Best Bluetooth speaker under 50 -
AFFORDABLE, PORTABLE AND LOUD
Bluetooth speakers are awesome, plain, and simple.
C'mon – the ability to rock your favorite tunes up to eleven wherever you want and without those pesky cables? We might've got used to this concept by now, but that doesn’t change the fact that the whole idea is pretty novel.
What’s even better, squeezing out the solid quality doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. Yeah, there are some pretty kick-ass units that can be bought for less than 50 bucks.
Let’s take a look then at some of the best Bluetooth speakers under 50 dollars to see which unit fits your needs the best.
In a hurry? The test winner after 38 hours of research:
AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers
Why is it better?
95/100
our score
Researched sources
REviews considered
hours researching
products compared
Last Updated: October 2023
By Barry Allen: This article has been updated to reflect the most accurate information regarding best Bluetooth speakers under $50 available for those who are interested in having the best portable sound output out there. The best 5 available have changed, and information has been added to assist individuals in finding the Bluetooth speakers under $50 currently available on the market. The FAQ has also been updated.
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | DETAILS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Our Top Pick
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Our Top Pick
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AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers | Rating: | |
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JBL Go 2 Portable Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker | Rating: | ||
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Echo Dot (3rd Gen) | Rating: | ||
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Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Upgraded) | Rating: | ||
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Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker | Rating: | ||
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OontZ Angle 3 (3rd Gen) | Rating: | ||
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DOSS SoundBox Touch Wireless Bluetooth V4.0 Portable Speaker | Rating: | ||
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VicTsing SoundHot C6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker | Rating: |
How to choose the Best Bluetooth Speaker Under $50?
But, before we proceed to the actual entries, let us take a look at some of the key considerations you should keep in mind before making a purchase.
Knowing more about the product can only help you become a more educated buyer and make smarter decisions.
Size and weight
The main lure of a Bluetooth speaker lies in its portability. Because of that, the units that are either too big or too heavy don't make the most worthwhile purchases. Unfortunately, the entry-level market that often lacks the refinement of premium products is filled with devices that feel overly bulky.
So, it basically boils down to how much of the sheer size and weight you are ready to bear with.
As a rule of thumb, the best inexpensive Bluetooth speaker should not be greater than 6 x 3 inches and weigh no more than 19 ounces.
Still, I would much rather have better quality and the louder unit even if it's a bit larger than its competitors.
Battery life
Besides the output quality, battery life is probably the second most important feature your Bluetooth speaker can ever have.
Seriously, what's the point of great sound if you can't enjoy it on-the-go?
Fortunately, the best cheap speakers have made leaps and bounds in terms of battery life over the last couple of years. Today, even some of the budget speakers are capable of putting on 7 to 10 hours of continuous performance.
If we take these numbers as some realistic standard for this price range, we can as well say that any cheap Bluetooth speaker that offers less than 5 hours of performance is simply not worth your money, even if it costs less than 30 bucks and if you are looking for some more quality check our Bluetooth speaker under $100 article.
Sound quality and power
These two features have a significant impact on what we like to call "speaker output."
Out of them, power is far easier to grasp – the property is measured in Watts and basically boils down to the "the more you get it, the louder it is" philosophy.
The sound quality is a far more complicated issue. Here, you have to pay attention to a couple of things:
Audio accuracy – The ability of the speaker to accurately reproduce the recorded sounds. The speakers that are considered refined are able to play crisp and precise sounds that are as close to the quality of the record as it gets.
Frequency range – The ability of the speaker to reproduce the sounds across the hearable sound frequency range. If you want to get good bass, your speaker should be able to hit some very low frequencies.
360-degree output – Although this feature mostly depends on the speaker's design, it's still worth mentioning. Speakers that have tube-shaped bodies are able to disperse sound more efficiently than the ones who don't. And that's pretty much it.
Water resistance
This issue once again taps into the portability, the bread, and butter of the best Bluetooth speakers under 50 bucks. If you want to take your unit out, you should make sure it will be able to survive a light rain or an average pool party.
Of course, in this price range, you shouldn't expect more than light waterproofing (full submersion is usually out of the question), but it's still better than nothing.
If you, on the other hand, just want to pump out the volume of your laptop or intend to use the speaker in your apartment, you can probably put the unit's price to even more affordable 30 bucks by omitting this option.
