Dive into all your summer adventures with UE's cannonball speaker.

IP67 dust- and water-resistant; Connect two devices simultaneously; Pair to another Wonderboom 2 for stereo sound; Two-year warranty; Portable and floats

No microphone; Distortion increases with volume; microUSB charging

Wonderboom is the compact but powerful speaker from Ultimate Ears. Two years after the first model, the American manufacturer announced the second model, the Wonderboom 2, in June 2019 with the promise of more powerful sound, an unparalleled range, superior waterproofing, and wireless stereo...

Waterproofing; Battery life; Outdoor mode; Small size

Incompatible with other Ultimate Ears models; No USB Type-C; No headphone jack; Latency

Big things, small packages, and all that jazz. The WONDERBOOM 2 is the latest portable speaker from Ultimate Ears (UE) and finds itself as a punched-up successor to an already great device. Launched in June 2019, the unit retails for about $100 and comes in a variety of color options.

Been a couple of Summers since Ultimate Ears arrived on the scene with the first iteration of the WonderBoom that hovered in the "Under $99" speaker market and eventually replacing its own popular Roll 2 speaker.

Improved sound; useful Outdoor Mode

"Athleisure" fabric wrap seems a little too trendy

It's a repeat performance for the Wonderboom, with this second iteration being every inch as good as the first model. It's an easy speaker to recommend if you're after a compact Bluetooth speaker that will do it all, offer all-round protection and a bassy 360-degree sound.

Great sound quality; Plenty of bass; Stereo pairing; Good battery life; Compact design

Uses older Micro-USB connection; The older model is almost just as good for less cash

The UE Wonderboom 2 features a slightly tweaked design, better bass response, longer battery life and Outdoor Boost make it an even better companion when you're outdoors. Its ruggedness, sound quality, and features solidify the Wonderboom 2 as one of the best portable waterproof speakers you can...

Great sound for its size; IP67 dustproof/waterproof rating; 30% better battery life; Relatively cheap

Restrictive soundstage; No speakerphone; MicroUSB charging; No 'smart' features

Ultimately, the differences between the new Wonderboom 2 and the original are small. Instead, Ultimate Ears has set out improve things iteratively and, in principle, it has achieved exactly that.

Floats and is dust and water-resistant; Louder than its predecessor in outdoor mode; Fun sound signature

Expensive versus the original Wonderboom; Only supports the Bluetooth SBC codec

In recent years, Hollywood has been in a bit of bother. Outside of the unceasing Marvel juggernaut and Keanu Reeves, blockbuster sequels have had little impact, with franchises on the receiving end of critical jabs, making less money than previous entries.

Huge sound; Easy to use; 13-hour battery life; Outdoor Boost is useful

Not much of note

Bought this as a wee Chrimbo treat to myself for the bedroom as always too much faff moving bose soundlink which is pretty much encamped in the living room. Click and collected it on the way to a week away in a cottage by the sea and was an absolute belter of an addition to a bit of unplanned...