At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Excellent audio
- Powerful, well-rounded sound
- Optional stereo pair (with second speaker)
- Optional ‘Outdoor’ and ‘Podcast’ modes
- IP67 dust and waterproof
- Up to 14 hours battery life
Cons
- No wired option
Our Verdict
Little has changed in the Wonderboom 4, but you get great audio and long battery life in a good-looking, compact and durable design that’s perfect for parties and picnics, camping in the words or hanging out at the beach, as well as indoors, of course.
Best Prices Today: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
Ever since the wonderful Wonderboom 2, Ultimate Ears has made small but not major updates to this Editors Choice Bluetooth speaker. From Wonderboom 2 to Wonderboom 3 there were minimal changes (increased battery life and Bluetooth range), and now the fourth generation gets the light upgrade touch we’ve come to expect.
That makes the Wonderboom 4 not an essential upgrade even for owners of the second gen model but keeps it at the top of the pile for portable Bluetooth speakers.
The compact, waterproof and durable portable speaker looks the same and sounds the same, but is enhanced with a new Podcast Mode and the welcome replacement of its fiddly MicroUSB charging port with more up-to-date and easier-to-use USB-C.
Design, build and colors
The Wonderboom 4 retains its cute chunky, colorful design, constructed with eco-friendly materials. The feel of the mid-speaker section is a slightly course fabric.
It’s small (95.3 x 104mm) and light (420g) so you can carry it in a backpack without noticing, although it’s probably too chunky to fit in a briefcase or slim laptop bag.
It is waterproof enough to take to the shower, bath, pool or beach—it even floats—with an IP67 dust and water-resistance rating that promises safety immersed in eater up to 1m deep for 30 minutes.
It features drop-proofing to five feet (1.5m), according to the manufacturer. It should still work after such rough treatment but we assume it wouldn’t be without some scuff marks after a fall.
At the top there’s an elastic loop so you can hang the speaker from whatever’s nearby.
Foundry
The controls are few and simple. The most obvious are the giant Plus and Minus volume buttons on the front. On the top are buttons for Bluetooth, power, and Play/Pause and Forward/Back songs. Pairing with your phone or other Bluetooth device is easy.
Foundry
You need to turn the speaker upside down to find the bottom button that switches between the Outdoor Boost and Podcast Mode options, or returns to Standard mode. You can also quickly check the speaker’s battery level using the volume buttons.
Its environmental friendliness is gained from its minimum of 31% post-consumer recycled plastic, and it is wrapped in a sustainable fabric made from 100% recycled polyester. The packaging is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified.
Sound quality & features
Ultimate Ears nailed the natural sound quality with the second generation Wonderboom 2 and kept things as they were on the next version. As far as we can tell, it hasn’t changed this speaker’s sonics at all, which is fine by us.
Its two active 40mm drivers and two 46.1-x-65.2mm passive radiators offer a 360° sound. Maximum volume is 86 dBC in Standard mode and 87 dBC with Outdoor Boost turned on. That’s enough to fill a medium-sized room, and that extra outdoor volume boost will help out in the wild, down at the park, or in your back garden. You will lose a little bass in Outdoor mode, however.
The Wonderboom 4 delivers bright, well-rounded sound that’s tuned to suit most genres. There’s enough bass to add depth and warmth without overpowering, rounded mids, and slightly thin high-end – but it does enough to get the job done.
Similar speakers can tend to lose bass, but the Wonderboom 4 keeps its bass impressively for such a small device. Maybe there’s not enough oomph for hip-hop or heavy rock fans, who might prefer the Anker Soundcore Motion 300 , which features a BassUp mode.
Outdoor Boost mode pulls back on the bass and ups the treble, helping the sound to carry further in expansive outdoor spaces, and giving you a welcome second sonic option.
The new EQ Podcast Mode brings crisper, clearer vocals, although some users have said this can make an audiobook narrator’s dramatic voice sound rather thin, monotone and featureless.
If you buy a second Wonderboom (version 3 or 4) you can connect the two to double the volume or create a two-channel stereo pair.
Bluetooth range remains long-range at up to 40m. There’s no physical wired option to connect, so you’ll need to keep the battery charged to use the Wonderboom 4.
Foundry
Battery & charging
The Wonderboom 4 can last up to 14 hours on a full charge. Unless you really are a party animal, that means it should keep you going before you drop. And it can probably last long enough to keep going on a short camping trip.
Press the Plus and Minus volume buttons at the same time to identify the current battery level.
Thankfully, the Wonderboom 4 now charges via USB-C rather than fiddly MicroUSB. Personally, I’d upgrade from the Wonderboom 3 just to throw another MicroUSB cable in the bin. That said, the included charging cable still has USB-A at one end, which is fine if you have a charger with a USB-A port, but we’d recommend you charge using USB-C to USB-C for the fastest charge.
Ultimate Ears
Price & availability
The Wonderboom 4 will set you back $99.99/£89.99, which is just under the line of what we consider a budget Bluetooth speaker. There are more affordable ones out there, but as always you get what you pay for.
The Anker Soundcore Motion 300 is $20 cheaper (same price as the Wonderboom 4 in the U.K.) with a similar sound profile, but lacks the Wonderboom’s rotund charm.
Check out our full ranking of the best cheap Bluetooth speakers we’ve reviewed for more options, including affordable options such as the JBL Clip 4 and EarFun Uboom .
Verdict
The Wonderboom 4 is an excellent, rugged portable Bluetooth speaker with a fantastic audio range, long battery life and simple controls. It’s barely changed from the previous model but the small changes are welcome.
Best Prices Today: Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4
Author: Simon Jary, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Simon has over 30 years of expert experience testing and reviewing ever-smaller and more powerful tech accessories, from USB-C and Thunderbolt docks to chargers, batteries, hubs and adapters. A former Editor of Macworld, he has contributed to PCWorld, Tech Advisor and TimeOut, as well as national newspapers such as The Times, Independent and Telegraph.
Recent stories by Simon Jary:
- Best kids’ headphones: Tried and tested
- Belkin SoundForm Bolt review
- Yoto Player review – audio content for kids
