Short answer: the Sony ULT Field 3. Both are rated 3.4/5 for sound quality (#61 and #65 of 145 medium speakers), and the Sony ULT Field 3 costs $138 against $399 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker, so with nothing between them on sound quality, price settles it.
What the Bose Portable Smart Speaker does well: Both Alexa and Google Assistant are built in, and RTINGS rates its microphones as excellent at hearing commands from far away or in a noisy room. The tradeoff: RTINGS found the out of the box tuning boomy and says it doesn’t get very loud; the app’s bass and treble sliders help, and SoundGuys recommended cutting bass by 10 to 20 steps to balance it.
Why pick the Sony ULT Field 3: IP67 rated, dustproof and water resistant. The catch: Sounds a bit hollow, a bit boosted in the treble.
Buy the Sony ULT Field 3. Both are rated the same for sound quality, and it costs $261 less than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker.
Battery life favors the Sony ULT Field 3: rated for 24 hours against 12 hours for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker.
There is a real gap in water resistance: the Sony ULT Field 3 at IP67 (brief submersion) against the Bose Portable Smart Speaker, which has IPX4 (splashing).
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Bose Portable Smart Speaker | Sony ULT Field 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399.00 | $138.00 |
| Ranked | #65 of 145 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #61 of 145 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX4 | IP67 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up | No |
| Weight | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) | 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.2 |
| Dimensions | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) | 10.1” x 4.4” x 3.1” (256 x 113 x 79 mm) |
| App | Yes (Bose Music) | Yes |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble) | Yes (App + ULT button) |
| Drivers | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators | 1x 20mm tweeter + 1x 86mm x 46mm woofer |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | - |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant | - |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) | Yes (Party Connect up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | No | Yes (USB-C, 5V/1.5A) |
| Strap | No | Yes (detachable shoulder strap) |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn | - |
| TWS | - | Yes |
| Amplifier Power | - | 27W |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Sony ULT Field 3 compares with other leading options:
- Sony ULT Field 3 vs Earfun Uboom L
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Sony ULT Field 3
- Soundcore Motion+ vs Sony ULT Field 3
- Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021 vs Sony ULT Field 3
- Sony ULT Field 3 vs Minirig 4
Prices on this page were last checked September 26, 2026 at 11:14 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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The Two Speakers In Full
Bose Portable Smart Speaker: $399.00 Bose eBay
Pros: Both Alexa and Google Assistant are built in, and RTINGS rates its microphones as excellent at hearing commands from far away or in a noisy room. It works as a Wi-Fi speaker at home (AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect) and as a Bluetooth speaker away from Wi-Fi, weighs about 1 kg with a carry handle, and is IPX4 splash resistant. SoundGuys measured 13 hours 6 minutes of playback at 75 dB, beating Bose’s 12 hour claim, and found the bass impressive for its size, especially near a wall or corner. Its 360 degree design spreads sound evenly around a room.
Cons: RTINGS found the out of the box tuning boomy and says it doesn’t get very loud; the app’s bass and treble sliders help, and SoundGuys recommended cutting bass by 10 to 20 steps to balance it. Pushed to full volume, Tom’s Guide heard unbalanced sound and Pocket-lint found the bass struggling and turning incoherent. RTINGS measured only about 5 hours of battery in its own test. It is mono, has no aux input (the USB-C port only charges), uses Bluetooth 4.2, and the Bose Music app supports a limited list of streaming services. IPX4 covers splashes only, not submersion or dust.
Full Bose Portable Smart Speaker review and specifications →
| App | Yes (Bose Music) |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
| Weight | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
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Sony ULT Field 3: $138.00 Amazon eBay
Older models: the Sony XB33 (ranked lower, rated 3.4/5), the Sony SRS-XE300 (ranked lower, rated 2.8/5) and the Sony SRS-XB30 (ranked lower, rated 2.6/5).
Pros: IP67 rated, dustproof and water resistant. 24 hour battery life. App with 10-band EQ. Party Connect with up to 100 speakers. USB-C in/out for charging your phone.
Cons: Sounds a bit hollow, a bit boosted in the treble. Custom EQ and the ULT bass-boost button can’t be used together - turning on ULT disables the EQ. Bass is very weak with ULT off. Lost to the JBL Charge 6 in a side-by-side comparison despite being the larger speaker.
Full Sony ULT Field 3 review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 27W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 10.1” x 4.4” x 3.1” (256 x 113 x 79 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 20mm tweeter + 1x 86mm x 46mm woofer |
| EQ | Yes (App + ULT button) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Party Connect up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C, 5V/1.5A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Strap | Yes (detachable shoulder strap) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.6 lbs (1.2 kg) |
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