Even though I know it's waterproof, I hesitated to drop the speaker, as I think there's still a part of me that fears water will ruin all of my tech gadgets. To test out this feature, I plugged my sink, filled it up with water, and plopped the speaker right in. The Boom 3 actually floats, so if you drop it in water, it won't even be completely submerged, it will pop right back up to the surface. It can be totally submerged in water for up to 30 minutes. What this really means is that this thing is seriously waterproof. It has a IP67 waterproof and dustproof rating. The Boom 2 is waterproof too, but the Boom 3 goes a step further. I stream my music through Spotify, so I didn't get to use this aspect of the feature, but you can still use the "Magic Button" to skip, play, and pause regardless of where your playlists come from you just manually have to pick the playlist from your phone. If you have Apple Music or Deezer, you can actually set up one-touch playlists with the Boom app. The UE Boom 3 has added a new "Magic Button" that lets you skip, pause, and play music with just a few taps. So, you can take your phone pretty far away from the speaker and it will still play, but you can also control the music without even having your phone on you. I think both are pretty impressive, but the broader range of the Boom 3 is a definite positive, especially if you are playing music at a party and will be mingling, moving around the room. The Boom 3 has a wireless range of 150 feet, while the Boom 2 only has a range of 100 feet. Both models also feature Block Party mode, which allows you and two friends to connect to the same speaker and take turns playing music. This feature, called Party mode, allows you to play the same song through all speakers, so it sounds like you have a much more intense speaker system in place. With the Boom app, you can pair any Booms and Megabooms (up to 150 or more of them, actually) for a seriously loud situation. This is a nice addition, although it is an additional $40 expense, as it is not included with the speaker. The one advantage with the 3 is that it can be charged wirelessly with the UE Power Up charging dock. Both have a battery life of up to 15 hours, which is a pretty solid amount of time. There are many other aspects of the Boom 3 that are pretty consistent with the previous model. If you want to cater the sound more to your liking, you can use the Boom app to customize the EQ, which has four different sound presets as well as a customized tuner. If you like deep bass, the Boom 3 does give your music a richer bass texture, although I don't think that it's a notable difference to the average ear. Both speakers can pump out some serious audio, with a maximum of 90 decibels. In terms of sound, the Boom 3 is not much different than the Boom 2. Within moments, my apartment was flooded with crisp sound. Without even having to read the directions, I pressed the power button (which sits on the flat top of the speaker) and then connected via Bluetooth on my phone. Luckily, it took all of a minute to connect my phone to the UE Boom 3. Safe to say this makes for an unpleasant listening experience, if you even get to listen to anything at all. I have encountered too many wireless speakers that take far too long to connect to your phone and have faulty Bluetooth. One of the most important factors to consider though when buying a speaker is that it's easy for you to use. Of course, this isn't one of the most important qualities, but it does make it look pretty nice on your dresser. Not only is the fabric noticeably smoother, but it's two-toned, which adds somewhat of an iridescent sheen. This is a textile that's also used for motorcycle jackets and fire equipment, in case you were questioning it's durability. That's because Ultimate Ears updated the covering to a high-performance fabric. In keeping with the sleek aesthetic, when you hold the Boom 3, you'll notice it feels a little different. I still found the speaker to be easily portable and I appreciated the sleek, updated aesthetic. Truthfully, I didn't think the slightly larger size or added weight were an issue. At almost two pounds, it's also a little heavier than the Boom 2, which clocks in at just over a pound. At about 9" tall and 3.5" in diameter, the Boom 3 is slightly larger than the Boom 2. The volume control buttons on the front side of the speaker are nice and big, making them easy to control, but they're flat so they don't add any bulk. It still holds the same cylindrical shape, but the top and bottom are flat rather than slightly rounded. I had no plans to purchase a new speaker, but I recently got the chance to test out the newest model in the UE family, the UE Boom 3, and it's safe to say I was pretty excited.Īt first glance, the UE Boom 3 has a new design that differentiates it from its predecessors.
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