With its Bass Boost feature set to ‘1’, it has a boomy sound profile suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content. You can use the Bass Boost feature to add extra thump and rumble to your audio, which may please fans of bass-heavy music genres.
Which JBL speaker should you buy? Flip 6, Charge 5, Xtreme 3, Link Portable
Bluetooth speakers and tunes are like fish and chips, Netflix and chilling, ballroom dancing and sequins: they just go together. These often inexpensive sonic boxes turn everyone’s phone into a sound system small enough to whisk away on your next adventure.
Add to this the fact that many models are waterproof, (making them ideal for the beach or pool) and, all things considered, you really have to take one of these little Bobby Dazzlers along for the ride. Generally speaking, the more you pay, the bigger the battery, giving you not only more time between recharges, but also the potential to juice up your phone or tablet directly from the speaker itself.
But considering its predecessor scored five stars in our JBL Flip 5 review, we’re expecting great things.) That means it has the same waterproof rating as the Flip 5 (surviving full submersion in up to a metre of water for 30 minutes), while also being completely dust-tight.
And it has the same PartyBoost feature (which lets you wirelessly pair it with other JBL speakers – including the Flip 5 – for a louder sound) and same 12-hour battery life. The Flip 6 comes in Dusty Pink, Grey Stone, River Teal, Fiesta Red, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, Steel White, Forest Green and Squad. Like its predecessor, it doubles as a portable battery pack, charging up your smartphone or tablet – the clue’s in the name.
The exterior has also been overhauled: the ends of its barrel-like bodywork boast a slightly more robust rubberised reinforcement, while the speaker itself is a whole 1mm taller, 2mm deeper, 3mm wider and 5g heavier than its older brother.
You can either sync them to all play the same song, or split it so one speaker handles the left channel and one the right, for a greater sense of scale. Two smartphones or tablets can connect wirelessly to the Charge 5 at once, so you can share it with a friend (as long as they have a good music taste) and it comes in plenty of colours.
Behind the grille are two 7cm woofers for low frequencies and two 20mm tweeters for the highs, while at either end of the speaker you’ll find a chunky passive bass radiator that pulses enthusiastically along with every bassline. The fact they’re completely sealed around the edges, combined with the resilient exterior material means that, should the Xtreme 3 somehow find itself in the middle of a swimming pool or sandstorm, it should emerge unscathed.
Just press the button, and you can summon either Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant, much like you can with your headphones’ in-line remote.
There’s Bluetooth 5.1 (compared to 4.2 on the Xtreme 2) but no wi-fi, so you can’t stream Spotify or Tidal without going through your phone.
JBL PartyBoost comes as standard (the Xtreme 2 has Connect+, so can’t pair with its successor), as does a 10,000mAh battery that’s good for 15 hours before needing a charge. The Xtreme 3 has more features than the Charge 5, and that carry handle is a great addition to music lovers on the move.
These are smart speakers with access to Google Assistant, but like JBL’s other devices they are waterproof and have a rechargeable battery – the Link Portable even boasts a charging cradle in the box. It will survive being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes, so it’s more than qualified to accompany you to the beach or pool (or, more likely, a downpour in the middle of a barbecue).
In the bass department, there’s plenty of low-end rumble to trouble the neighbours, coupled with a healthy dose of warmth and stability. There are new reinforced rubber panels to protect the device, and the Go 2’s 3.5mm port for wired listening and the mic for speakerphone duties have both been nixed.
JBL Charge 4 review
Yes, the tough waterproof fabric makes a comeback along with the IPX7 certification that lets you submerge it for up to 30 minutes in a meter of water. It also floats for a bit if you do drop it in the water so you don’t have to worry about losing it if it falls off of a boat or a deck. These also have the characteristic exposed dual passive radiators on either end just like most of the new JBL speakers over the last few years. Editor’s note: Sara tested a JBL Flip 4’s IPX7 rating by submerging it in a pool for about 10 seconds, and it came out broken.
The bottom is a small built-in stand with five tiny LED lights that let you know how much battery life is left when you tap the power button, and around back is a rubber flap that keeps all of the ports protected from water. The Charge 4 has all of your bases covered with a strong connection up to around 30 feet just like most Bluetooth speakers.
The Charge 4 also doesn’t have a built-in microphone so if you tend to use your speaker for phone calls you might be annoyed. Unfortunately, if you bought an older speaker with the regular JBL Connect (like the Charge 3), it isn’t compatible with this new plus version.
So if you and a few friends are going to splurge on 100 of these and throw a “Project X” style party, this could be a feature that you might be interested in. If you’re having trouble connecting to your Charge 4 then it might be a good idea to just reset it and start from scratch.
