Short answer: the Soundcore Boom 3i ranks #27 of 136 medium speakers by sound quality at $110; the Sony XB33 ranks #59 at $110. The price gap is small enough that the sound-quality ranking should decide it.
What the Soundcore Boom 3i offers: Looks to be designed as a direct competitor to the Charge 5 with a very similar sound profile, warm tuned with boosted bass. Better value for the money than the Charge 5. Watch for: Not quite as good as a Charge 5, doesn’t go quite as loud or sound quite as balanced, but very very close. An earlier firmware version had some bass distortion, update your firmware in the Soundcore App
What the Sony XB33 offers: IP67 rated and lightweight (2.4 lb). App-controlled color LED lighting, Party Connect links up to 100 speakers. ~19 hour real-world battery without lights. Watch for: Not very loud. Upper bass peaks, midrange dip, upper midrange peaks, not very neutral. Speaker will not remain at max volume and will turn itself down automatically.
Buy the Soundcore Boom 3i. It ranks higher for sound quality than the Sony XB33 at the same price, so there is no real case for the other one.
Battery life favors the Sony XB33: rated for 24 hours against 16 hours for the Soundcore Boom 3i.
Specifications Side By Side
| Soundcore Boom 3i | Sony XB33 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $110 | $110 |
| Ranked | #27 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #59 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes (Sony Music Connect App) |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz | 50Hz |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | Yes | Yes (3 band) |
| IP Rating | IP68 | IP67 |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Party Connect up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Input | USB-C | - |
| Stereo | No | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | - |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 8.3" x 3.3" x 3.1" (210 x 85 x 78.5 mm) | 9.7" x 3.8" x 4.2" (246 x 97 x 106 mm) |
| Drivers | 94mm woofer + tweeter | 2x 48x70mm X-Balanced racetrack drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs / 783 g | 2.4 lbs / 1.1 kg |
| Output Power | 50W | 16W RMS |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Built in Microphone | Yes | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth Latency | - | 110ms |
| Max Volume | - | 97dB |
| Power Bank | - | Yes (USB-A) |
Related Speaker Comparisons
A few more comparisons worth a look in the same class:
- Bose Soundlink Flex vs JBL Charge 5
- JBL Charge 5 vs Klipsch Groove/Heritage Groove
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tribit Stormbox Pro
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Teufel Rockster XS
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Bose SoundLink Color II
Prices on this page were last checked August 27, 2026 at 10:09 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
Soundcore Boom 3i: $110 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay
Pros: Looks to be designed as a direct competitor to the Charge 5 with a very similar sound profile, warm tuned with boosted bass. Better value for the money than the Charge 5.
Cons: Not quite as good as a Charge 5, doesn’t go quite as loud or sound quite as balanced, but very very close. An earlier firmware version had some bass distortion, update your firmware in the Soundcore App
Full Soundcore Boom 3i review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.3" x 3.3" x 3.1" (210 x 85 x 78.5 mm) |
| Drivers | 94mm woofer + tweeter |
| EQ | Yes |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 50W |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs / 783 g |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs JBL Charge 5
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs JBL Charge 5 Wifi
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Teufel Rockster XS
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Harman Kardon Luna
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Tribit Maxsound Plus V1/V2/Thunderbox Plus
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Tribit Xsound Mega
- See all 77 comparisons
Sony XB33: $110 eBay
Pros: IP67 rated and lightweight (2.4 lb). App-controlled color LED lighting, Party Connect links up to 100 speakers. ~19 hour real-world battery without lights.
Cons: Not very loud. Upper bass peaks, midrange dip, upper midrange peaks, not very neutral. Speaker will not remain at max volume and will turn itself down automatically.
Full Sony XB33 review and specifications →
| App | Yes (Sony Music Connect App) |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz |
| Battery Life | 24 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 110ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 9.7" x 3.8" x 4.2" (246 x 97 x 106 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 48x70mm X-Balanced racetrack drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 97dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 16W RMS |
| Party Mode | Yes (Party Connect up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A) |
| Stereo | Yes |
| Weight | 2.4 lbs / 1.1 kg |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: Sony xb33 vs xb43 vs Soundcore Motion Plus speakers test More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Plus and Sony XB33 - ultimate travel speaker 2021 🤗
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- Alan Ross Reviews: Sony XB33 vs XB32 vs JBL Charge 4 best £120 bluetooth speaker?
- Alan Ross Reviews: LG Xboom Go PL7 vs JBL Charge 4 and Sony XB33 - best Bluetooth speaker?
- Reddit Search for Sony XB33 Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons