Short answer: the Bose Soundlink Flex. It ranks #38 of 175 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 3.8/5, at $159. The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 ranks #110, rated 2.9/5, at $79.99, $79.01 cheaper, which does not close the gap in sound quality.
The Bose Soundlink Flex is the better-sounding, deeper-bass choice. IP67 rated; rugged enough to survive drops from several feet and floats. Its bass reaches about 56Hz before falling 10dB, against 76Hz for the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3. Alan Ross Reviews measured it at 96dB at full volume, against 87dB for the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3. It links with other speakers (Bose Party mode), which the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 cannot. The catch: Warm sounding with overly boosted bass which drowns out midrange detail.
The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is the lighter pick. IP67 rated, floats, and is rated to survive a 5 ft drop onto hard surfaces. At 0.9 lbs (420 g) it weighs noticeably less than the Bose Soundlink Flex at 1.3 lbs (589 g). Watch for: Not stereo, barely any bass.
Buy the Bose Soundlink Flex. It is rated higher for sound quality, and the $79.01 you would save on the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 does not close the gap.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Bose Soundlink Flex | Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $159.00 | $79.99 |
| Ranked | #38 of 175 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #110 of 175 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz | 76Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 14 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | No |
| EQ | No | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 33ms | 166ms |
| Maximum SPL | 96dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | 87dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | Micro USB |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | Yes |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs (589 g) | 0.9 lbs (420 g) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.2 |
| Dimensions | 7.9” x 3.5” x 2” (201 x 90 x 52 mm) | 4.1” x 3.8” (104 x 95.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 60mm full-range driver + 2x passive radiators | 2x 40mm active drivers + 2x passive radiators (46.1 x 65.2mm) |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | Yes (built-in loop) | - |
| Power Bank | - | No |
Watch Them Compared
Videos and reviews that test both speakers side by side.
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Bose Soundlink Flex compares with other leading options:
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs EarFun Uboom L
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Soundcore Motion+ vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021 vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Minirig 4
Prices on this page were last checked October 12, 2026 at 4:13 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 Soundlink Flex: $159.00 Amazon $159.00 eBay
Newer model: the Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen, ranked higher, rated 3.8/5, released Sep 2024. It adds adjustable EQ, AAC and aptX Adaptive. See every Bose SoundLink Flex, Micro, Max and Plus generation.
Pros: IP67 rated; rugged enough to survive drops from several feet and floats. Around 12 hours of battery at moderate volume. Measured bass extension of 56Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sounding with overly boosted bass which drowns out midrange detail
Full Bose Soundlink Flex review and specifications →
| Released | Oct 2021 (5 years ago) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 33ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.9” x 3.5” x 2” (201 x 90 x 52 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 60mm full-range driver + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Maximum SPL | 96dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | Yes (built-in loop) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs (589 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen vs Flex More from Oluv’Sone →
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: JBL, Bose, B&O, Sonos, Earfun, SoundCore… which portable speaker sounds best?
- Oluv Patreon: Bose Soundlink Plus & Flex compared
- Oluv Patreon: Soundcore Motion 300 = Bose Soundlink Flex = Earfun UBoom L?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex or Beosound A1 (1st gen) - ultimate compact speaker 😇 More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex vs Minirig MK3 and Marshall Emberton - best bluetooth speaker?
- Alan Ross - The Anti Shill!: Small speaker, mighty sound, The Flex gen 2 shatters physics!
- Alan Ross Reviews: Travel Speakers! Soundcore Motion 300 or Bose Flex or Tribit Stormbow Flow
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex Review! vs JBL Flip 6 and JBL Charge 5. Travel heaven?? 🤞
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex vs Soundcore Boost vs Bogasing M4 - cheap or Bose?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex or JBL Flip 6 (eq adjusted) or Denon Envaya - best speaker for travel!
- Alan Ross Reviews: 1 million views! Best Budget Tws? Tozo Pa1 Review and sound test
- Alan Ross Reviews: Beats Pill vs Harman Luna vs Bose Flex vs Soundcore Motion Plus
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Mega vs the world! (JBL Charge 5, Bose Flex, Sony XB33, LG PL7) 👍
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Stormbox Flow has deeper bass than the Bose Flex but………..
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Tribit Stormbox Flow vs Soundcore Motion 300 (LDAC) 😵 Budget Bose Soundlink Flex "Inspired" Speakers More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Danny Pops: BEST Bose Speaker?? Bose Soundlink Flex vs micro, Color II, and revolve + More from DannyPops →
- Danny Pops: BEST Bose Speaker? Bose is getting lazy.
- Patricio Benadon: Bose SoundLink Flex vs. Mini 2 SE. Music audio quality sound test. Listen 4 different genres!
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Huawei Sound Joy
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Teufel Rockster XS
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs Cleer Audio Scene
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs JBL Charge Essential 3 SE
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs EarFun Uboom Slim
- See all 142 comparisons
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3: $79.99 Amazon $79.99 eBay
Newer model: the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4, ranked higher, rated 2.9/5, released Jun 2024.
Older models: the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2 (ranked lower, rated 2.9/5) and the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom (ranked lower, rated 2.9/5). See every Ultimate Ears Wonderboom, Boom and Megaboom generation.
Pros: IP67 rated, floats, and is rated to survive a 5 ft drop onto hard surfaces. 14 hour battery: longer than the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2. Measured bass extension of 76Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Not stereo, barely any bass. Boosted 93Hz upper bass. Cuts bass heavily at high volume. You can tell from the micro USB that they are just feeding you the same crap hardware over and over, this is inexcusable for a product released in 2022. Not technically a 360 speaker, only front and rear.
Full Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review and specifications →
| Released | Aug 2022 (4 years ago) |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 76Hz |
| Battery Life | 14 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 166ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.2 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 4.1” x 3.8” (104 x 95.3 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 40mm active drivers + 2x passive radiators (46.1 x 65.2mm) |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Maximum SPL | 87dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | Yes |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | Micro USB |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 0.9 lbs (420 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: The biggest upgrade since time began! 💪 More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Stormbox Flow has deeper bass than the Bose Flex but………..
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: JBL Flip 6 vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 (Indoor Mode)⚔️ Battle of the Handheld Bluetooth Speakers. More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Danny Pops: Best Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker? Wonderboom 3 VS Sony XB-13 More from DannyPops →
- YouTube Review
- YouTube: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Anker Soundcore Mini 2 Sound Comparison
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 2
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Ultimate Ears Wonderboom
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Ultimate Ears Megaboom 3
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs LG Xboom Grab
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 vs Ultimate Ears Boom 4
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- See all 76 comparisons