That will take a hit though if you decide to also charge your devices via the USB-A output on the back. This was the part where I was most surprised because I was expecting the sound quality to be an improvement over the Charge 3, but it seems to be extremely similar to my ears.
JBL went with a single driver over dual-drivers this time around, but besides a few minor complaints, I don’t think many people who buy this speaker are going to notice. Just like the previous model, the new JBL Charge 4 has a strong low end for its size which is no doubt helped by those passive radiators. Bass notes throughout the song Tearing at the Seams by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats were distinct and easy to follow along with, but the speaker suffers from the same lack of clarity in the mids that the last model did.
This was especially true in the song Lost on You by LP, where the vocals sounded like they were in competition with the strings and background melodies throughout the chorus.
Best wireless JBL speakers
Still, its 20-hour battery life is sure to keep the party going and Bluetooth 5.1 will maintain a strong connection between your phone and the speaker. In addition to all the standard features a wireless JBL speaker offers, the Pulse 4 has a whole-body LED light display, which allows it to put on a bit of a show for you while you listen
You also get an upgraded driver system that reproduces louder bass and should sound good for most scenarios.
Unfortunately, the JBL Flip 5 lacks a microphone but it retains the beloved passive bass radiators and woven speaker cover. This tiny speaker is still IPX7 waterproof and has a new control system that backlights the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons. You don’t get any high-quality Bluetooth codecs here, which is a real shame considering how it also lacks a headphone jack. This speaker isn’t cheap but it’s a great portable party powerhouse, with two stands on the bottom to set it up properly on a table. This uses Bluetooth 4.2 firmware and only supports SBC streaming, so you won’t get any high-quality audio playback through this.
It’s not going to compete with the Xtreme 2, nor is it going to make you forget about the Charge or Flip—sometimes you don’t have a ton of money and need something to fill the void now. In fact, JBL even has a line of much larger party speakers geared for significant increases in output and cost. While they’re a lot bigger and more powerful than all the speakers on this list, they also have a few interesting features like lights, microphone/guitar inputs, DJ sampling pads, and more. Additionally, this list doesn’t cover studio monitors because get this: wireless speakers aren’t the right tool for the job.
This means that they can be fully submerged in water one meter deep for up to 30 minutes, making them ideal for summer activities or taking in the shower. Limit: Device max tilt of 60° from sprays IPX4 ✓ Splashes, omnidirectional IPX5 ✓ Water jets (12.5 L/min)
Editor’s note: Sara tested a JBL Flip 4’s IPX7 rating by submerging it in a pool for about 10 seconds, and it came out broken.
If you’ve got a vision of yourself creating a surround sound outdoor party with your wireless JBL speakers, make sure they play nice with one another. For Black Friday 2021, many JBL speakers are discounted up to 55% off the original price through Amazon Canada. Occasionally, these huge promotions only apply to older models, so double-check that you’re getting the generation of headset or speaker that you want before hitting “buy.”
The Flip 6 has the same IP67 rating as the Charge 5 and works with JBL PartyBoost to connect two compatible speakers for stereo listening. It comes in five colors: grey stone, river teal, ocean blue, midnight black, or squad (camo).
In addition to saving a couple bucks, you also get the guarantee of an inspected product that works, backed by JBL’s warranty. Additionally, some people don’t like the changes to the speaker designs offered by the Charge 4, Pulse 4, and Flip 5. If you’re fine with microUSB charging and want a speaker with two channels instead of one, buying refurbished is the best way possible to grab one of these models’ predecessors. Each writer at SoundGuys has accumulated years of experience reporting on the consumer audio market, and our staff adheres to a strict ethics policy.
We pride ourselves on transparently outlining objective facts, while accounting for the subjective experience to contextualize an audio product’s performance. We know if you’re researching something, you just want the information and not some jerk making you feel bad for not spending a ton of money.
The best Bluetooth speakers 2021: the top portable speakers for any budget
The best Bluetooth speakers in 2021 all tick three key boxes: they’re portable, durable and they offer superb audio quality in all kinds of environments. Last year, the Sonos Move was discounted by $100 / £100, and we saw lots of excellent deals on models like the JBL Flip 5 and the UE Boom 3 – so it’s well worth shopping the sales.
