UE refreshes its Wonderboom waterproof speaker with longer battery life, new colors

By Simon Cohen August 17, 2022

Ultimate Ears (UE) has just dropped a new version of its popular Wonderboom Bluetooth speaker, and while not much has changed, you know the old saying: if it ain’t broke …

Two UE Wonderboom 3 speakers held side-by-side.

Two UE Wonderboom 3 speakers seen in water.

The Wonderboom 3 keeps the $100 price intact, along with= size, shape, and its iconic, oversized volume buttons. It also keeps all of the other features that havemade it such a handy companion for the pool, beach, or patio, like its 360-degree sound pattern, IP67 water and dust resistance, and its ability to bob like a cork if you chuck it in the water.

You can still stream music to two Wonderboom 3 speakers simultaneously, and there’s also a stereo-pairing mode for a true left-right speaker experience. Somewhat surprisingly, UE has even chosen to keep the MicroUSB charging port instead of adopting the newer and almost ubiquitous USB-C connection.

UE Wonderboom 3 seen hanging next to lanterns. — Ultimate Ears

So what’s changed? The third=generation model gets longer battery life (14 hours versus 13 hours on the Wonderboom 2) and longer Bluetooth range (141 feet versus 98 feet), plus it’s available in four new colors: Hyper Pink, Performance Blue, Active Black, and Joyous Brights. UE has also taken a step toward making its speakers more sustainable. The fabric grille is now made of 100% recycled polyester, according to the company, and the speakers contain a minimum of 31% post-consumer recycled plastic.

UE still backs the Wonderboom 3 with a two-year warranty, which is considerably longer than average, and it has designed the speaker to withstand some pretty tough abuse — you should be able to safely drop it from a height of up to five feet.

If all of that sounds like the Wonderboom 3 might be the portable Bluetooth speaker you’ve been looking for, you can order it staring August 17 at ultimateears.com, and probably all of the usual online and physical retailers.

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Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…

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