It is indeed the season for grilling, working, playing, and enjoying anything you can outdoors. With the massive proliferation of Bluetooth speakers out there, there’s many, many options for laying down a soundtrack behind all of the above. If you’re looking for a quality pick with the right amount of base and treble that also happens to speak to your high, high design standards, read on.
The Best Looking Outdoor Bluetooth Speakers
Eight handsome box-, cone-, and disk-shaped, Bluetooth-enabled speakers that bring sound and style outdoors for the summer.
By Gabriel Bell July 3, 2019
Photo courtesy Pablo
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Pablo Designs Uma Sound Lantern
Carmine Deganello and Pablo Pardo’s Warm-Dim LED, 90-lumen lamp would be a minimalist stunner even if it didn’t have a 360-degree speaker embedded in its base. With 8 hours of battery life, there are few better things you could put in the middle of your patio table. $479 at Design Within Reach.
MIJIN Wireless WiFi Speaker Portable Bluetooth Speaker
A model of efficiency with good audio and no frills, this pick’s look and feel is the draw here. Yes, that’s a real leather skin this retro boombox is wearing. And yes, that’s a vintage-looking leather strap and aluminum detailing seemingly from an era when the best portable audio option was a saxophone. In other words, it’s true class. $465 at Amazon.
Elipson Habitat Lenny Bluetooth Speaker
It wouldn’t be out of bounds to look at this water-resistant design by Pierre Favresse and Jean-Yves Le Porcher and think the multi-speaker stunner is some cheeky, Gufram-like nod to fencing headwear. Certainly, it’s charmingly provocative—and impressively loud—however you see it. $575 at Amazon.
LSTN Satellite Walnut Wood Portable Bluetooth Speaker
A good value given that it costs around one Benjamin and is a little larger than a can of beans, this wood-carved number offers a strong, simple look. Along with decent sound taking its low price tag into account, it also offers a few unexpected features including a microphone for voice functions and a 10-hour battery life. $100 at Amazon.
Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 5 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This elegant disk with aluminum handle suggests a vase or a handbag, not a speaker. Still, there’s 50Watts of power here along with the rare ability to connect two mobile devices at once so you can duke it out with a friend over whether it’s a New Wave backyard mixer or a Hip-Hop garden party. $170 at Amazon.
Bang & Olufsen Beolit 17 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
No, it’s not a vintage Bauhaus beer cooler. This smartly retro composition of anodized aluminum grill, full-grain leather, and polymer is a box full of best-in-class sound (240W peak power!), impressive smart features, and a big, big battery offering 24 hours of playback. $500 at Bang & Olufsen.
PUNKBOX Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
This is an ideal inexpensive, tasteful option for day tripping, hiking and other outdoor adventures. Under the simple cloth skin, there’s a shockproof rubber enclosure, enough playback in the batteries to get you there and back again, and two 3.5W woofers. $40 at Amazon.
SoundLink Revolve+ Bluetooth Speaker
Combining water resistance, durability, 16 hours of battery life, lush sound Bose is known for, full integration with Google Assistant or Siri, voice prompts, and more smart functionality, this sleek steel-and-rubber canteen with a cloth handle is honestly the best thing you could pack for the beach. $300 at Bose.