Save $50 – This Bluetooth speaker boasts excellent sound, a lovely water resistant shell and a powerful rubberised finish – and it’s at a great price for Black Friday. Save $20 – This cute Bluetooth speaker comes with an IPX7 water resistance rating, so you can take it in the great outdoors without a worry. Save £6 – This tiny Bluetooth speaker sports Micro SD support and AUX capability to provide endless audio options, a 15-hour battery life, and a 66ft wireless range. Well, portable speakers that stream music from your devices via Bluetooth are a great idea if you want high quality audio at home. They’re also a solid option if you like to listen to music outside, whether that’s while you’re entertaining outdoors or working out, as well as if you like to be able to take a speaker to social events – like a party in your local park or down at the beach. Many of the best portable speakers you can buy today are multi-functional and may also feature voice assistant integration alongside audio playback.
This device can seamlessly switch from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth, integrate into a Sonos system, and it comes with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant onboard.
The Sonos Roam is our pick for the best Bluetooth speaker on the planet, with a powerful sound, rugged design, excellent connectivity features, and smart home control.
A bass-heavy audio performance makes it ideal for use outdoors, while a clever Automatic Switching feature means it’s easily used indoors, too – though audiophiles may dislike the overwhelming low frequencies and rhythmic handling. Its slick design means the Sonos Roam won’t look out of place in your home, while a rugged, waterproof and dustproof build and a decent battery life make it ideal for listening to music outdoors.
Sonos Move The best-sounding Bluetooth speaker Specifications Weight: 6.61 pounds (3kg) Battery life: 10 hours Connectivity: Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n, 2.4 GHz, and 5GHz) and Bluetooth 4.2 Drivers: One down-firing tweeter, one mid-woofer, two Class-D digital amplifiers NFC: No Aux-in: No USB charging: Yes (USB-C, and comes with charging dock) TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Crutchfield Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart 689 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Integrates with a home Sonos speaker network + Great for on-the-go tunes Reasons to avoid – Not as feature-rich when using Bluetooth – Cant be used as rear cinema speakers It’s not perfect – it’s heavy as a byproduct of its incredible sound, it’s expensive due to its rich feature set, and it sadly can’t be used as rear channels for a home cinema set-up.
This is a speaker that can get loud and not distort at higher volumes; be light enough to carry on a camping trip but remain durable enough to tumble in a bag unprotected.
JBL’s Flip 5 is a simple soul with Bluetooth-only playback and modest features, but if you desire a rugged, great-sounding portable speaker and can sacrifice voice control or hands-free call functionality, you won’t be disappointed.
Coming in a range of cool colors – including an eye-catching camo print – there’s now a limited Eco Edition that’s made from 90% recycled plastic, while the portable speaker’s entire packaging is biodegradable. [Update: Don’t miss our JBL Boombox 2 review – we were mightily impressed by this portable speaker’s IPX7 waterproof rating, long battery life, and distortion-free sound.]
It doesn’t quite meet the sonic dexterity of the Sonos Move, or the value for money of the UE Boom 3 and JBL Charge 4 – but if you love that Bose sound and build quality, this is the portable speaker for you. Anker Soundcore Flare 2 The best budget Bluetooth speaker Specifications Weight: 1.29 pounds Battery life: 12 hours Wireless range: 20m / 66ft Frequency response: N/A Drivers: Dual drivers and passive radiators NFC: No Aux-in: No Bluetooth version: N/A Weatherproofing: IPX7 Charges devices over USB: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart Low Stock View at Walmart Prime View at Amazon Reasons to buy + Great sound quality + Speakerphone feature + IPX7 water-resistant Reasons to avoid – No 3.5mm AUX jack UE Wonderboom 2 The best outdoor speaker gets a refresh Specifications Weight: 0.93 pounds Dimensions: 104 x 95.3mm (H x D) Battery life: Up to 13 hours Wireless range: 100 ft (33 m) Frequency response: 75 Hz – 20 kHz Drivers: two 40 mm active drivers and two 46.1mm x 65.2mm passive radiators NFC: No Bluetooth version: N/A Aux-in: No USB charging: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Dell Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart 5 Amazon customer reviews ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Reasons to buy + Great sound for its size + IP67 dustproof/waterproof rating + 30% better battery life than its predecessor Reasons to avoid – Restrictive soundstage
JBL Charge 5 The best mid-range speaker Specifications Weight: 2.11 pounds Dimensions: 8.7 x 3.76 x 3.67 (W x D x H) Battery life: Up to 20 hours Wireless range: 30 ft (10 m) Frequency response: 65Hz–20kHz Drivers: N/A NFC: No Bluetooth version: 5.1 Aux-in: No USB charging: Yes TODAY’S BEST DEALS Low Stock View at Walmart Prime View at Amazon View at Crutchfield Reasons to buy + Balanced sound quality + Gets extremely loud + Long battery life up to 20 hours Reasons to avoid – Takes a while to charge – No more Aux jack
UE Hyperboom Powerful sound for parties both big and small Specifications Weight: 13 pounds Battery life: 24 hours Wireless range: Approx. In terms of features, the Ultimate Ears app allows you to connect the Hyperboom to other UE speakers and use them together, you can switch audio source and adjust volume, and you can select four different playlists in Amazon Music, Deezer or Spotify that can be started by holding down the Play button in three seconds.