Top Bluetooth Speakers Under $50
And now, that we’ve learned what makes a good affordable unit, let’s take a look at some of the best cheap Bluetooth speakers you can buy for your hard-earned 50 bucks.
1. AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
Our Rating: 90/100
AOMAIS Sport II is a speaker that does so many things right; it is very hard to believe its price rises just slightly above the mark of $30. It is even harder to believe how little compromises were made in order for this price to be met.
Let us start with the build quality. And what to say – it's excellent.
The housing feels very durable and ergonomic (courtesy of high-quality rubber finish), and you even get the water-resistance for the submersions up to 1 meter and 30 minutes. Quite impressive if you ask me.
The only drawback I can take out from such a setup comes in the form of slightly clunky dimensions of 9.3 x 2.4 x 4.6 inches, but if that's the price I need to pay stereo setup and IPX7 waterproof rating, I'm all in.
What's even more important, the 20W power makes the speaker loud and crisp – or at least as loud and crisp as it gets in this range. The bass lines were appropriately deep, guitar riffs very precise, and I hadn't experienced any distortion even when I pumped the volume to eleven.
Pros
Cons
2. JBL Go 2 Portable Bluetooth Waterproof Speaker
JBL is a name that requires very little introduction in the world of Bluetooth speakers. It's no surprise then that I was blown away with the performance of this little monster.
Yes, compared with the previous product I’ve just covered, this speaker is minute – its dimensions are only 2.8 x 3.38 x 1.24 inches.
Such a setup has a fair share of pros and cons.
On the bright side, with its durable body and IPX7 waterproof housing, this speaker is a textbook example of pocket-size quality. The manufacturer even managed to squeeze in the speakerphone and audio cable input, both of which improve the versatility of the unit.
On the other hand, there are some inherent limitations like relatively weak output power (3W) and the battery life that barely passes the 5-hour mark.
But, all these things are to be expected from such a small device. What's far more important is that the unit still manages to put on a decent and relatively loud performance with only slight distortions at the far ends of the frequency spectrum.
Pros
Cons
3. Echo Dot (3rd Gen)
Talk about the way to find a way to your customers.
Yeah, by putting the words “Alexa integration" on its box, this neat product makes itself very hard to ignore.
So, what comes with these exciting buzzwords? Well, a very tight IoT smart home integration that allows you to run your entire house through this small piece of tech. And then there are the music streaming capabilities that are synonymous with this system.
However, what remains when we take this admittedly awesome perk out of the equation is a rather small speaker (3.9 x 3.9 x 1.7 inches) that produces 360-degrees output, but simply lacks the punch to compete with some larger and more refined units.
As a matter of fact, the precision and loudness, although definitely above the average, are lagging behind JBL’s Go 2.
So, the choice between these two units will largely depend on how much you want that sweet Alexa integration.
As for the build quality – I was delighted. The unit lacks waterproofing, but, on the other hand, it looks like it can take a lot of beating.
Pros
Cons
4. Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker (Upgraded)
Wow, this speaker has so many awesome features it's very hard to wrap your head around it. I mean all these goods at this price point? Something's got to be off?
Well, it is. But, let's first start with the positive things.
First of all, this speaker somehow manages to pack an incredible amount of power in a relatively manageable housing. So, what do you get in this IPX7-certified, 6.5 x 2.1 x 1.9-inch housing?
The answer is a stereo speaker setup with enhanced bass, ginormous 5,200mAh battery that allows uninterrupted 24-hour playtime, and an advanced sound processor that theoretically eliminates any kind of distortion.
Why theoretically?
Well, the processor works so hard to enhance the sound that it often overly boosts the quieter parts of the songs, and muffing the louder ones, resulting in an output that lacks texture.
The other thing I found off-putting was the struggle this speaker will go through to pair with your device.
Even so, if you can overlook these slight problems and need a powerful workhorse that can work all day long, this is the speaker for you.
Pros
Cons
5. Anker Soundcore Bluetooth Speaker
As you can already guess, Anker Soundcore represents the previous iteration of the product I have just covered. Still, the leap between these two models was large enough to warrant separate mentions.
So, let us start the things that are the same. First, you get your robust, durable, and dull-looking body. Then, there is the incredible battery that, according to the manufacturer, allows you to play 500 songs or keep the speaker alive for 500 hours.
