The speaker is solidly built and completely redesigned; the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is instantly recognizable as a UE product, but it is different in several ways compared to the previous version. Gone is the soft plastic bumper where the plus and minus buttons in the center of the speaker used to be. Instead, they have been replaced by a slimmer strip of plastic on the back of the speaker. We’re here with our UE Wonderboom 3 Review.
It is strange to say this for a cylindrical speaker, but it is also less rounded. The edges are sharper and the entire speaker is now shaped like a large soda can. This design was a deliberate choice to allow the UE BOOM 3 to fit easily into places where water bottles fit, such as bags, car cup holders, or even bicycle water bottle brackets.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Design
The Wonderboom 3 will appear familiar if you’ve seen the UE Wonderboom 2. It resembles a fabric-covered ball with amusingly oversized volume controls on one side. The toggle for Outdoor Boost is located on the bottom, while the power button, Bluetooth connecting button, and pause/play/skip controls are located on the top. The performance section has more information on that. The UE Wonderboom 3 is clearly portable with a weight of under 15 ounces.
Its dimensions of 4.1 x 3.8 inches allow me to hold it comfortably, while a stretchy loop allows me to hang the speaker from my bag. The sporty appearance of the UE Wonderboom 3 is not just for show; thanks to its IP67 durability rating, it can endure exposure to water for up to 30 minutes as well as dust and grime. For many of the best waterproof speakers, that is standard.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Features
The Wonderboom 3 is a pure Bluetooth speaker like the two Wonderbooms before it, thus you won’t be able to AirPlay anything to it, communicate with voice assistants, be forced to download apps, or use an aux to bring in wired sources. The Ultimate Ears speakers are often quite good at instantly connecting to phones and tablets they know when the speaker is turned on, so pairing your Bluetooth device is all you need to do.
The Bluetooth range has increased from 30 metres to 40 metres (131 feet). Although it’s good to have, it’s not worth switching from an older model for. Once more, wireless pairing between two Wonderboom speakers enables stereo sound with left and right channels. It merely requires one button press and performs as expected.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Connectivity
Fortunately, the UE BOOM 3 does not seem to lose connection or glitch on SBC (the only Bluetooth codec option); within 15 meters, you have nothing to worry about; within 30 meters, you don’t even need a wall; and within 30 meters, you can use it without a wall. In recent years, many companies don’t seem to have much of a problem with Bluetooth connections, at least when it comes to staying connected.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Audio
The Wonderboom 2 is, by and large, one of my favourite small-format Bluetooth speakers on the market, so we was eager to see and hear the upgrades on the Wonderboom 3. Whenever it comes to build quality, toughness, and in-the-middle sonic response, Ultimate Ears always performs a good job. After receiving a pair of Wonderboom 3 speakers in “Performance Blue” from UE, I put them to the test over the course of a week of work, play, and beach time. Discover if the Wonderboom 3 is the ideal Bluetooth speaker for you by reading on.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Battery Life
The UE Wonderboom 3 has a battery life of 14 hours, one hour longer than the battery life of the Wonderboom 2. It’s a slight improvement, but an improvement that puts it in a unique position among the best outdoor speakers. For the record, the Megaboom 3 lasts 20 hours, while the Sonos Roam only lasts 10 hours.
We checked the battery status by pressing the volume up and volume down buttons at the same time, but the general battery life is indicated by a chime rather than an exact percentage. Charging the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 is perhaps the only real disappointment in the test. It took more than two hours for the battery to go from being out of charge to a chime indicating a full charge. This is probably due to the outdated Micro-USB charging. I wish it had USB-C charging like other devices.
Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 review: Price
The UE Wonderboom 3, available now for $99, is the smallest and most affordable speaker in the UE lineup. Our favorite UE speaker is the $199 UE Megaboom 3, which offers several upgrades over the Wonderboom 3 in terms of performance and battery life. That said, both models are likely to see Black Friday deals.
Conclusion
Outdoor use is made easy with the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3. You can take it outside without worrying about getting it wet because it has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, which means it is completely dust-tight and submersible in up to a metre of water for 30 minutes. You may even float around with your music while lounging in the pool since it is even marketed to float on water.
Every time you expose the speaker to salty or chlorinated water, the manufacturer advises cleaning it with fresh water. With a built-in hook, it is highly portable and can be fastened to your baggage while you’re out and about. Additionally, even at maximum level, there isn’t much compression, so your favorite music sound clear and undistorted when you turn up the volume.
