Short answer: the Sonos Play. It ranks #56 of 179 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 3.5/5, at $299; the Bose Portable Smart Speaker ranks #75, rated 3.4/5, and costs $399, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
The Sonos Play is the longer-running, tougher option. A Wi-Fi and Bluetooth portable with wide stereo sound, a long lasting swappable battery, waterproofing and full Sonos multiroom support. It is rated for 24 hours of battery against 12 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It is rated IP67 against IPX4 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It keeps a wired aux input, which the Bose Portable Smart Speaker lacks. Watch for: Bass distorts noticeably on bass-heavy tracks at default settings, and the distortion persists even after enabling Trueplay tuning and manually pulling bass back in the app.
Why pick 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 Sonos Play lacks. It links with other speakers (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2), which the Sonos Play cannot. It has an adjustable EQ, which the Sonos Play lacks. The catch: 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 Sonos Play. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and costs less, so it is the default pick unless a specific strength of the other one matters more to you.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Sonos Play | Bose Portable Smart Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $299.00 | $399.00 |
| Ranked | #56 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #75 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes (Bose Music) |
| Battery Life | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | SBC, AAC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa (Sonos Voice Control also built in) | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
| Dimensions | 7.6” x 4.4” x 3” (192.3 x 112.5 x 76.7 mm) | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | mid-woofer, 2x angled tweeters | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| EQ | No | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX4 |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | Pointing up |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Weight | 2.9 lbs (1.3 kg) | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Strap | - | No |
| Streaming Services | - | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
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