Heritage rock brand Marshall has launched its smallest portable speaker yet, and with an impressively long battery life it could stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of the UE Boom 3 and the Sonos Move, some of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2020. 

The Marshall Emberton comes with 20-hour battery life, and thanks to an IP67 waterproof/dustproof rating it can double up as a rugged waterproof speaker – and at just 0.7kg (about 1.5lbs), it should be a breeze to carry around on the go.

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The inclusion of Bluetooth 5 means this portable speaker should deliver excellent connectivity, able to pair with your device from up to 30 feet away.

Like all Marshall speakers, the Emberton's design takes inspiration from the brand's long tradition of making guitar amps. A solid microphone-style metal grille is paired with the Marshall logo in white script, as well as a striking gold control knob that allows you to adjust your music playback.

Small but powerful

Marshall claims the Emberton is capable of delivering 360-degree sound; as it only has front-facing speakers, it apparently does this by utilizing the brand's True Stereophonic multi-directional sound technology. 

How successfully this can replicate true 360-degree sound remains to be seen, but Marshall says that "by separating out the spatial content of stereo recordings, Emberton produces a sound much louder and larger than its size and outperforms most speakers in its class".

The Marshall Emberton may be small, but it's not cheap. It will set you back $149 / £129.99 – that works out to about AU$215, though Australian pricing is still to be confirmed. For that price, we hope it delivers everything Marshall promises.

• Looking for headphones? Read our Marshall Monitor II ANC review