The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST was first launched in late 2017 as a top-shelf Bluetooth speaker designed for outdoor use. The speaker can be used with Amazon Alexa through a WiFi connection, and weighing only 2.4 pounds, it is one of the best speakers for users who are constantly on the move. The manufacturer claims that its battery lasts up to 16 hours, and to help keep it on for this long, it has a power-saving feature that can be used to have it shut down after a set time. Its Bluetooth connectivity range is also pretty good, and even though the best Bluetooth speakers on the market can maintain a strong connection for up to 334 ft, the MEGABLAST has strong signal strength for devices up to 216 ft. Its Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity is an advantage it also shares with the Sonos Roam and Amazon Echo Dot, which you can find out more about in our Sonos Roam review and our Amazon Echo Dot speaker review. Those who’ve placed a very high focus on design over anything else might enjoy our Edifier Prisma BT 2-1 Bluetooth speakers review.
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Ultimate Ears Megablast Review
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True Score
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Expert testers commended the MEGABLAST speaker for its decent bass output, water and dust resistance, and portable design. Specialists were impressed with how well it worked with Alexa and had a great time navigating its app. However, they didn’t appreciate its missing speakerphone functionality and the sound distortion at high volumes.
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Product Snapshot
Overview
The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST was first launched in late 2017 as a top-shelf Bluetooth speaker designed for outdoor use. The speaker can be used with Amazon Alexa through a WiFi connection, and weighing only 2.4 pounds, it is one of the best speakers for users who are constantly on the move. The manufacturer claims that its battery lasts up to 16 hours, and to help keep it on for this long, it has a power-saving feature that can be used to have it shut down after a set time. Its Bluetooth connectivity range is also pretty good, and even though the best Bluetooth speakers on the market can maintain a strong connection for up to 334 ft, the MEGABLAST has strong signal strength for devices up to 216 ft. Its Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity is an advantage it also shares with the Sonos Roam and Amazon Echo Dot, which you can find out more about in our Sonos Roam review and our Amazon Echo Dot speaker review. Those who’ve placed a very high focus on design over anything else might enjoy our Edifier Prisma BT 2-1 Bluetooth speakers review.
Consensus
our Verdict
The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST received critical acclaim from product testers for its impressive portability, build quality, and ability to play stereo content, which created an immersive experience when watching movies. Analysts from Rtings were delighted with its voice assistant performance since, during their tests, the speaker could pick up voice commands quite well. They also lauded it for its easy-to-use Ultimate Ears app and were pleased that they could adjust its sound quality through its graphic EQ. Testers from What HiFi liked how loud the speaker could get and were satisfied with its bass response when playing music. Another excellent alternative for bass lovers is the Sonos Five, so have a look at our Sonos Five review if you’re interested.
However, the MEGABLAST did not delight testers with its lack of compatibility with Google Assistant and Siri. Testers also noted that its sound gets distorted at loud volumes and were disappointed with its missing speakerphone functionality.
ReasonS to Buy
- Great build quality
- Decent bass response
- Works great with Alexa
- WiFi connectivity
- Graphic equalizer
Reason to Avoid
- No speakerphone function
- No support for Google Assistant/Siri
- Sound distorts at high volume
Ultimate Ears Megablast Specs
 | Battery Life | 16 hrs |
 | Built In Microphone | n/a |
 | Charge Time | 2.5 – 3 hrs |
 | Size | 3.5" (w) x 3.5" (h) x 9.4" (d) |
 | Smart App | Blast & Megablast |
 | Speaker Pairing | n/a |
 | Water Resistant | Yes |
 | Wattage | 15W |
 | Wireless Range | 330 ft |
All Specs
Test Results
These are the most important criteria to test for Speakers based on our comprehensive Testing Methodology.
| Battery Life (Hours) | 13.0333 |
| Volume Output (dB) | 93.5333 |
| Low End Roll Off (Hz) | 73.36 |
| High End Roll Off (Hz) | 5,046.596 |
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Product Comparison
 Ultimate Ears Megablast Review |  JBL Charge 4 Review | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
True Score | 78 | 83 | 81 | NR |
Ranking | # 74 / 109 | # 15 / 109 | # 44 / 109 | # / 109 |
Market Context |
The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST was first launched in late 2017 as a top-shelf Bluetooth speaker designed for outdoor use. The speaker can be used with… |
While buyers might find that the Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST and the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 look almost indistinguishably similar, the MEGABLAST features voice assistant support… While buyers might find that the Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST and the Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 look almost indistinguishably similar, the MEGABLAST features voice assistant support and WiFi connectivity while the MEGABOOM 3 does not. We’ve looked into the MEGABOOM 3 in our Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 review, so feel free to check that out. |
The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST also has voice assistant support and WiFi connectivity, while the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 does not. However, the BOOM 3 is… The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST also has voice assistant support and WiFi connectivity, while the Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 does not. However, the BOOM 3 is smaller in size, and it also has a longer 13.7-hour battery life than the 8.1-hour playtime of the MEGABLAST. See what else its got to offer in our Ultimate Ears BOOM 3 review. |
The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST has a graphic equalizer while the JBL Charge 4 does not, and it also comes with voice assistant support and WiFi… The Ultimate Ears MEGABLAST has a graphic equalizer while the JBL Charge 4 does not, and it also comes with voice assistant support and WiFi connectivity, which are both missing on the Charge 4. |
Battery Life | 16 hrs | 20+ hrs | 15 hrs | – |
Built In Microphone | n/a | No | n/a | – |
Charge Time | 2.5 – 3 hrs | 3 hrs | 2.75 hrs | – |
Size | 3.5" (w) x 3.5" (h) x 9.4" (d) | – | 7.2" (h) x 2.9" (w) x 2.9" (d) | – |
Smart App | Blast & Megablast | Yes | Yes | – |
Speaker Pairing | n/a | Yes | Yes | – |
Water Resistant | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
Wattage | 15W | 12W | 90W | – |
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Score Card
E
Expert Score
*.75
We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores
C
Customer Score
*.25
We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores
True Score
Any product with a True Score above 80 is a Absolutely Fresh
Expert Scores
Publications with higher Trust Ratings are given more weight.
100.6Category Trust Rating
75At £270, the Megablast isn’t cheap, but it certainly is an impressive smart speaker, with… Read MoreBy:
What Hi-Fi?
43.6Category Trust Rating
80If you want to take Alexa on the go, the UE Megablast is one of… Read MoreBy:
Unknown
65.58Category Trust Rating
80This Bluetooth smart speaker packs musical power, all-day battery life, and Amazon Alexa integration into… Read MoreBy:
Emma Boyle
45.5Category Trust Rating
80With the Megablast, Ultimate Ears has created one of the best looking and sounding portable… Read MoreBy:
Unknown
54.78Category Trust Rating
NRThe UE Megablast sounds great, but it can’t do everything an Amazon smart speaker can. Read MoreBy:
Frederik S
43Category Trust Rating
80Ultimate Ears is still very focused on audio quality and design, and the MEGABLAST proves… Read MoreBy:
Jon L. Jacobi
Customer Scores
- 84
(
4.2/5
)
1639Ratings
- NR
(
NR/5
)
Ratings
- 80
(
4.0/5
)
1Ratings
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