This Bose Bluetooth speaker will be on sale for Black Friday. My family wouldn’t be complete without it – CNET

When we are at home, my family plays music almost all the time. From Taylor Swift to classic rock to cutting edge fart music (I’m not judging, I have an 8-year-old boy), we always have something to offer.

We’ve had two portable Bluetooth speakers for the last 15 years, and our current one, the Bose SoundLink Flex, is on sale for Black Friday Down $119, $30 off regular list price. It’s one of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2023 and a CNET Editors’ Choice Award winner.

Why do we love this speaker? For starters, the sound quality is top notch. It sounds so much better than any company that can do it, even though it’s so small.

Our previous Bose speaker (the predecessor to the SoundLink Flex) lasted about 15 years before it finally showed its age and developed some annoying connectivity issues. Assuming this one holds up almost as well, we’re talking about two speakers that will keep music going for many decades. Maybe I’ll send this copy to college with one of my kids.

A few other things that make this speaker stand out compared to its predecessor:

• It is waterproof and floats on water (though I haven’t tested this yet).
• You can receive and make phone calls through it – this phone surprised me when I received an incoming call shortly after receiving it.
• It features sound optimization technology whether you use it upright, on your back, or even hanging from a tree with the built-in carrying loop.
• Apparently it is also drop and impact resistant, although I haven’t confirmed this myself yet.
• Battery life is good and it lasted at least a few days on a single charge for my family.

If you need more good, portable music in your life, this is a fantastic option. And if you’re more of a soundbar family, we also have a roundup of the best Black Friday soundbar deals.