We’ve analyzed all of the teeniest Bluetooth speaker options out there — those that are small enough to be clipped or strapped onto clothing, or slide into a pocket.
For now, we’ve got one main recommendation. We’ll list a few other cheap tiny options later in this piece as well.
The Best Tiny, Wearable Speaker: Polk Audio Boom Bit
Update history of this article
Our Top Pick for Tiny, Wearable Bluetooth Speaker: Polk Boom Bit
Polk Audio is best known for its powerful, refined home systems; we were thus curious to see how its designers have taken on a very small, portable product. The offering, Polk Boom Bit, is by far the lightest quality Bluetooth speaker out there, weighing only 1.2 ounces. It’s been reviewed in a number of tech publications by writers and audiophiles who generally were just as surprised and pleased to see Polk try this route. (Consumer organizations generally review bigger speakers, for their part.)
Most lauded the Boom Bit’s design and durability but not been overly impressed by its sound, commenting that it doesn’t have “any real bass” and “wisely focuses on high frequency clarity, which makes it bright and easy to hear outdoors”. Still, it can go loud enough to be used even in traffic, wearing a motorcycle helmet.
While the consensus is that it’s only pleasantly serviceable in terms of sound quality, the lightness and originality of the design got far more praise. It’s meant to be clipped to a shirt collar or backpack strap and serve as a headphone replacement for those who don’t like things in or over their ears or, or who want to remain aware of their surroundings. It has volume buttons (which also serve to skip tracks), making it easy to adjust as your environment becomes quieter or noisier. You can also use it to take calls when you’re on the go.
The speaker was originally marketed as dust- and waterproof (IPX7), but these claims have been removed by Polk, likely, many speculate, due to water being able to penetrate the cap if the unit is dunked. There are no reported problems due to sweat from normal workouts.
Polk says that the speaker can run for three hours at 50 percent volume. Some Amazon reviewers are disappointed by this and also report much less usable time at louder volumes. You’ll likely want to plug it into a USB-A charger (on your computer, a wall outlet, etc.) between every outing.
Polk Audio is a reputable, established manufacturer and offers a one-year warranty on this speaker.
Wrap-Up: Our Top Pick for Smallest, Wearable Bluetooth Speaker
Comments Policy
We continuously update articles based on the corrections, additions, tales of woe or triumph, etc. from our lovely readers and occasional internet crackpots. We obviously publish only respectful, relevant commentary.
No Comment