JBL Pulse 3 vs. Ultimate Ears Boom 3: Which should you buy?

JBL Pulse 3

JBL's Pulse 3 speaker improves upon its predecessors with a seamless LED array and better sound. It's pretty huge for a portable Bluetooth speaker, but it's worth it for the light show.

Ultimate Ears Boom 3

The Ultimate Ears Boom 3 is easily one of the best Bluetooth speakers money can buy. It sounds great, looks great, and shines even without the LED array.

These speakers have relatively similar audio capabilities at the end of the day. The Boom 3 does get somewhat louder, but for most people, both will suffice in that department. So it really all comes down to whether you want a light show or now (and whether or not you're willing to shell out the extra cash for it).

Light vs. dark

One important difference here is battery life. A difference of three hours may not seem like much, but that 12 hours listed for the Pulse 3 is just for music. Once you start using the LEDs, battery life diminishes significantly, especially if you run the lights the whole time you listen.

Another major consideration to make is how portable you'd like your Bluetooth speaker. The Pulse 3 is nearly half a pound heavier, two inches longer, and almost an inch wider in diameter. That makes for a hefty speaker, while the Boom 3 is more like a can of Arizona Iced Tea.

Both the Boom 3 and Pulse 3 have staggering connectivity capabilities: the Boom 3 can connect to over 150 other Boom or Megaboom speakers, and the Pulse 3 can be paired with up to 100 Connect+-enabled JBL speakers. So the options are endless in that department on both sides.

Which brings us to the main sticking point and really what you should use to decide between these speakers: Do you want a light show with your music? If the answer is yes, then buy the JBL Pulse 3. You'll be glad you did, because the LED array with all its controllable presets (in the JBL app) is mesmerizingly gorgeous. You can set it to be triggered by an equalizer, or there's a cool "fire" preset, and a bunch of others.