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Best budget Bluetooth speakers for summer – colorful, sturdy, party-ready speakers from £24.99

Best budget Bluetooth speakers for summer – colorful, sturdy, party-ready speakers from £24.99

Summer is just around the corner and the essential device you need to liven up any outdoor gathering is a good speaker. Something compact, portable, with good battery life and the ability to deliver a meaty sound when needed. We've tested a lot of Bluetooth speakers here at TechRadar, and many of our favorites, like JBL, Sony, and Tribit, received a big discount to coincide with sunrise.

I've rounded up our top picks below. Any of these speakers would make a fantastic summer party companion – they almost all cost under £50, pack a punch in terms of sound quality and are also water and dust resistant (although double check the waterproof credentials of your particular choice before taking a dip). Oh, and they're also a nice color, so you won't lose them in your garden.

Tribit Stormbox Micro 2

The Tribit StormBox Micro 2 earned a perfect five stars in our review, with audio editor Becky Scarrott crowning it “the best-sounding, most-featured mini Bluetooth speaker we've had the pleasure of testing.” It's one of the more expensive speakers featured here, but if you value excellent sound quality, it's worth spending the extra money.

JBL Go 4

The JBL Go 4 comes in at number 2 in our ranking of best Bluetooth speakers and is the winner when it comes to getting the most out of your investment, offering decent audio in a convenient, compact, waterproof and extremely affordable package. However, the sound quality is not up to par with what the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 can offer.

Sony SRS-XB100

The Sony SRS-XB100's relatively short list of features may disappoint at full ticket price, but with today's deep discounts it's a much more attractive proposition. In the test, we praised the “satisfactory bass and midrange” as well as the “surprising volume for its size.” You can see how it compares to the previous pick in our Sony XB100 vs JBL Go 4 showdown.

JBL Clip 5

The JBL Clip 5 earned a near-perfect score of 4.5 stars in our review, offering “great detail” along with “impressive volume and bass.” While all of my other picks are designed to sit flat on a surface, this puck-shaped speaker is topped with a carabiner, allowing you to hold it up high – perfect for outdoor and party use.

JBL Go 5

The JBL Go 5 is the new and improved version of the previous Go 4, and at current prices, it will cost you about ten dollars more. We haven't tested the Go 5 yet, but based on what we know so far, it's a solid upgrade, and JBL promises higher volume, deeper bass, and longer battery life.