My family has music playing pretty much all the time when we’re at home. From Taylor Swift to classic rock to novelty fart music (I have an 8-year-old boy, don’t judge), we’ve always got something on.
We’ve had two portable Bluetooth speakers over the last 15 years or so, and our current one, the Bose SoundLink Flex, is on sale for Black Friday for $119, $30 less than its regular list price. It’s among the best Bluetooth speakers of 2023 and a CNET Editors’ Choice winner.
Why do we love this speaker? For starters, the sound quality is top-notch. It sounds way better than it has any business being capable of for how small it is.
Our previous Bose speaker (a predecessor of the SoundLink Flex) lasted about 15 years before finally showing its age with some annoying connectivity issues. Assuming this one holds up nearly as well, we’re talking about two speakers keeping the tunes going over multiple decades. Maybe I’ll send this one with one of my kids to college.
A few other things that stand out about this speaker compared to its predecessor:
- It’s water-resistant and floats (though I haven’t tested this yet).
- You can take and make phone calls through it — this one surprised me when I got an incoming phone call shortly after getting it.
- It has technology to optimize the sound whether you use it upright, on its back or even hanging from a tree with the built-in carrying loop.
- It’s apparently drop- and impact-resistant too, though I’ve yet to confirm this myself.
- The battery life is good, and has lasted at least a few days per charge for my family.
If you need more good portable music in your life, this is a fantastic option. Or if you’re more of a soundbar family, we’ve also got a roundup of the best Black Friday soundbar deals.
More Black Friday deals from CNET
