Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 3rd Gen: A Speaker the Size of a Burger That Sounds Nothing Like One
People have been comparing the Beosound A1 to food since the first generation launched in 2016.
A muffin. A crumpet. A large floury bap. A burger bun. An oversized pancake. The debate apparently continues among audio reviewers internationally and we’re not going to resolve it here. What we will say is that the A1 3rd Gen fits comfortably in one hand, weighs 576 grams, and at Rs. 35,750 from The Den India is the most accessible entry point into the B&O portable speaker ecosystem right now.
It’s also genuinely good. Not “good for its size” or “impressive for the price” – just good, full stop. And there are a few things about this third generation specifically that are worth knowing before you buy, including one that matters quite a lot for long-term value.
Let’s go through it.
What Changed From the 2nd Gen – Worth Knowing First
The A1 2nd Gen was genuinely beloved. It won awards, sold consistently for five years, and built a reputation as the premium portable speaker to recommend when someone wanted something better than the JBL and UE options without going to Beosound A5 territory.
The 3rd Gen arrived in May 2025. It retains the design of its predecessor but now has more bass and a longer battery life, and also has a replaceable battery.
Visually it’s almost identical, the puck-like unit stays true to the two previous versions, keeping the pearl-blasted aluminium top grille with 2173 holes precision-milled across its surface.
Under the surface: larger woofer, more bass output, battery life up to 24 hours, an upgrade from the 18 hours of the 2nd gen.
aptX Adaptive added. Alexa dropped – B&O perhaps decided not many users found the need for a smart assistant from a portable speaker that, a lot of the time, wouldn’t be connected to the internet anyway.
Fair point.
The price went up. At Rs. 35,750 it costs more than the 2nd Gen did. Whether the improvements justify that depends on how you weigh battery life and bass depth against the price gap – we’ll help you figure that out.
The Specs
Drivers: 82.5mm woofer + 15mm tweeter
Amplification: 2× 30W Class D
Frequency Response: 54Hz – 20kHz
Bluetooth: 5.1 – aptX Adaptive, AAC, SBC
Multipoint: Yes, two devices simultaneously
Battery: Up to 24 hours at moderate volume
Charging: USB-C (cable included in box)
Water Resistance: IP67 – fully waterproof to 1 metre, dust-proof
Weight: 576g
Dimensions: 133 × 46 × 133mm
Microphones: 3 – for speakerphone use
Stereo Pairing: Yes, with another A1 3rd Gen or A1 2nd Gen
Replaceable Battery: Yes, through authorised service
Sustainability: Cradle-to-Cradle certified (Bronze)
Fast Pair: Google Fast Pair + Microsoft Swift Pair
Colours: Natural Aluminium, Honey Tone, Eucalyptus Green, Warm Granite
Price at The Den India: Rs. 35,750
The Replaceable Battery – The Thing Worth Understanding
The battery is replaceable, ensuring the speaker years of life to come.
That’s B&O’s claim and it’s a genuinely important one because battery degradation is the main reason people replace portable speakers after two or three years. A speaker that can have its battery renewed is a speaker you can keep for a decade.
Here’s what you need to know: the battery has to be replaced by an authorised service center or showroom.
It’s not a user-replaceable battery, you can’t open the speaker yourself and swap a cell. You’d send it to an authorised B&O service point, have the battery replaced professionally, and get it back.
For most people this is fine. It’s how car batteries and most consumer electronics already work when they need servicing. It’s genuinely better than a sealed unit that becomes unusable when the battery degrades. But it’s worth understanding that “replaceable” means “serviceable” rather than “swap it yourself at home.”
At Rs. 35,750 with long-term battery serviceability, the value calculation changes. You’re buying something designed to last rather than something designed to be replaced.
How Does It Sounds? Proper Detail Here
The Beosound A1 3rd Gen is a robust but deft listen, detailed and dynamic in equal measure, and able to present recordings with a nice open character at the same time as ensuring they sound unified and together. That’s accurate in our experience. The character is warm, slightly elevated bass and lower midrange relative to neutral, smooth treble and it suits casual listening well. This isn’t a reference monitor. It’s a speaker tuned for enjoyment, and that’s exactly the right call for something this size.
The bass is the headline improvement over the 2nd Gen and it’s noticeable. The kicks had real punch
at moderate volumes, and the low end stays controlled rather than becoming boomy. The larger 82.5mm woofer earns its inclusion, it’s the largest woofer in its class
and the extra surface area makes a real difference to how bass feels as well as how it measures.
