Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 Speaker 3rd Gen Review
Bottom Line
Choose it for premium design and refined sound in a truly portable package; Skip it if you want louder, bass-heavier value or broader smart features.
Best for
Listeners who want a compact speaker that looks and feels special, travels easily, and delivers refined mids, strong detail and excellent battery life. It is especially appealing if design, repairability and premium build matter as much as raw output.
Not for
Shoppers chasing the loudest outdoor sound, the deepest bass for the money, or more connected features like Wi-Fi, AirPlay or voice assistant support. It is also hard to justify if your priority is pure value over materials and aesthetics.
Verdict
The Beosound A1 3rd Gen earns its premium positioning with polished sound, standout materials, a genuinely useful app, long battery life and unusually strong sustainability credentials for a portable speaker. It sounds cleaner, richer and more detailed than its size suggests, especially through the midrange, and it stays impressively composed as volume rises. The tradeoff is simple: you are paying extra for craftsmanship, sonic finesse and longevity rather than maximum loudness, deepest bass or class-leading value. That makes it a compelling luxury travel and tabletop speaker, but not the obvious choice for shoppers who mainly want the biggest sound and feature list per dollar.
Scored Features
Pros
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Its presentation is repeatedly described as composed, unified and together-sounding, with strong musical organization.
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Design is the headline feature. Nearly every review describes the A1 3rd Gen as beautiful, premium, luxurious and unusually desirable for a portable speaker.
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Sustainability stands out for the category thanks to repairability, a replaceable battery and Cradle to Cradle certification.
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Its IP67 rating is consistently treated as trustworthy for poolside, shower and beach use, and several reviewers mention quick dunk-style tests without issue.
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Battery life is one of its best features. The 24-hour claim is repeatedly praised and several reviewers found real-world endurance strong or even conservative at moderate volume.
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The Bang & Olufsen app is widely praised as polished, stable and genuinely useful, with EQ, stereo setup, battery readouts and extra content. One review noted a radio feature hiccup.
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Physical buttons are consistently described as clicky, positive and easy to use.
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Multipoint support is a real plus and reviewers found switching between two devices simple and reliable.
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Detail retrieval is a major strength. Reviews repeatedly praise how much vocal texture, instrument separation and fine nuance it extracts for such a small speaker.
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Bluetooth stability is a strong point, with reviewers reporting dependable pairing and no meaningful dropouts in normal use.
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EQ customization is one of the best parts of the experience. The preset system and visual sound control are intuitive, effective and unusually enjoyable to use.
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USB-C works for both charging and wired audio, giving the A1 more flexibility than many Bluetooth-only rivals. USB-C wired playback is more than a checkbox feature. Reviews that tried it reported extra clarity, punch and definition compared with Bluetooth.
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Pairing and setup are straightforward, helped by Fast Pair or Swift Pair support and a clean companion app.
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Stereo pairing is a genuine strength. Reviews say it is easy to set up and useful in practice, including pairing with a 2nd-gen A1 in several cases.
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Sound disperses broadly and works well for room or table listening, though not every reviewer agrees it is truly 360-degree audio.
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The leather strap looks and feels premium and makes carrying or hanging the speaker easy.
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AAC and aptX Adaptive support are appreciated, but Bluetooth 5.1 feels dated and the lack of Auracast comes up repeatedly as a missed opportunity.
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Speakerphone performance is generally good, with clear calls and solid voice pickup, though some reviewers heard slightly processed edges to voices.
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The A1 3rd Gen generally stays composed when pushed, with little change in character at high volume, though bass-heavy tracks and resonant surfaces can expose some strain or boom.
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Its tonal balance is warm, rich and polished rather than strictly neutral, with standout mids and vocals, controlled bass and smooth highs. Some listeners wanted more treble bite or deeper sub-bass.
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It is portable enough for bags and travel, with reassuring heft, but it is not featherlight or pocket-sized.
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Bluetooth range is solid for normal portable use, roughly room-to-garden or around 10 meters, but nobody describes it as exceptional.
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It gets impressively loud for a compact speaker and can fill a room or hotel space, but it is not the brute-force outdoor party option and some reviewers wanted more outright volume for the price.
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It handles dynamic swings capably for a small portable, but several reviews say larger or cheaper rivals still sound more explosive.
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The status LEDs work, but they are fairly subtle, and a couple of reviewers wanted them larger or more obvious.
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Build quality is excellent, but the aluminum finish can scuff and reviewers are less comfortable throwing it around than a rugged JBL-style speaker.
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Value for money is the most debated part of the A1 3rd Gen. Many think the sound, materials and longevity justify the premium, but value-minded reviewers still see better sound-per-dollar from cheaper JBL and other larger rivals.
Cons
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Charging takes around three hours, which is acceptable but commonly described as leisurely or on the long side.
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Gen 3 drops Alexa entirely, which reduces smart-speaker appeal versus Gen 2, even if several reviewers said they did not miss it.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Portable Bluetooth Speakers, this product is above average in Speakerphone quality, Wired input, Bluetooth codec support.
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speakerphone quality | 4.5 | 2.0 | +2.5 |
| Wired input | 4.7 | 2.8 | +1.9 |
| Bluetooth codec support | 4.5 | 3.3 | +1.2 |
| Omnidirectional sound | 4.6 | 3.3 | +1.3 |
| EQ customization | 4.7 | 3.7 | +1.0 |
| Detail retrieval | 4.7 | 3.8 | +0.8 |
| App reliability | 4.7 | 3.7 | +1.0 |
| Design and aesthetics | 4.9 | 4.2 | +0.7 |
FAQ
Is the Beosound A1 3rd Gen actually waterproof enough for beach or shower use?
Yes. Reviews consistently cite its IP67 rating and describe it as safe for poolside, beach and shower duty, with a few testers even mentioning quick dunk-style checks without problems.
Does it support stereo pairing with another speaker?
Yes. Multiple reviews say it can form a stereo pair with another A1 3rd Gen, and several also note compatibility with the 2nd-generation A1.
Does it have Alexa, Wi-Fi or AirPlay?
No built-in Alexa support remains on the 3rd Gen, and reviews also describe it as a Bluetooth-first speaker without Wi-Fi or AirPlay streaming.
Can you use it as a wired speaker over USB-C?
Yes. USB-C handles charging and wired audio, and several reviews say wired playback adds a bit more clarity and punch than Bluetooth alone.
How good is the battery life and how long does charging take?
Battery life is widely praised at around 24 hours under moderate use. A full recharge takes about three hours, which reviewers considered fine but not especially fast.
Expert Reviews We Analyzed
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Consider This Instead
If you want better Value for money
Choose Tribit StormBox Micro 3. It scores 5.0 vs 3.6 for Value for money, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better Loudness / maximum volume
Choose Sony ULT Field 5 Speaker. It scores 4.8 vs 4.1 for Loudness / maximum volume, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better Drop resistance durability
Choose Bose SoundLink Max Portable Speaker. It scores 4.4 vs 3.6 for Drop resistance durability, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better Bluetooth range
Choose Soundcore Boom 3i. It scores 4.8 vs 4.1 for Bluetooth range, with a 4.0 overall score.
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