Sony SRS-XG300 review: this Bluetooth speaker will bring the party

If you’ve landed on this Sony SRS-XG300 review, then chances are you’re looking for a portable party speaker, and this is exactly that. 

Sony created this speaker with ‘Live Life Loud’ in mind, and you can tell. Everything about it feels full of energy, whether that’s the huge sound with extra bass, the fun dancing lights or the dynamic curved design. 

Not too long ago, I reviewed the Sony SRS-XG500, a booming party speaker with huge battery life and some entertaining extra features. The Sony SRS-XG300 is a smaller version of that, and it costs less. Because of that, it looks set to be a convincing choice for more people, and it’s without a doubt one of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2022.

In this Sony SRS-XG300 review, you’ll be able to find out everything you need to know about it, from its design and battery life to its performance and more on all the extra features. By the end of this, you should know whether it’s the right speaker for you, or not. 

Sony SRS-XG300 review: price and availability 

Available from July 2022, the Sony SRS-XG300 will set you back £269 in the UK and AUD$479 in Australia. We haven’t heard anything about availability in the US just yet. Take a look at the widgets on this page to see where you can buy one.  

Sony SRS-XG300 review: design and battery

Sony’s portable speakers stand out, that’s for sure. The Sony SRS-XG300 is no different, its long horizontal design reminds me of the old 90s boomboxes, while the curves across the top make it look like it's been squeezed in the middle. On each end, lights dance along to the music, pulsing and moving to the beat. Everything about the Sony SRS-XG300 gets you in the mood for a party. 

Measuring 318 x 138 x136mm and weighing about 3kg, the Sony SRS-XG300 isn’t the most portable Bluetooth speaker ever, in fact, I thought it was quite heavy. This isn’t a speaker you’ll chuck in your bag, it’s a party speaker that you’ll take with you when all of your friends and family will insist you bring it along. Luckily, to help you carry it around, it comes with a retractable handle along the top which you pull out as and when you need it, and then it slots neatly back into the body of the device when you don’t. 

Water and dust resistant, the Sony SRS-XG300 is IP67 rated so you can use it just about anywhere without needing to worry about damaging it, you can take it to the beach, on a camping trip or use it on holiday by the pool.

Along the top of the speaker, there are six buttons: a power button, a Bluetooth button, a pause/play button and volume controls. There’s also a dedicated Mega Bass button to switch on the bass-heavy sound mode. You can also use the play buttons to answer or hang up calls from your phone. 

Boasting a huge 25 hours of battery life, this will easily get you through a beach day or party in the park. It could last a whole weekend away if you aren’t using it the entire time. 

If you were to be caught short and in desperate need of music, a quick 10-minute charge will give you up to 7 hours of playtime, which will prove to be very handy for more forgetful people. 

To help take care of the battery, you can set the speaker to suppress the charge amount to 90% when fully charged, which ultimately will give it more longevity. 

Sony SRS-XG300 review: performance and features 

Google Fast Pair means you can get the speaker up and running within seconds if you have an Android phone. I switched it on and my phone immediately prompted me to connect. You can also have two devices connected at once so you can each play songs and share the role of DJ.

If you want a powerful party speaker then this is it. The Sony SRS-XG300 is loud and full of energy but still keeps songs sounding clear, it will easily fill up even a big room, and it even manages to carry the sound very well outside. 

I really enjoyed using this speaker because the sound is just so impressive. It’s best suited to dance music or upbeat pop so it’d be a waste if you only wanted to play power ballads or classical music.

Through the Sony Music Center app, you get loads of control over the speaker and the sound, you can see the battery level as a percentage as well. It’s not the best-looking app ever but it’s functional. 

There’s a 3-band equaliser to adjust the bass, mids and treble or you can choose one of the preset modes which include Mega Bass and Live Sound - I largely kept the Mega Bass switched on because it made songs sound a lot more punchy and helps them travel better as well. 

To add to that, there are some DJ effects to play around with in the app including an isolator and a flanger. But when you first adjust them, it interrupts the song, so I’m not sure how many people will actually use that. 

The Sony SRS-XG300 has colourful lights on either end which is another fun feature to have. Through the app you can change the lighting mode depending on the mood, from Delightful to Rave or Cool, there are loads to choose from. They’re not particularly bright though, so you won’t be able to rely on the lights to create the party atmosphere, they'll just add to it, and during the day you can barely see them at all. 

A built-in microphone lets you take your calls through the speaker and it has Echo Cancelling which means two people can speak without being cut off. When I tried it out, the person on the other end was a little muffled and they said the same about me, but my voice was pretty loud so they could still understand what I was saying.

Sony SRS-XG300 review: verdict 

A portable Bluetooth speaker to get parties started, the Sony SRS-XG300 is small enough to feasibly take out and about with you, even though it’s far from being bag-friendly. 

The sound is packed full of energy and it’ll be powerful enough to use just about anywhere and everywhere, even outside on a windy day. It’s great to have preset and manual EQ settings as well because it means you can adjust the audio to suit what you want on any given day. 

Extra features only add to the party atmosphere, but the lights could be brighter and in a more prime position. They’re still great to have though and they make the Sony SRS-XG300 stand out from the rest of the speaker crowd. I also liked that it doubles up as a speakerphone, you can answer calls without picking up your phone. The microphone could be improved but it still works just fine. The only thing it’s really missing is the ability to charge your phone from it like some of the best JBL speakers can. 

Sony SRS-XG300 review: also consider  

If you like the sound of this but you’re not so keen on the price, then take a look at the JBL Charge 5. It’s a fair amount cheaper but it’s still a great choice for parties because of its loud and lively audio, and the battery life is pretty good too, even though it’s not quite as impressive as the Sony SRS-XG300. You can buy it in loads of cool colours as well!

Want something you can fit in your bag? The Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd Gen is one of the best portable speakers in the world and it’s tiny. You don’t sacrifice on sound either, this will easily fill the room and then some. There’s even a smartphone app that lets you adjust the EQ settings. 

We don't just test speakers, we try out everything from sleeping bags to smartphones. If you're interested to know more, you can read about how we test at T3.