Editor's Note

• Original review date: March 2022
• Launch price: $129.95 / £129.99 (about AU$175)
• Target price now: $109 / £99 / AU$169

Update: February 2024. The JBL Flip 6 is still the best Bluetooth speaker at a mid-range price for our money – partly thanks to a small price drop officially since its launch, and some good discounts during sales events. It puts out a lot of power from a small and easily portable package, and has a very durable design that doesn't need any delicate handling, which is always good for an outdoor speaker. It's still JBL's latest Flip speaker, and still get a big thumbs-up from us. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

JBL Flip 6: One-minute review

JBL’s Flip series of Bluetooth speakers have held a place in our guide to the best portable speaker for a long time, and the company’s latest model continues in that tradition. 

The JBL Flip 6 is an easy-to-use, rugged, and well-connected speaker that sounds great and is easily capable of filling a room with your favorite music - or soundtracking outdoor parties or poolside get-togethers. 

An IP67 dust and water resistance rating means you can happily take the Flip 6 to the beach, while its dual passive radiators ensure that the speaker has enough low-end oomph to deliver powerful bass when you’re outside and there are no walls for the soundwaves to bounce from. 

Compared to its predecessor, the JBL Flip 5, the Flip 6 is a subtle improvement upon an already excellent Bluetooth speaker. It’s more robust and better suited to the outdoors, it uses the most recent Bluetooth version, and there’s a solid step up in sound quality; otherwise, these speakers are very similar, and we’d recommend looking out for great deals on the Flip 5 if you want to save some money.

That’s not to say that we don’t think the JBL Flip 6 is worth buying. Quite the contrary; it’s an ideal Bluetooth speaker for first-time users thanks to its simple controls, impeccable connectivity, and straightforward accompanying app. Simplicity is the name of the game with the JBL Flip 6, and as such you won’t find any built-in mics for voice assistants and phone calls, no charging port for your phone, no AUX-in for wired listening, and no Wi-Fi connectivity. This speaker simply plays your music, and it plays it well.

JBL Flip 6 review: Price & release date

• Released in December 2021
• $129.95 / £129.99 (about AU$175)

The JBL Flip 6 was released in December 2021 and is available to buy now for $129.95 / £129.99 - that works out at around AU$175, though Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed. 

That’s slightly more expensive than its predecessors, the JBL Flip 5, which cost $119.95 / £119.99 /AU$149.95 when it launched in August 2019 - but not by much. 

JBL’s latest speaker is a lot cheaper than our favorite Bluetooth speaker, the Sonos Roam - though the Flip 6 doesn’t come with extra features like Wi-Fi connectivity that will have bumped up the price of the Roam. 

There are cheaper Bluetooth speakers on the market; if you’re on a strict budget, check out models like the Anker Soundcore Flare 2 or the 1More Portable BT Speaker. 

JBL Flip 6 review: Design

• 550g
• Rubberized end caps
• IP67 dust and water resistance rating

At first glance, the JBL Flip 6 looks almost identical to the Flip 5, with a cylindrical build, wraparound grille, and bass radiators on each side that pulse as you play your music. Our model came in a striking red shade, but it’s also available in black, blue, and gray. The Flip 5 comes in quite a few more color options - including a camo pattern - but we wouldn’t be surprised if JBL introduced more shades for the Flip 6 down the line. 

Small enough to carry in one hand and weighing 550g, the Flip 6 is easily portable, and comes with a sporty strap that you slip over your wrist. 

The metallic-looking grille is flanked by rubberized end caps that give the bass radiators on each side of the speaker a bit of protection from bumps and scrapes, while a rubber foot at the bottom of the speaker stops it from rolling off whatever surface you place it on. 

In the middle of the grille is the JBL logo in big, bold letters - just above this you’ll find all your controls; PartyBoost, volume down, volume up, and play. We like the fact that these controls are raised and tactile - it’s easy to find them in low lighting or just feel for them if you can’t be bothered to look. 

On the bottom of the speaker is where you’ll find the power and Bluetooth pairing buttons, which light up when you press them, along with a USB-C charging port. Unlike the JBL Charge 4, there’s no port to charge your phone from, so you’ll need to make sure your device is topped up before you leave home.

The Flip 6 feels just as rugged as the Flip 5, but this time JBL has introduced dust resistance alongside water resistance, for an IP67 rating. That means you can happily take the Flip 6 to the beach without needing to worry about a little sand or a splash of seawater breaking it.

