![]() Bass is impactful and deep, which is surprising for a speaker of this sound. Tonally, the JBL Charge 5 sounds balanced at medium to low volume. There’s an additional tweeter in the Charge 5 that helps with overall clarity, and bass is slightly more impactful than the Charge 4, too. Overall, the sound quality of the JBL Charge 5 hasn’t changed much from the Charge 4. If you’re pushing the speaker at higher volumes or are using it as a battery bank to top off your phone, expect that number to drop. In terms of battery life, the JBL Charge 5, like the Charge 4, is rated for 20 hours of playback, which we had no problem reaching while playing at 50% volume. JBL offers a nice mobile app that allows you to customize its speakers and to download software updates, though it's worth noting that firmware updates can take upwards of 15 minutes. It’s also nice to get true stereo playback out of a pair of speakers. The feature is great if you want to play music across a large area where multiple speakers can help amplify sound. However, like other JBL portable speakers, the Charge 5 features the “PartyBoost” mode, which allows users to pair a second JBL speaker to either amplify music or use as a stereo pair. In terms of technical specs, the Charge 5 includes Bluetooth 5.1, a 7500 mAh battery capacity, and a frequency response rated 65 Hz - 20k Hz. We preferred the stability of the Charge 4’s square design to allow for easier vertical placement. This difference isn’t a big deal until you want to set the speaker up vertically, allowing the speaker to look like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. One subtle change is that the JBL Charge 5 is shaped like a trapezoid with the sides tilting inward. The drivers are protected by a lip around the speaker, but you’ll still be able to touch the drivers without damaging them. The Charge 5 retains the exposed bass drivers on the left and right of the speaker, which lets you see the woofers moving in and out. The Charge 5 drops support for the 3.5mm aux jack from the JBL Charge 4, which is a bummer for some who have legacy devices they want to hook up. You can also stereo pair using PartyBoost, but you’re restricted to using two of the same model.Around the back, the JBL Charge 5 has a waterproof USB-C charging port as well as a flap hiding the USB-A port that can be used to charge up your smartphone. This clever tech allows you to pair multiple JBL speakers (up to 100, in fact) in mono for a real wall of sound experience at the push of a button. Both speakers sound rich and lush, with a pleasingly easy-going soundstage that’ll suit casual listeners down to a tee - and, both come with support for JBL’s PartyBoost feature. You may not want to crank either speaker all the way up, though both suffer from distortion at high volumes, and you’ll get the best audio performance with the volume at about 50-60%.ĭon’t let that put you off too much. Of the two, the Charge 5 has a little more power behind it, outputting 40W compared to the Flip 6’s 30W however, the Flip 6 can still reach very high volume levels for its size. Whichever of these two speakers you opt for, you can be sure that you’re getting a balanced, warm audio performance, with good clarity and decent levels of detail. (Image credit: TechRadar) JBL Flip 6 vs JBL Charge 5: audio performance If neither of those prices appeal, there are plenty of other budget-friendly Bluetooth speakers to choose from the Anker Soundcore Flare 2, for example, is much cheaper at $80 / £64.99 / AU$140. So, if you’re on a strict budget, the JBL Flip 6 is probably your best option, although you’re more likely to find deals on the Charge 5 as it’s over a year old now. ![]() That’s the same price as the Sonos Roam, which comes with lots of extra features such as Wi-Fi connectivity, a built-in smart assistant, and integration with other Sonos speakers. ![]() The Charge 5 launched in February 2021, and is more expensive at $179 / £159 / AU$229. However, sales periods like Prime Day and Black Friday usually see some excellent Bluetooth speaker deals, so it might be worth hanging on until then if you’re not in a huge hurry to buy. The JBL Flip 6 was released in December 2021, and is available to buy for $129.95 / £129.99 - that works out at around AU$175, though Australian pricing is still to be confirmed.Īs the speaker is still fairly new, you probably won’t find it heavily discounted. (Image credit: TechRadar) JBL Flip 6 vs JBL Charge 5: price and availability
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