Indestructible and sleek with high quality sound

Can't do everything an Echo can

The Boom 2 and Wonderboom have been some of our favourite rugged speakers for a while now, and the Blast looks set to join that list. It keeps the same life-proof construction and is as easy to lug around as a bottle of water, but gains handy extras like Alexa integration and cable-free charging. The £199 Blast is twice the price of the Boom 2, though, and by the time you add the PowerUp charging base, it’s £145 more than Amazon’s new Echo. Can you put up with being tethered to the mains? Then you don’t have to spend a lot more to get the even better-sounding Sonos One. If a built-in battery, a portable, weatherproof build and wire-free listening are higher on your list of wants than Spotify playback and an accurate microphone, though, the Blast is an easy buy.

Gets seriously loud; Built-in Alexa support is great extra; Water resistant rubber makes it pretty much life-proof;

Can’t charge while standing up - unless you buy the dock; Music Unlimited only at launch; No PartyUp speaker pairing;

If you’re looking for a high-end Alexa-enabled speaker, you won’t find much better than the UE Megablast. Besides the vibrant, unique design, the water- and dustproof Megablast combines the best of Alexa with the best of the portable listening experience, offering a premium Alexa experience (with far-field tech and always-on Alexa), incredible sound quality and long-lasting battery life in a single device.

Ultimate Ears has established itself as a leader in the portable Bluetooth speaker market with its Boom line, which includes the excellent Boom 2 and Megaboom. Now it's hitting the smart speaker space, adding Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control to the mix with its new Blast family. UE's Blast speakers look, feel, and perform a lot like their Boom equivalents, but with Amazon Alexa voice control. The $299.99 UE Megablast is the biggest of the bunch, as well as the most powerful speaker for taking Alexa on the go. Design The Megablast is similar to the Megaboom in size, but with starker, sharper contours for its cylindrical body. It measures 9.4 by 3.6 inches (HW), with a cloth grille interrupted by a wide rubber strip featuring the large plus and minus buttons that are now signatures of UE's speaker design. The top of the Megablast features a large power button in the center with an LED indicator, and a smaller Bluetooth pairing button with a smaller LED. The bottom of the speake...

If you want to take Alexa on the go, the UE Megablast is one of the biggest, most powerful smart speakers you can tote and expose to the elements without worry.

Powerful sound; Rugged, portable design; Integrates Amazon Alexa voice control

Can distort on deep sub-bass; Lacks some voice control features; No speakerphone

In recent years, Ultimate Ears' Boom speakers have been among our favorite portable Bluetooth speakers. Compact and well-designed, they deliver big sound for their small size and are particularly well suited to outdoor use.

While it's expensive and still a work in progress, UE's Megablast speaker is the best-sounding portable Alexa-enabled speaker out there right now.

The UE MegaBlast is a portable, fully waterproof Wi-Fi and Bluetooth speaker that has Amazon's Alexa voice assistant built in; It sounds very good for its compact size, is durable and offers strong battery life.

Somewhat expensive; speakers can't be linked; no Alexa voice support for Spotify playback (can only stream Spotify via Bluetooth); USB charging port is a little bit of a pain to access, making the optional charging base more of a must-have accessory for home use.

Bigger. Better. Smarter. That’s the short version of the pitch for Ultimate Ears new Blast and Megablast smart speakers.

If you’re looking for that on-the-go Alexa speaker and like it loud, you’ll probably like the sound of this one.

Great volume; Good battery life;

Portable Alexa is a little clunky; Can't easily pair speakers;

We've long been fans of the Ultimate Ears Boom family of Bluetooth speakers thanks to their rugged yet stylish designs and solid sound quality. The Blast spinoff line adds even more with Wi-Fi connectivity and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. The Blast and Megablast are effectively Alexa-enabled versions of the Boom and Megaboom, with the same colorful waterproof, cylindrical design and fairly powerful audio. At $179.99, the smaller Blast is a much more wallet-friendly than the Megablast, and can still put out some solid, well-balanced sound. Round and Rugged The Blast is visually indistinguishable from the Boom, with a cylindrical design dominated by a wraparound fabric cover and flat rubber end caps connected by a wide rubber strip running down the length of the speaker. It measures 7.4 by 2.7 inches (HW) and weighs 1.4 pounds. The rubber strip holds the large, signature plus and minus volume buttons, with the remaining controls sitting on the top cap. They include a large, reces...

The Ultimate Ears UE Blast puts Amazon's Alexa voice assistant in a portable, rugged, waterproof Bluetooth speaker.

Amazon Alexa voice control; Rugged build; Generally solid audio output

Struggles with deep bass