JBL Flip 6 review: Audio performance

• Racetrack-shaped woofer and separate tweeter
• Powerful bass
• Can be harsh at high volumes

If you’re looking for a great-sounding Bluetooth speaker that can fill a room just as well as it can soundtrack an outdoor picnic, the JBL Flip 6 is an excellent choice. 

A racetrack-shaped woofer delivers powerful bass and rich mid frequencies, while a separate tweeter provides high levels of clarity from treble tones. Those passive radiators on each end of the speaker extend the low end even further for satisfying, chest-thumping bass lines that never sound bloated or muddy.

Listening to Little Simz’ Woman, and the radiators pulse pleasingly as the vampy bass lines bounce around the mix. Simz’ relaxed rap delivery sounds clear amid the jazzy piano chords, while Cleo Soul’s lacelike vocal boasts a rich, lush quality as it floats above the rest of instrumentation.

In spite of its small size, the JBL Flip 6 easily reaches loud volumes, and sound doesn’t distort as you crank it up, with a good handle of complex rhythms and time signatures. 

Moving on to Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Soft Shock, and the driving rhythm section with trebly drums, pulsating synths, and hammering bass lines sounds tight and accurate, while Karen O’s floaty voice has a convincingly natural presence. Bumping this track up to the highest volumes did lead to some harsh treble sounds, but generally the audio performance is warm and well-balanced with an excellent sense of clarity.

If you want to boost the sound even further, you can use the PartyBoost feature to pair two compatible JBL speakers in stereo, or multiple speakers (up to 100, in fact) in mono for a wall of sound. It’s a shame you can only stereo pair it with other Flip 6 speakers (so the Flip 5 you have at home will only pair in mono), but that’s a small drawback in the grand scheme of things.

JBL Flip 6 review: Battery life & connectivity

• 12-hour battery life
• Bluetooth 5.1
• Accompanying app

JBL says the Flip 6 should last for 12 hours of playback, which we found to be accurate in our tests. You can top up the battery within two-and-a-half hours with a USB-C cable. 

Connectivity comes courtesy of Bluetooth 5.1, and pairing the speaker with our iPhone 13 mini was super quick and easy. We didn’t experience any annoying connectivity dropouts while we were using the Flip 6, and it’s possible to pair it with two devices at once, so you can take turns DJing with your friends.

The speaker is supported by the JBL Portable app, which allows you to check for software updates, adjust the equalizer settings with sliders for bass, mid, and treble frequencies, turn the feedback tone on and off, and read the user guide. You can also enable the PartyBoost feature via this app.

Should I buy the JBL Flip 6?

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Don't buy it if...

• Looking for more? Read our guide to the best waterproof speakers

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2021
• Launch price: $179 / £159 / AU$229
• Target price: $110 / £130 / AU$170

Update: February 2024. The JBL Charge 5 remains as one of the best Bluetooth speakers thanks to its particular mix of usefuless – it's bigger and more powerful than the likes of the JBL Flip 6 or Sonos Roam, making it better for bigger spaces, with a longer battery life, and it can charge your phone in a pinch… but without being too large. Nothing has really beaten it in this regard, even now, especially with the discounts you can find in 2024. Our target price above is what you can often find it for, though perhaps not in every color. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

JBL Charge 5: One-minute review

JBL has a long history of making great Bluetooth speakers and the Charge line has always stood out for its value. Historically, the Charge series offered incredibly impressive sound for its size. Battery life has always been impressive, allowing users to use their Charge speakers as a battery bank in a pinch. 

In terms of features the JBL Charge 5 is relatively basic compared to something like the JBL Pulse 4 – which provides a customizable lightshow for users – but for this fifth generation JBL has incrementally improved sound quality and volume while still offering all-day battery life. 

We’ve heard every Charge speaker since the JBL Charge 2 and it’s been interesting to see the speaker line evolve from a bass monster to something more balanced and mature. 

In short, the JBL Charge 5 offers only subtle changes, but add them to the speaker's legacy as a rock-solid portable Bluetooth speaker, and you've got a serious contender for one of the best Bluetooth speakers on the market. 

JBL Charge 5 review: Price & availability

The JBL Charge 5 launched in 2021 and is available now around the world for $179 / £159 / AU$229. That's actually a pretty good price considering what's on offer here, however there are more affordable portable speakers out there like the JBL Flip 5, Anker SoundCore Flare 2, and Tribit XSound Go for folks who don't want to spend as much.