What’s most impressive is how spacious it sounds with every track. Despite its circular appearance, there’s never a feeling that music sounds cramped with instruments and vocals sitting on top of each other.
For a speaker this small the sense of space is genuinely surprising. It doesn’t sound like it’s coming out of a hockey puck.
Midrange is clean and natural. The clarity of vocals is very good, the Bang & Olufsen puts in a very natural-sounding performance with both male and female singers, while the midrange is clear with decent to solid levels of detail.
Where it has limits: above two-thirds volume, bass presence drops and treble can become sharp.
This is physics – a 576g speaker with a 82.5mm woofer has limits at high output levels. The A1 3rd Gen sounds its best at moderate volumes where everything stays balanced. Push it to maximum in a large outdoor space and it will start to strain. That’s not a criticism of the speaker, it’s just an honest limit to know about.
The soundstage it creates is properly organised and quite open but where out-and-out scale is concerned, there’s no getting around the fact that this speaker doesn’t sound especially big.
Keep your expectations matched to the size of the speaker and you’ll be delighted. Expect it to fill a large outdoor gathering and you’ll want something bigger.
The Design – Still Iconic, Still Works
The A1 shape hasn’t fundamentally changed since 2016 and the reason is that it was right the first time. Weighing 576g and measuring 13.3 x 4.6 x 13.3cm, the flat, circular speaker feels reassuringly solid. The mix of brushed aluminium and velvety polymer is a pleasure to hold, while a leather strap adds portability.
The 2173 precision-milled holes in the aluminium grille are not a decoration. They’re the result of acoustic engineering, each hole contributes to the 360-degree sound dispersion. The fact that they also look like a piece of precision industrial art is a B&O speciality.
The polymer underside is built to withstand more punishment and prevents speaker vibrations passing through to whatever surface you place it on. It’s plenty grippy too.
Important detail – a speaker that stays where you put it and doesn’t buzz the table it’s sitting on is a better speaker in daily use.
Four colours: Natural Aluminium, Honey Tone, Eucalyptus Green, Warm Granite. Natural Aluminium is the classic B&O look – timeless, works everywhere. Honey Tone is warmer, more distinctive. Eucalyptus Green is the statement choice. Warm Granite sits somewhere between classic and warm.
One honest note: we feel less confident chucking the Beosound A1 around with such abandon, it just doesn’t seem as comfortable enduring such punishment. It won’t break if you toss it into your rucksack, but it may be susceptible to marks if you’re not careful.
IP67 means it’s waterproof but it’s not rugged in the drop-it-off-a-table sense. The aluminium scratches. Treat it accordingly.
The IP67 Rating- What It Actually Means for Real Use
IP67 means completely dust-proof and waterproof to 1 metre for up to 30 minutes.
You can take it to the beach, leave it next to the pool or even hang it up in the shower.
All of those work. Getting caught in a monsoon, fine. Accidentally knocked into a pool fine, fish it out. These are not scenarios you need to worry about.
What IP67 doesn’t mean: indestructible. The aluminium still scratches against rough surfaces. The leather strap is waterproof but not impervious to salt water staining over time. Normal beach and pool use is what this was designed for and what it handles without concern.
Battery Life- What the 24-Hour Claim Actually Means?
The quoted 24-hour battery life is achievable only at moderate listening levels.
We want to be straight about this because “24 hours” is a significant claim and it comes with conditions. At moderate volume, the kind of level you’d have for background music while cooking or at a relaxed outdoor gathering – the 24-hour figure is real. At the higher volumes you’d use at a party or outdoors with ambient noise, expect considerably less. The honest estimate for typical mixed-use listening is somewhere between 12 and 18 hours depending on your habits.
That’s still excellent for a speaker this size. The 2nd Gen managed 18 hours at similar conditions. The 3rd Gen’s improvement is genuine and meaningful. Just go in with realistic expectations of what “24 hours” means in practice.
What Nobody Mentions – The App Setup
On first use, the B&O app is required and registration is mandatory. The initial firmware update took over 10 minutes and in one case needed to be restarted after a crash.
This is a minor friction point worth knowing about. The first-use experience requires patience, downloading the app, registering an account, and waiting for the firmware update. After that the speaker works fine without the app for day-to-day Bluetooth use. But the initial setup is more involved than pairing a JBL speaker.
