Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST

Stupidly loud ; Decent sound for the money ; Long battery life

Bass can be overpowering ; Alexa smart functions are a little hit and miss

The Megablast is a bodaciously loud Bluetooth speaker with some tagged-on smart functionality.

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

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

The UE Megablast is a powerful portable speaker that takes the solid performance and rugged design of the Megaboom and adds Alexa voice control to the mix. It easily overpowers the smaller and less expensive Amazon Tap, as well as the Echo itself.

Waterproof and robust ; Portable ; Great sound ; Convenient Alexa integration ; Good updates coming

Still awaiting some key features ; Expensive ; Charging dock sold separately

With the Megablast, Ultimate Ears has created one of the best looking and sounding portable speakers around. Thanks to its Amazon Alexa integration, it's one of the smartest too. Unfortunately, it's lacking some key features at launch and for those...

Dynamic, detailed sound ; Enthusiastic, punchy rhythms ; Precise, taut basslines ; Goes really very loud ; Excellent build and design

Presentation is slightly lean ; Not fully featured just yet

Alexa voice control is a bonus, but we love this portable speaker’s fun, energetic and admirably controlled performance most of all

Solid build and water protection ; Sound quality ; Volume ; 16 hours of life ; Spotify music integration

Wi-Fi stability ; Power Up base not included ; Alexa experience not as smooth as Echo

With Alexa skills thrown into the mix, the UE Megablast transforms one of our favourite speakers into something more connected. It's a great performer, waterproof and robustly built, with software updates bringing essential feature updates. Just make...

Loud, rugged speakers withstand rough treatment ; Alexa without the power cord is great ; Megablast lives up to its name in volume ; Charging dock is convenient

Services like Spotify over WiFi are missing ; Both speakers are expensive, and the dock costs extra ; Bluetooth and WiFi don't always coexist well ; Many familiar UE features are missing

Waterproof ; Beautiful design and build quality ; Overall sound quality

Expensive ; Lacks Alexa calling abilities ; No Spotify streaming over Wi-Fi

At £270, the Megablast isn’t cheap, but it certainly is an impressive smart speaker, with its waterproofing and built-in battery. With its stylish design, robust build quality and bright colours, Ultimate Ears has created a great-looking speaker as well.

Plenty loud, with good bass response ; Amazon Alexa integration ; IP67 weather protection

Pricey ; Can't charge other mobile devices ; No speakerphone feature

The MegaBlast sounds better than many Bluetooth speakers, but I wouldn’t call it best of breed—at least when listened to on axis from short distances. It pumps bass, and is clear overall, but it might not cut through the background noise at a loud...