67 rating Can be linked to multiple other UE speakers

Relatively weak bass Few features for the price

The Ultimate Ears UE Boom 3 is a solid outdoor-friendly speaker that doesn't quite stand out compared with a number of more affordable, more powerful, or more functional alternatives.

Punchy, upbeat, loud sound ; Excellent portable, rugged design ; Fun to use

Sound could be better balanced and more subtle

New features and revamped design make this snazzy, likeable speaker a good bet, but not a great buy

Floats and is IP67 waterproof ; Beautiful design ; Integrates with streaming services over Bluetooth

No Bluetooth aptX support

The Boom 3 is an improvement over its predecessor. It’s better looking, more weather- and life-proof than the Boom 2 and it’s more portable than the UE Megaboom 3 and the UE Megablast .

Ultimate Ears quality and bullet-proof IP67 build;BOOM3 will fit a standard water bottle holder on a bike;Loud rather than elegant sound;App EQ can help to reduce harshness

No charger with BOOM 3;Magic Button is limited in music sources;Still micro-USB but we know why – it's cheaper;No longer has a tripod screw mount

I wonder if there's a future for speakers like the Boom 3. The industry trend is towards smartspeakers, and even UE is veering in that direction with its Alexa-enabled Blast line. If your budget allows, we'd probably recommend getting a Blast instead,...