Once it’s done it’s done. The app gives you Beosonic EQ, five presets, firmware management, and stereo pairing setup. It’s clean and minimal. The initial setup experience is the only place it asks for your patience.
How Does It Compare?
vs. JBL Charge 6: JBL is louder, has a longer claimed battery, and costs significantly less. The A1 3rd Gen sounds more refined and natural at moderate volumes – more spacious, better midrange detail, less artificially boosted bass. The JBL is the better party speaker. The A1 is the better everyday speaker. Both are IP67.
vs. Ultimate Ears Epicboom: Similar size and price bracket. The UE Epicboom is louder and handles outdoor volume better. The A1 sounds more detailed and natural at the volumes most people actually listen at. Design goes clearly to B&O. Different priorities.
vs. Bose SoundLink Flex 2: The SoundLink Flex 2 is waterproof and sounds good for its size. The A1 3rd Gen sounds more open and spacious in direct comparison. Build quality goes to B&O. The Bose costs less. Similar target audience, genuine competition.
vs. Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 2nd Gen: If you already own a 2nd Gen and it sounds good to you – there’s no urgent reason to upgrade. The 3rd Gen has better bass, better battery, and aptX Adaptive. The replaceable battery is meaningful for long-term ownership. But it’s an evolution not a revolution, and the 2nd Gen holds up well.
Who Should Buy the A1 3rd Gen
Someone who wants a genuinely premium portable speaker for everyday use – commuting, travel, home and outdoor listening and cares about how it sounds and looks in equal measure.
Someone who travels frequently and wants a speaker that handles real-world conditions without requiring special care. Beach, pool, outdoor use all covered without anxiety.
Someone who thinks about longevity and appreciates that the replaceable battery and Cradle-to-Cradle certification mean this is designed to be owned for years rather than replaced in two.
Someone stepping into the B&O portable ecosystem for the first time at the most accessible price point in the lineup.
Who should look elsewhere: anyone who needs to fill a large outdoor space at high volumes – the A1 runs out of headroom there and something like the Beolit 20 or Beosound A5 is more appropriate. Anyone who wants the absolute maximum battery life regardless of sound quality – there are speakers with longer claims, though at this quality level the A1’s real-world performance is strong. Anyone who won’t tolerate a 10-minute setup process on day
Questions We Get Asked
Is IP67 actually waterproof enough for pool and beach use?
Yes, IP67 means waterproof to 1 metre for 30 minutes. Pool splashes, beach rain, shower use, accidentally dropped in water – all covered. It’s not a toy but it’s genuinely water-safe for real-world outdoor use.
How does the replaceable battery actually work?
You’d take or send the speaker to an authorised B&O service centre to have the battery replaced professionally. It’s not a DIY swap. AVStore India as an authorised dealer can advise on the service process.
Does the 24-hour battery life hold up?
At moderate listening volumes – yes, close to it. At higher volumes expect 12-18 hours in real use. Still excellent for a speaker this size.
Can it pair with the older A1 2nd Gen for stereo?
Yes, cross-generation stereo pairing works with the 2nd Gen. Good news if you have one already.
Is it loud enough for outdoor use?
Comfortably loud for small outdoor gatherings and personal outdoor listening. At large outdoor parties where you need to fill significant space and overcome ambient noise, it starts to reach its limits above two-thirds volume. Honest answer: it’s a 576g speaker, not a party system.
Does it still have Alexa?
No, Alexa was dropped in the 3rd Gen. Google Assistant and Siri are accessible via voice through the microphones. Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are both supported.
How does it sound vs JBL Flip 7?
More refined, more spacious, better midrange detail. The JBL is louder and costs less. The A1 sounds more like music. The JBL sounds more like a Bluetooth speaker.
Where We Landed
The Beosound A1 has been around for nearly a decade in various forms and the reason it keeps selling and keeps getting reviewed well is that it does the fundamentals right and wraps them in a design that most competitors can’t match.
The 3rd Gen does those fundamentals better than any previous version. Better bass. Better battery. aptX Adaptive. A replaceable battery that means you’re buying a speaker that’s designed to last rather than one that’s designed to be replaced.
The speaker is made out of aluminium, making it feel super premium in the hand. It sounds much better than comparable alternatives and matches the competition when it comes to waterproofing.