Finally, you have the rock-solid dual-speaker stereo setup coupled with a built-in microphone and zealous sound processor that, this time, does a bit sloppier job at preventing the excessive sound distortion.
What has been lost in the shuffle, or to be more precise, introduced in the following iteration? One of the major things I've noticed is that bass felt somewhat weaker. Also, the overall craftsmanship lacked the refinement I've seen with Soundcore 2.
But that's pretty much it. Not bad for a substantial price dip that roughly accounts for 10 dollars (massive difference in the entry-level market). Still, if you're in the market for a cheap Bluetooth speaker, and don't want to pay for Soundcore 2, the predecessor is well worthy.
Pros
Cons
6. OontZ Angle 3 (3rd Gen) Speaker
Our Rating: 77/100
What can I say besides that the exotic name of this speaker is matched only by its equally as exotic design? But hey, the entry-level market is running awfully close to becoming stale, so I'm all in for any kind of refreshment.
Especially, if that refreshment allows excellent sound dispersion like in this case. This matter is largely helped by the unit’s quality materials and strong build.
As for the sound quality, guess what – it’s not bad either.
The sound is very crisp and loud (thanks to the 10+W output power), and the speaker handles bass sections rather lovely. The waterproofing may be all but gone, but as a consolation prize, you are able to keep the connection up to 100 feet.
Throw into the mix the solid battery life of 14 hours, and you might start wondering what's missing here?
Well, too many things to count. Dropped connections, random shutdowns, charging issues, mute sections…
All these issues are relatively minor, but when they pile up, they do a lot to drag the user experience down.
Pros
Cons
7. DOSS SoundBox Touch Wireless Speaker
We have now passed below the magic $30 border that separates the entry-level units from the bargain bin speakers. At first glance, that would be very hard to tell because this unit looks pristine.
Sure, the plastic and the rest of the materials might fall on the cheaper side, but design and craftsmanship do a great job at hiding this fact.
And if we take a look beyond this incredibly appealing design, we can see that DOSS SoundBox is no joke in terms of specs, either. As a matter of fact, they are quite decent.
The output power clocks at 12W, which allows for a thunderous and punchy performance (the bass feels especially meaty), and the battery life of 12 hours is more than enough for a comfortable autonomy.
The main, and at the same time, the only major issue I have with this unit is the Achilles' heel of all the products form this price range – the sound quality starts to drop as soon as you turn up the volume.
Still, this is probably the best budget Bluetooth speaker on the list and definitely the best Bluetooth speakers under 30 dollars.
Pros
Cons
8. VicTsing SoundHot C6 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
Our Rating: 80/100
Rating this product was very hard seriously – packing so many features, making the device splash-resistant, and staying below the 20-dollar mark is a small feat of engineering.
Also, the speaker doesn’t look half as bad as some people say (it emits a strong toy-ish vibe, though), and taking into consideration its modest price and size, the battery life of 6 hours is very solid.
The output power of 5W is nothing to write home about, but on the other hand, we have seen the products that offer less, even on this list.
Unfortunately, the output quality is incredibly sloppy and inconsistent, which takes this small hitter from the serious products with the other products I've covered.
But, if you need something cheap to play the music while you are showering or bathing your kids, this is the one to go, especially when you consider the mounting mechanism and the decent splash resistance.As far as the cheap Bluetooth speakers go, this one is not that bad - you can pick it up and not worry about it.
Pros
Cons
After it's all said and done, we recommend:
AOMAIS Sport II Portable Wireless Bluetooth Speakers
Why is it better?
95/100
our score
So, at the very end, when we’ve gone through some of the best affordable Bluetooth speakers, all I can say that all the products I've covered have at least some saving grace, which makes them a worthwhile purchase for some types of customers. As for me, I will most likely settle with AOMAIS Sport II. Sure, its size may be too much for someone, but the excellent performance more than makes up for this slight drawback.
About the author:
Barry Allen
I grew up to be a self-proclaimed stuck-up audiophile, and I – partially – blame Pinnacle Speakers for it.
The whole point of me starting this website was to keep the tradition going. Although the means have changed, the mission remains the same: Bringing „sterling sound“ as they once put it into home theaters and sound systems worldwide!