Short answer: the Harman Kardon Luna. It ranks #26 of 179 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $290.99; the Bose Portable Smart Speaker ranks #75, rated 3.4/5, and costs $399, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The Harman Kardon Luna is the better-sounding, tougher option. A fully waterproof speaker with fairly balanced, bass rich sound, a separate tweeter, and stereo pairing with a second unit. It is rated IP67 against IPX4 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. The tradeoff: Boosted bass, and less detailed than higher-ranked speakers.
The case for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker: A smart speaker with Alexa and Google Assistant built in that streams over Wi-Fi at home and Bluetooth on the go. It supports AAC Bluetooth, which the Harman Kardon Luna lacks. It has an adjustable EQ, which the Harman Kardon Luna lacks. Watch for: 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.
Buy the Harman Kardon Luna. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Prices on this page were last checked November 11, 2026 at 3:26 AM 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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Specifications Side By Side
| Harman Kardon Luna | Bose Portable Smart Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $290.99 | $399.00 |
| Ranked | #26 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #75 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No | Yes (Bose Music) |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 57Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC |
| EQ | No | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX4 |
| MicroSD Playback | No | - |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | Pointing up |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| USB Playback | Yes | - |
| Weight | 2.5 lbs (1.13 kg) | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Dimensions | 8.3” x 3.1” x 3.1” (210 x 78 x 80 mm) | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | 48mm x 90mm woofer, 20mm tweeter | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Amplifier Power | 40W | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Built-in Microphone | - | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| Wi-Fi | - | Yes |
| Voice Assistants | - | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
| Party Mode | - | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | - | No |
| Strap | - | No |
| Streaming Services | - | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
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