The Bose Portable Home Speaker delivers Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control with powerful wireless audio for its size, if not its price.

Powerful audio with rich bass and crisp highs; Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control; Streams via AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Expensive; Mono; Speaker has trouble with deep bass at high volume levels.

Continuing its foray into smart speaker territory, the $349.95 Bose Portable Home Speaker features built-in support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, a water-resistant build, and a useful companion app that makes setup and control as simple as can be. From an audio standpoint, there's plenty of power here, with lots of reciprocal boosting in the lows and highs so things remain balanced, though occasionally the speaker can run into trouble at high volume levels on tracks with deep bass content. As a secondary satellite in a multi-room system, the Bose Portable Home Speaker is a solid addition—but it's priced more like a primary sound source. Design The cylindrical Portable Home Speaker comes in black or silver and measures 7.5 inches high, about 4.0 inches in diameter, and weighs 2.4 pounds. A thick, clothbound handle for easy portability is connected to the top portion of the speaker, and a rubberized base stabilizes the body as it sits upright. The lower half is covered in w...

The Bose Portable Home Speaker delivers Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control with powerful wireless audio for its size, if not its price.

Powerful audio with rich bass and crisp highs; Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice control; Streams via AirPlay 2, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi

Expensive; Mono; Speaker has trouble with deep bass at high volume levels

This small speaker has a huge sound, I just wish it was a bit tougher

Perfect portable size and design; The Bose app has a nice design; 360-degree sound quality is stellar

The white version gets dirty easily; The Bose app is limited in content; Charging dock isn't included

“It's never been easier to take room-filling sound with you, without sacrificing smart speaker features.”

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $350 Bose Portable Home Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small enough to be portable, big enough that it sounds great, yet not so big that you don’t want to take it with you. Bose absolutely nails this balancing act. The Portable Home Speaker feels far lighter than its 2.3 pounds suggests, and the co...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $399 Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Editor’s note: Bose changed the name of this speaker from Bose Portable Home Speaker to Bose Portable Smart Speaker in December 2020 and increased the price from $349 to $399 in September 2021. We have adjusted this review accordingly. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small e...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $399 Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Editor’s note: Bose changed the name of this speaker from Bose Portable Home Speaker to Bose Portable Smart Speaker in December 2020 and increased the price from $349 to $399 in September 2021. We have adjusted this review accordingly. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small e...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $399 Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Editor’s note: Bose changed the name of this speaker from Bose Portable Home Speaker to Bose Portable Smart Speaker in December 2020 and increased the price from $349 to $399 in September 2021. We have adjusted this review accordingly. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small e...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $399 Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Editor’s note: Bose changed the name of this speaker from Bose Portable Home Speaker to Bose Portable Smart Speaker in December 2020 and increased the price from $349 to $399 in September 2021. We have adjusted this review accordingly. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small e...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;

We’ve only just started to see the first wireless speakers that are designed to easily transition from whole-home Wi-Fi component to go-anywhere, battery-powered Bluetooth nomad, but Bose has already laid claim to this turf with its $399 Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It’s light, has a built-in handle, and can deal with the elements and the occasional bump or tumble. It’s even a full-fledged smart speaker. But does it have the kind of sound quality and convenience we’ve come to expect of the Bose brand? Here’s our full review. Editor’s note: Bose changed the name of this speaker from Bose Portable Home Speaker to Bose Portable Smart Speaker in December 2020 and increased the price from $349 to $399 in September 2021. We have adjusted this review accordingly. Let’s be honest. You’re never going to hear amazing sound out of a speaker that’s small enough to fit in your purse. Size matters when it comes to sound quality, so the challenge when creating a portable speaker is to make it small e...

Very portable; High sensitivity mics; Great 360-degree sound; Alexa and Google Assistant; AirPlay 2;

Limited app features; Missing some midrange; Not ideal for Android;