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In this article, I compare the seven very best Alexa outdoor speakers that you can buy right now. I’ll include some great-sounding options for beach, yard, pool, deck, and patio. This way, Alexa can help you get your groove on while you are chilling outside.
If you simply want to know the best Alexa speakers for the outdoors, they are:
- #1 – Best Sound: Bose Portable Smart
- #2 – Solid Runner-Up: Sonos Move
- #3 – Budget Bose: Soundlink Revolve+
- #4 – Great for Shower: OontZ
- #5 – Best for Poolside: JBL
- #6 – Poolside Budget: Cleer
- #7 – Hip on the Go: Beosound
Click any link in the list above to jump down to my mini-review for that product. Or read on if you are interested in some interesting facts about portable alexa outdoor speakers.
What Outdoor Speakers Work with Alexa?
This past summer, I had been taking my plugged-in 2nd generation Echo out on my patio with me when I wanted to hear music outside. I know, pretty lame for a self-described smart home enthusiast.
I’m a pretty hardcore Alexa guy, and I love music, so getting a portable Bluetooth speaker with Alexa built-in just made sense. So I bit the bullet and began my search for the best smart speaker that you can use outdoors with Alexa.
While there has been a ton of research debating the best Alexa speaker and the best Bluetooth speakers, I am focusing only on those smart devices with sweet sound for outdoor use.
While some of my picks aren’t cheap, you can often find the best deals on Amazon devices on Amazon Prime Day (or the new October Prime Day or Prime Early Access Sale), Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
When it comes to buying a portable wireless speaker, I am in good company. According to GrandViewResearch, the global portable Bluetooth speakers market was estimated at USD 1.21 billion in 2018 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 11.71% from 2019 to 2025.
In the rest of this article, I will go into more detail about the five best Alexa outdoor speakers listed above, list the pros and cons, and then provide a cost comparison. Four of my picks are from familiar brands like Bose, Sonos, and JBL, but I think the 5th one may surprise you.
Let me start with a features comparison so you can see the key features of my top picks side-by-side.
For a quick summary of this article, check out this video I uploaded to my YouTube channel:
But, let me start with a features comparison so you can see the key features of my favorites side-by-side.
Top 3 Best Alexa Outdoor Speakers: Key Features
The following comparison table highlights the key features of the best Alexa outdoor speakers.
Last update on 11/13/2024 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
#1 – Best Sound: Bose Portable Smart
First on my list of the best Alexa outdoor speakers is the Bose Portable Smart Speaker.
Indoors or out, this is one of the coolest-sounding speakers I have heard in a long time. It packs a lot of punch into a small roughly 7.5 x 4.5-inch thermos-like package. You are sure to impress your friends if you go with Bose.
The highs and lows are pretty close to perfection, and the mid-range is perfect.
While it isn’t cheap, I justified getting this because I also use it indoors as part of my Echo multi-room music configuration for some killer stereo sound. It doesn’t disappoint in my living room. This would be great for cranking up your favorite songs via voice control, even in large rooms actually. Bose must have worked out a sweet deal with Amazon because Alexa is directly integrated into this smart speaker.
And the Alexa integration just works flawlessly after the initial setup. The battery doesn’t last as long as other models here, but unless you throw a “rave,” do you need to play music for more than 12 hours without a charge?
Pros
Cons
Video
Thanks to NCT for the helpful unboxing video.
#2 – Solid Runner-Up: Sonos Move
Next on my list of best Alexa outdoor speakers is the Sonos Move. This is one of the best-sounding Sonos speakers I have tested, with the second-highest waterproof rating on my list. While it cannot be fully submerged in water, it can handle high-pressure water jets from any direction. Not sure why you would do that, but there it is.
According to Sonos, it can also stand up to humidity, rain, snow, dust, salt spray, U/V rays, and extreme heat and cold. Now that is really pretty cool – or hot – depending on your point of view.
This would have taken the top spot over the Bose speaker if it weren’t for two key things. First, it is significantly larger and heavier, making transport a bit more clunky if you are someone like me who is always on the go. That said, with its extreme weather resistance, it could make a great outdoor poolside speaker, for example.
The second place it falls short is its battery life. While Sonos claims it will play for 11 hours on a charge, customers have complained that after a few months, this drops down to 8-9 hours. Still, a corded option is provided.
Pros
Cons
Video
Thanks to Smart Home Sounds Ltd for teaching me everything I needed to know about Sonos Move in under five minutes.
#3 – Budget Bose: Soundlink Revolve+ ii
Coming in at number 3 on my list of best Alexa outdoor speakers is another speaker made by Bose: Bose Soundlink Revolve.
While Alexa and Google aren’t built into this speaker, you can connect up with them via another Echo device using Bluetooth. This is true of the rest of the products reviewed here.
Like the Bose Portable Smart Speaker, it is also IPX4 rated, which means you can splish-splash around it all you like. (I actually put this to the test with the Portable speaker.
Mine got pretty damp one day after a steam shower and I had no issues whatsoever.
The sound on this speaker is similar to the Bose Portable Smart speaker, although not quite as good. While I didn’t buy this one for extensive testing. I did go into my local Bose store and tested them literally side by side.
There was a slight tinier sound at full volume and at full volume, it would not go as loud as the larger Bose Portable Smart speaker.
There are really two main differences between this and the Bose Portable Smart. One, there is no direct integration with Alexa and Google, so you will need to set this up via a hack. Two, the lack of Wi-Fi support means that you can’t stream directly to your favorite music services without help from your smartphone.
Still, this is a solid choice for a great-sounding portable speaker. But if you really want Alexa or Google, spend the extra money and go with the Portable Smart model.
