The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is a portable Bluetooth speaker. It has a very long battery life and is IP67 dustproof and waterproof, making it suitable for outdoor use (not currently tested). The sound profile is generally boomy and struggles to produce bass. However, you can customise the sound profile to your liking using the graphic EQ in the included app, and thanks to the 360-degree design, the soundstage stands out as being wide and spacious from all angles. Unfortunately, the voice assistant is not supported.
The Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 3 is also very good for outdoor use. It is IP67 dust and water resistant, although this has not been tested at present. It is incredibly rugged, lightweight and portable; the 360-degree design ensures a clear, open soundstage from any angle; 17.7 hours of battery life means you can use it all day long without having to recharge it; and it has an extremely low noise level. The only drawback is the compression when the volume is turned up to maximum.
The UE Megaboom 3 has a flatter top panel and dual-tone fabric finish for an overall more sophisticated look. It is available in Night (black), Sunset (red), Lagoon (blue), Ultra Violet (purple) and two Apple-exclusive colours – Denim (deep blue) and Cloud (light blue). We love the shimmering iridescence of the new fabric surrounding the trademark cylindrical design.
By popular demand, the Megaboom 3 has an enhanced passive radiator for deeper bass. In particular, it has a lower, punchier sound compared to the Alexa-powered Megablast in the same price range – the Megablast sounds noticeably thinner and coarser in the high frequencies compared to this new speaker, with the Megaboom 3 filling in the mid and low frequencies for a heavier, more smooth listening experience.
The new Boom and Megaboom app (free on iOS and Android) brings some useful features, but also removes some functionality: pairing the Megaboom 3 with older models, UE Boom 2 and Boom 3 speakers and more We hope this will be possible with the Bluetooth speaker app: select a playlist to assign to the Magic Button, and once assigned, press the button for three seconds to start playback. You can also choose an equaliser from the presets or create your own. However, the app no longer has an alarm function and you can no longer call Siri or Google Assistant on your phone from the speaker.
