Sound and battery: 20 portable Bluetooth speakers

Philips BT3500

The Philips BT3500 is the second cheapest speaker on test, and has NFC support as well as a microphone, so you can use it as a speakerphone. That, however, is the best I can say about it. Battery life is disappointing at five hours, and its design is, well, uninspiring.

Standing on a narrow base, it doesn't feel particularly stable, and though the knurled volume dial is a welcome nod to retro-chic, it's not at all sensitive, meaning you have to keep turning it to make an appreciable difference.

Audio fidelity is, unsurprisingly, on a par with the other similarly-sized speakers such as the Braven and the Sony. If price is what you're most concerned about, save yourself £30 and go for the JBL Clip, otherwise spend an extra tenner and grab the Braven 705.

Pioneer FreeMe

Pioneer's FreeMe speaker in brown leather wouldn't look out of place on the set of Mad Men. The speaker itself and the box in which it's packages bear more than a passing resemblance to a 1960s Braun shaver. The FreeMe is slightly wider and deeper than the Harman Kardon Esquire Mini, but about twice as tall.

If the Esquire Mini is a svelte spectacles case, the FreeMe would hold an altogether chunkier pair of specs. It's seven-hour battery life is on the low side, but the FreeMe does support NFC and can be used as a speakerphone. There's an aux input and cable included, too.

The FreeMe's speaker drivers point out from the narrow edge of the unit, rather than the more spacious flat side as they do on other small speakers. That means you lay it flat on one side, which makes it very stable (although there's a non-slip mat included if you need it), but makes for very small speakers. The result isn't disastrous, but neither is there an appreciable improvement in audio quality over speakers which cost at least £50 less. If the styling appeals, go for it. Otherwise, look elsewhere.