Pros
Cons
Video
Erin Lawrence provides her usual stellar video review of two great Bose SoundLink Revolve speakers.
#4 – Great for Shower: OontZ
For a great outdoor speaker on a budget that you can also take with you in the shower, the OontZ Upgraded Angle 3 Shower Plus Edition from Cambridge Soundworks is definitely worth a look. I have been rocking out to this speaker for a few months now and I am thoroughly impressed.
Here’s what it looks like hanging in my shower.
While you aren’t going to get the same level of sound that you get with Bose or JBL, the sound is decent from the little speaker. It has good Bluetooth / Wi-Fi range (perfect for my outdoor patio) but company primarily markets this a shower speaker.
With solid “all-day” battery life on a single charge, you can take your time to make sure you get all of those nooks and crannies squeaky clean. There are more Oontz Bluetooth speaker models in a variety of colors if you want a more general purpose speaker (click button below to see all of the options).
This works great as a beach speaker too. It’s more lightweight than others here so it will fit in your suitcase no problem.
Pros
Cons
Video
Here is an unboxing video that I did recently over on my YouTube channel
#5 – Best for Poolside: JBL
Last but not least on my list of best Alexa outdoor speakers is the JBL Charge 5. Like Bose Soundlink, the JBL Charge 5 does not have Alexa built-in.
However, you can connect an Echo Dot or other Alexa speaker to use it along with everyone’s favorite voice assistant. I don’t have Google Home so I was unable to confirm this will work with Google Home myself, but my research says that it will.
Some key benefits of the Charge 5 are that is both dust-proof and water-proof, it has an hour longer battery life than both Bose speakers featured here (20 hours), it includes a 3.5mm audio jack, and a sleep timer.
I found the sound to be closer to Bose Soundlink Resolve than Bose Portable Smart, but it still packs a pretty serious punch and sounds much bigger than you would think for such a small package. Oh, it comes in a variety of colors including the very cool-looking Green Camo one that I own.
My camo JBL Charge 4 Speaker – Should I upgrade?
Pros
Cons
Video
Thanks to Jordan over at Product Lab for his nice YouTube review of JBL Charge 5.
#6 – Poolside Budget: Cleer
Want a decent-sounding speaker for the pool or the beach without the big brand price tag? Then, this neat little speaker from Cleer could be just what the pool man ordered.
While it won’t give you the range of sound as Bose, Sonos, or JBL, you can pair it with like minded speakers for better overall sound quality. Customers who buy this budget IPX7 waterproof-rated speaker are generally happy with it.
It comes in two colors: gray and a very deep red color that borderlines on being a bit disturbing. But hey, I scare easily so there is that!
Pros
Cons
#7 – Hip on the Go: Beosound by Bang & Olufsen
Larger than an Echo Dot but smaller than a whoopie pie (at least the ones I get), Bang & Olufsen’s 2nd-Gen wireless speaker with Alexa caught my interest pretty quickly.
While not as inexpensive as my last two picks, customers who own this little speaker say that the sound is “exemplary” and “shockingly good.”
The two 140 watt speakers in this large puck delivery some pretty serious sound, and the battery life is also remarkable at 18 hours on a charge. The wrist strap is also interesting and could become a fan favorite of the power walking set.
Well maybe it is more hamburger sized. OK, now I’m really getting hungry…
Pros
Cons
How To Pair an Alexa Device to a Bluetooth Speaker
Since the two options in my list require you to pair an Echo device with your speaker, I thought I would include some instructions here.
The process is very straightforward. You use the Alexa app to pair your phone or Bluetooth speaker with your Echo Device.
- Put your Bluetooth device in pairing mode.
- Open the Alexa app and tap Devices.
- Select your device, and then select Bluetooth > Pair a New Device. When your Echo device discovers your speaker, the speaker appears in the list of available devices in the Alexa app.
- Select your Bluetooth speaker. Your Echo device connects to the speaker and Alexa then tells you if the connection is successful.
- In the Alexa app, select Continue. Your Bluetooth speaker is now paired with your Echo device.
Voice Commands for Pairing and Unpairing:
If you want to play audio from another device on your Bluetooth speaker, say “Alexa Disconnect.”
Next time you want to connect, enable Bluetooth on your phone or Bluetooth speaker and say, “Alexa, Pair Bluetooth.” Once the initial pairing is complete, certain Bluetooth devices may automatically reconnect to your Echo when in range. Now, you can use your standard commands for chatting it up with Alexa. And of course, you get Alexa support for a wide range of music playback options music lovers like play Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Pandora.
Best Alexa Outdoor Speakers: Sound Off
So what do you think of my picks for the best Alexa outdoor speakers?
Believe me when I tell you that ION 50 Amp sounds pretty sick. And so does the Bose Portable Smart speaker. I think all of my picks for each of these best portable Bluetooth speakers is cool in its own way.
Is waterproof rating the main consideration for you? How about portability? What’s your feeling about the price of these products?
I hope you will leave me a comment below and let me know.
Oh, and if you have other Alexa speakers you might enjoy this article I wrote about how to improve Alexa sound quality.
Until next time, keep on rockin’.
Related Links
- How To Fix Alexa Multi-Room Music
- 11 Smart Home Yard Ideas
- 19 Rockin Alexa Music Commands
- Echo Sub Vs Sonos Sub Vs Bose Sub
- 5 Best Soundbars that Work with Alexa
Tim Brennan, a tech blogger and host of the @TecTimmy YouTube channel, writes about smart homes at oneSmartcrib, home theaters at UniversalRemoteReviews, and AI in writing at Writeinteractive. He holds a Journalism degree from Northeastern University and has covered technology for three decades. He lives on the ocean in Nahant, Massachusetts.
Please subscribe to my YouTube channel for a fun take on all things tech.