Sony SRS-XB23 A powerful canister of sound for all your outdoor adventures Specifications Weight: 1.3 pounds Battery life: Up to 12 hours Wireless range: 30 feet Frequency response: 20 – 20,000 Hz Drivers: X-Balanced Speaker, dual passive radiators NFC: Yes Aux-in: Yes USB charging: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS View at Walmart Prime View at Amazon View at Best Buy Reasons to buy + Good sound quality + IP67 rating (waterproof) + Stereo pairing and Party Mode Reasons to avoid – Lower peak volume In terms of performance, it can get pretty loud without a massive amount of distortion and the passive radiators help the bass to sound clearer than it has on any of Sony’s previous models. That’s because the XB23 uses Bluetooth 5 and supports three major codecs – SBC, AAC and LDAC, the latter of which you’ll find on newer Android devices and sounds absolutely great. Outdoor adventurers will love the ruggedness of this Sony Bluetooth speaker while us kick-back-and-relax folks will enjoy how snugly it fits into a lawn chair’s cup holder.
Visually near imperceptible from the original A1, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound A1 (2nd Gen) is an appealing and highly portable Bluetooth speaker that comes with (admittedly flawed) Alexa support. Urbanista Brisbane Scandi design meets decent sound Specifications Weight: 1.5 pounds Battery life: 10 hours Wireless range: 30m (100ft) Frequency response: 80-20,000Hz Drivers: 2 x 52mm NFC: No Aux-in: No USB charging: No TODAY’S BEST DEALS Check Amazon Reasons to buy + Great audio performance + Second speaker pairing Reasons to avoid – Could be more rugged – Boring design
Loud and rich-sounding, it’s a well-priced addition to anyone’s home, with a good battery life and the option to pair it with another Brisbane for true stereo sound. 1MORE Portable BT Speaker A luxurious Bluetooth speaker for the office and the home Specifications Weight: 268g Battery life: 12 hours Wireless range: N/A Frequency response: N/A Drivers: N/A NFC: No Aux-in: Yes USB charging: Yes TODAY’S BEST DEALS Prime View at Amazon View at Walmart Reasons to buy + Great sound quality for the size + Impressive bass response at low volume Reasons to avoid – Limited IPX4 rating – Average battery life
Some portable speakers are built with durability in mind, and will feature rubberized builds to prevent damage from drops and lightweight designs to make them easy to carry around. Of course, you can absolutely use your new portable Bluetooth speaker solely inside your home – and that means you can choose from a wider range of designs that will look great with your decor. Sonos Bluetooth speakers are great if you want to bridge the gap between indoors and outdoors, with the ability to form part of a wider multi-room system – and you can be sure that they’ll sound fantastic, too. If waterproofing is a priority then look out for models from Ultimate Ears, which combine fun, colorful designs with rugged builds – many of which can withstand a dip in the pool.
Consider high-end audio brands such as Bose and Bang & Olufsen if you want a combination of stylish design and great sound – but be prepared for relatively high prices. If you want to save money then Urbanista, Tribit, and Anker offer brilliant speakers that won’t break the bank.
JBL Clip 4 Bluetooth speaker review: A new design and improved sound quality
For its first three generations, JBL’s Clip micro Bluetooth speaker had a circular design. But for the fourth-gen Clip 4, JBL has moved to a more oval shape and bulked up the speaker slightly. It’s not a big bump in performance, but the overall package feels like an upgrade over the Clip 3, which remains available. 8.1 JBL Clip 4 Like Compact speaker with impressive sound for its small size
Its backside has a set of rubber ribs, so if you lay the speaker on a smooth surface, it won’t move around. At higher volumes, the bass does make the speaker vibrate, so you can see why the rubberized back is necessary.
It also works well for supplying richer sound for movie playback than what your phone or tablet speakers are capable of. The Clip 4 is louder and has better clarity and bass, but the Go 3 costs $30 less and some people may prefer its design.
Neither the Go 3 or Clip 4 has speakerphone capabilities or pairs with a companion JBL app (the Clip 3 has a built-in microphone for speakerphone calls), so you can’t link up multiple speakers in “PartyBoost” mode like you can with some of JBL’s step-up Bluetooth speakers such as the Flip 5 and Charge 4. The same is true for the Clip 4, which has a nicely upgraded design and slightly better sound than its predecessor.
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