Ultimate Ears Everboom review: Outdoor speakers never looked so good

Ultimate Ears disrupted the market when it launched the first UE Boom speaker in 2013. It came with some distinctive characteristics, namely that it was designed to be rugged for outdoor use. Then followed waterproofing with official IP ratings, rubber cladding, the ability to float and 360 sound across a full range of sizes, while competition in the segment has increased year on year.

In 2023, Ultimate Ears launched the Epicboom, a hefty outdoor speaker blessed with all the DNA of previous Boom models, but rocking a new shape. Up until this point, UE speakers had been cylindrical and now it offered a new oval shape. That should have been an indicator that UE was changing direction – and the launch of the new Everboom cements that design change.

Rivalling the incumbent Megaboom for size, the Everboom pushes ever increasing performance specs, looking to be the ultimate outdoor speaker. But is it?

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The Disconnekt Downlow

The UE Everboom is a compelling speaker for those who want something rugged that will live up to the vigours of an outdoor life. Whether you’re enjoying a pool party, a camping trip or just need something solid for the garden, the Everboom is a great choice. A decent 20 hours of battery life (with USB-C charging), good robust sound and simple to use controls make the Everboom very easy to recommend. It’s a mid-sized speaker, so pretty heavy and while that also means it sounds great, the price is quite high – especially compared to the similar Megaboom that UE already offers. Still, Everboom sounds better and offers more features, but we’re not sure the karabiner on the back will be the deciding factor.

Buy from £249.99 on Amazon

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The reasons you should choose the UE Everboom

When I first set eyes on the Everboom, I couldn’t help thinking it was the love child of the Epicboom and the Megaboom. It’s the same sort of size as the Megaboom, but very much in the style of the Epicboom. It’s a change for the UE speaker family and I’m all for that. However, much of the differentiation comes down to one thing – a karabiner.

Looking to ram home that message about rugged outdoorsy action, the UE Everboom has a cloth loop on the back and there’s a karabiner in the box. This, says Ultimate Ears, means you can attach it to things, be that your bag, tent or boat so that it won’t fall off. Not that it matters if it does: the Everboom offers IP67 protection and is built in the same solid style as previous speakers.

Yes, that means it floats, so that if you drop it into the water – or just throw it into the pool – it will bob up to the surface and keep playing, spraying water as the bass thumps. That, in reality, is half the fun of having a Boom speaker: you can give it a little abuse and it will be totally fine.

Ultimate Ears is upping its recycled materials game too, with this model featuring 58 per cent post-consumer recycled plastics, while the mesh covering is 100 per cent recycled material. It will come in Charcoal Black (seen here) and Azure Blue (which is a John Lewis exclusive in the UK). Now, because it’s recycled, those black ends to the speaker aren’t solid black, there are flecks of yellow in them too, which makes it all the more interesting to look at.

One of the things I particularly like about Everboom is the NFC pairing. You’ll need an Android phone for this (iPhone won’t let you do it), but on a tap you can trigger Bluetooth pairing with the speaker, which is so easy. Interestingly, once paired, if you tap your phone again it will disconnect, which is actually really handy.

The huge volume buttons on the front of the speaker remain as a signature design feature, while the other controls run across the top. You have the normal power and Bluetooth buttons, but there’s also a multi-function play button which is great, because you can play/pause from the speaker, while also using a double press to skip forwards and a triple press to skip back – it’s very easy.

With outdoor use in mind, the final button on the Everboom adjusts the sounds profile to better suit outdoor use. It’s designed to take into account that you’re unlikely to have hard surfaces or walls around, so boost the bass and treble to make it sound a little more meaty when outside.

All these features are good, but the real reason you’ll buy a UE Everboom is because you get all that and it sounds great, with plenty of bass, and substantial volume that doesn’t distort when turned all the way up. It’s a party in your pocket. Well, perhaps not pocket, because the Everboom is pretty large, at 215mm high.

There’s USB-C charging – which is also introduced on the latest versions of Megaboom, Boom and Wonderboom (all now in their fourth generation) – so you can charge this speaker using the charger you have for your phone. The battery life is indicated by three LEDs in the front which is useful and it will last for around 20 hours on a single charge.

What the UE Everboom could do better

I’ve mentioned the Megaboom a couple of times and you might be wondering what the difference is? That’s a good question, because these two speakers are close in size, both offer that rugged build and 360-degree sound and both are waterproof. Both also offer about 20 hours of battery life, yet the Megaboom costs £169.99 and the Everboom costs £249.99. That’s quite the difference in price, for two speakers occupying a similar space.

Everboom then has to justify its high price on its new design. Yes, it has boosted sound performance too, so it’s a better speaker, but I’m slightly surprised that Everboom didn’t replace Megaboom. Whichever way you look at it, Megaboom remains a great option at £80 cheaper – unless you’re desperate for the karabiner on the back, that is.

But it has to be said that the buttons on the top of the Everboom are clearer than previous Boom models, where the buttons were mostly unlabelled – you just had to prod and hope.

Back to the karabiner: as much as I like the idea, I tried attaching it to a rucksack and heading out for a walk – with music blasting out. While those I encountered appreciated my wonderfully tuned taste in music – ahem – you can’t ignore that the Everboom weighs 960g. If you just casually clip that onto a bag, it’s a lot of weight swinging around, so as much as you might want to carry your Everboom like this, it’s probably not practical.

What does the UE Boom app do?

You may question why you might need an app for the Everboom and in truth you don’t need the app. You can connect and play music without using the app, with all the controls on the speaker working just fine.

However, the app opens up some fun features, allowing you to connect speakers for a stereo configuration (if you have two Everboom) or to group speakers for PartyUp mode. Then you have the option to use your speaker as a megaphone through the app – so you can make announcements. Exactly when you’ll need to use this feature leaves me stumped, but I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun for someone.

You can also assigned one-touch playlists and use the EQ to tweak the sound output to your preference. All the Boom speakers – except Wonderboom – use the same app, so the experience across devices is essentially the same.

Should you buy the UE Everboom?

I’ve been using UE Boom speakers since they first launched. This is a speaker that might not win awards for delivering the best sound quality, but that’s not the point. This isn’t an audiophile speaker. This is a speaker that will handle the abuse that living your best life throws at it. Going on holiday with friends and need an apartment speaker? Got a private pool at that villa you’ve rented? Heading out camping with friends? Need a soundtrack for your garden party or BBQ? The Everboom has you covered on so many fronts.

But then so does the Megaboom or the JBL Charge 5 and both of those speakers are a healthy chunk of change cheaper. But the Everboom is loaded with features, I like the bassy sound and the abundance of volume. It’s a great Bluetooth speaker and easy to recommend.

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