Tribit Stormbox Micro 3

Pros

• Palm-size Bluetooth speaker sounds impressive for its ultracompact size with better sound than its predecessor
• Built-in strap and magnets in base
• Half the price of Bose's SoundLink Micro 2
• Long wireless range (up to 45 meters) with reliable connection
• Strong battery life (up to 24 hours)
• Can be used as a speakerphone and a power bank to charge your phone

Cons

• Design is a little generic
• Distorts at higher volumes (you can only push it so hard)
• Speakerphone performance is only OK

While Tribit's palm-size Stormbox Micro Bluetooth speakers have always had somewhat generic designs, they've managed to exceed my expectations for sound quality for their size. The third-generation Stormbox Micro 3 is still a little generic looking, but it adds a magnetic base and improves upon the acoustics of its predecessors, as well as doubling its battery life. A worthy upgrade, it earns a CNET Editors' Choice as a value pick in the micro speaker category, costing half the price of Bose's SoundLink Micro 2.

Read more: Best Bluetooth speakers of 2026

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3's design

Measuring 4.4 by 4.1 by 1.8 inches and weighing 330 grams (11 ounces), the Stormbox Micro 3 is slightly larger and a tad heavier than the Stormbox Micro 2, but it weighs less than Anker's Soundcore Go 3i (380 grams), which retails for around the same price. Like the Micro 2, Soundcore Go 3i and Bose SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen), it has an integrated strap that lets you attach the speaker to your bike's handlebars or clip it to a backpack strap. 

As noted, what's new for the Micro 3 is the magnets in the base that let you stick the speaker to metal surfaces, whether that's the struts on a golf cart or your fridge (I stuck it on the side of a ping pong table). While the magnets are pretty strong, the magnets on the pricier Turtlebox Ranger are even stronger, though that $250 speaker weighs about three times as much as the Micro 3, so it should have stronger magnets. 

As with its predecessors, the speaker has physical buttons for adjusting volume and a universal button for controlling playback and answering/ending calls (yes, there's a built-in microphone so it can be used as a speakerphone). There's also a button for engaging bass boost (called XBass), which I turned on only when I took the speaker outside. 

Tribit says the Micro 3 has an IP68 rating, meaning it's fully waterproof and dustproof (it can withstand immersion in up to 3 feet of water for 30 minutes). It's also listed as being dropproof up to 1.2 meters. While I tested it for only a few days, it seems fairly durable, and it passed my water-submersion test just fine.  

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3's features

As far as features go, you can't do much better than what you get with the Micro 3. Equipped with Bluetooth 6.0, the speaker has an impressive 45-meter range (that number would be for an open space, not inside an apartment with a bunch of walls), and the clean and well-designed companion app for iOS and Android allows you to tweak the sound with both preset and custom equalizer settings, as well as apply any firmware updates.

You can pair two Micro 3 speakers wirelessly for stereo sound. Also, there's the aforementioned speakerphone functionality (its performance is only OK, but it's a feature a lot of Bluetooth speakers leave off these days). And finally, the speaker's USB-C port supports both input and output, letting you use it to charge your phone or another device in a pinch.  

Supported audio codecs include AAC and SBC, though not LDAC or AptX. With a speaker this size, what audio codec you use doesn't really matter (AAC is just fine), but some Android users like to know if the LDAC or AptX codecs are supported. 

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 sound quality and battery life

This is a very small 13-watt speaker, so you should set your expectations accordingly. It can play only so loud and produce only so much bass from its 48-millimeter neodymium driver and two coaxial passive radiators. It will distort at higher volumes (I generally kept it at about 60% volume), though you can push the volume up a little more compared with the Micro 2 without having it distort (the Micro 2 has a 10-watt power rating). All that said, it is one of the best-sounding pocket-sized speakers out there right now.

I compared it with the Bose SoundLink Micro 2 and the Anker Soundcore Go 3i, which features a lighting element. The JBL Clip 5 and UE Miniroll, both of which cost $60, are other top speakers in the micro category. They all sound decent for their size, but you can definitely hear differences when you listen to them side by side and switch the sound between them, which is easy to do with Spotify. (I had all three speakers connected to my iPhone 17 at the same time.)

The Bose SoundLink Micro 2 usually edges ahead of its competition with slightly better tonal balance and a bit deeper bass (by deeper, I mean better bass performance than you'd think for a tiny speaker, but it's still not great). However, the Stormbox Micro 3 measured up well against the Bose and played slightly louder without distorting. I also thought it sounded a little cleaner than the Anker speaker with a bit wider soundstage.  

As I said, I didn't engage the XBass boost when I had the speaker indoors because I thought it didn't sound as clear. But the extra bass came in handy when I had the speaker outdoors, where the bass can dissipate in an open environment with wind and other ambient noise. 

I also used the speaker to watch some movies with a tablet, and it's a good option for those looking to improve the sound of their tablet's or phone's speakers. It's small enough that it won't really weigh down a carry-on bag -- it's travel-friendly. 

Typically, speakers of this size serve up around 10 to 12 hours of battery life. But the Micro 3 is rated for up to 24 hours of music playback at moderate volume levels, which is impressive. (I didn't have to recharge it during my three days of testing.) A 15-minute charge gives you 4 hours of music playback, and the speaker charges in about 2 hours via USB-C with a 15-watt or higher charger. 

Tribit Stormbox Micro 3 final thoughts

The Bose SoundLink Micro, first released in 2017, was the original micro Bluetooth speaker. Since then, other companies, including Tribit, have sought to emulate it with their own lower-priced micro models featuring built-in straps that let you wear the speaker or attach it to your bike's handlebars. I like the SoundLink Micro's premium design better than the Stormbox Micro 3's, which just looks generic, but the Micro 3's magnets offer some added versatility for mounting the speaker and its sound measures up well to the pricier Bose speaker.

The Anker Soundcore Go 3i is also a good option for around the same price as the Micro 3, but the Micro 3 sounds a little better overall (and, again, it has magnets). For anyone looking for an ultracompact Bluetooth speaker, it's easy to recommend.