Ultimate Ears priced the WONDERBOOM 4 at $99.99 when it shipped a while back, and now, you can snag one for $51.44, which is the number that keeps this little cylinder in every “best cheap portable” argument. You get a squat, fabric-wrapped body about four inches tall that weighs roughly 0.9 pounds. A loop on top takes a carabiner, so it hangs off a pack instead of eating space inside one.
Two 40mm drivers and two passive radiators direct sound in all directions, which is the entire purpose of the spherical shape. Sit it in the center of a table, and no one will have to aim at a single face. Outdoor Boost increases output by a hair for open air. Podcast Mode relies on voices to keep spoken word clear. When you couple a second WONDERBOOM 4, one press doubles the volume, while another splits the mix into a true left-and-right stereo pair. Official pairings remain within the Wonderboom 4 family. Bluetooth has a reported range of 131 feet and can connect to two phones simultaneously.
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IP67 protects against dust and a 30-minute immersion in a meter of water, and the shell floats, which is a characteristic that people remember from a pool day. Ultimate Ears also validates the five-foot drop test. Plastic in the housing contains at least 31% recycled material. None of this transforms it into a boom box, but it does imply that sand, a shower, and a clumsy grip are routine rather than an emergency.
USB-C has finally come in this generation. The rated playtime is 14 hours from a full charge, with around two and a half hours on the wall assuming your adaptor meets the typical specifications. Independent testers have reported longer runtimes at moderate volume and shorter ones when Outdoor Boost and high volume are enabled. Controls include large volume keys, play, pairing, and a mode button. There are no apps, custom equalizers, microphones, or wired jacks. This keeps the operation simple. It also means you must deal with the two factory modes and whatever the default balance is.
Reviewers divide its best features into two categories: wraparound coverage and middle warmth. This is great for kitchens, patios, podcasts, and acoustic playlists. Bass remains thumpy in a speaker this compact, and pulling the volume all the way down brightens lighter tracks. The WONDERBOOM 4 has developed a reputation for being tough, loud for its size, and inexpensive enough to be brought places where a better speaker would stay at home.