JBL Charge 5 review: Design

The design of the JBL Charge 5 is an iteration of the cylindrical design it has had for years. The biggest visual change is the large JBL logo on the front of the speaker. On the front, the individual power LEDs have moved from the bottom base to an LED strip under the JBL logo, which looks sleeker. 

Physical controls remain the same with slightly raised buttons on top of the speaker. There are buttons to control playback, volume, power, Bluetooth pairing, and “Party Boost” (more on that in the Features section). 

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. 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. 

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 drivers are protected by a lip around the speaker, but you’ll still be able to touch the drivers without damaging them. 

One subtle change is that the JBL Charge 5 is shaped like a trapezoid with the sides tilting inward. 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. We preferred the stability of the Charge 4’s square design to allow for easier vertical placement.

JBL Charge 5 review: Features

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. 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. 

The feature is great if you want to play music across a large area where multiple speakers can help amplify sound. It’s also nice to get true stereo playback out of a pair of speakers.  

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. 

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. 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. 

JBL Charge 5 review: Audio quality

Overall, the sound quality of the JBL Charge 5 hasn’t changed much from the Charge 4. 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. 

Tonally, the JBL Charge 5 sounds balanced at medium to low volume. Bass is impactful and deep, which is surprising for a speaker of this sound. We’ve heard bookshelf speakers that produce less bass than the Charge 5. Mids are clear with vocals given good presence, and highs are rolled off for a warmer presentation, until you start pushing the volume up and up. 

Both the JBL Charge 5 and Charge 4 play extremely loudly and still distort at higher volumes. Distortion starts kicking in above 60% volume, resulting in harsh-sounding highs and bass stops getting louder beyond this point, leading to a bright tonal balance. 

For the best sound quality, we recommend keeping the speaker around 50-60% volume – when you have to push beyond this volume, there’s likely so much ambient noise that sound quality isn’t the first priority. 

Like the previous Charge speakers, the Charge 5 is directional, with its tweeters and woofers behind the front of the speaker. This means don’t expect an enveloping 360-degree sound like you would from the JBL Pulse 4. 

Should I buy the JBL Charge 5?

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• Don't miss our guide to the best wireless speakers

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2021
• Launch price: $399 / £359 / AU$599
• Offical price now: $449 / £409 / AU$599

Update: February 2024. Unlike most products that a few years old, the UE Hyperboom has resisted price cuts. As you can see above, it's official price has risen, though in practice you can usually find it for its original price, or a little less. Despite its stubbornness on cost, we do still rate it as one of the best Bluetooth speakers because it's just so powerful while still maintaining an air of good detail and balance, and without losing itself to distortion. This thing can fill any space that you need it to, and hasn't been clearly surpassed since its launch. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom: Two-minute review

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is a powerful party speaker that allows you to easily take your music from inside your home to the great outdoors.

Ultimate Ears is one of the market leaders in portable Bluetooth speakers, with models like the UE Boom 3 and the UE Wonderboom 2 making our list of the best Bluetooth speakers of 2020.

Until now, Ultimate Ears speakers have sported compact designs that are small enough to slip into a bag – not so with the new Hyperboom.

This is the largest speaker they have made so far by a good margin, and it’s  designed to be used as an all-in-one party speaker that can keep the festivities going well into the night (and the morning, if the party’s really good). 

In our experience, the Hyperboom certainly lives up to the reputation Ultimate Ears has established as a reliable maker of good Bluetooth speakers – in fact, it delivers better sound than many of the models we’ve tested before.

With the Hyperboom, you get a very well-balanced soundstage with powerful bass, it can reach high volumes without distorting the sound.

We also liked the multi-point pairing feature, and in practice it allows you to seamlessly switch between DJs at a party without your party being plagued by awkward silences.

Beyond that, the biggest problem with Hyperboom is that it is expensive, but if you are willing to pay (and to carry the 5.9kg / 12lbs speaker with you) then you get lots of great sound, portability, and connectivity for your money. 

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review: Price & availability

The Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is available to buy for $399.99 / £359.99 / AU$599.95. 

It’s far pricier than any of Ultimate Ears’ previous speakers, as well as most of the Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested this year – aside from high-spec models like the Sonos Move and the Bose Home Portable Speaker. 

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review: Design

Ultimate Ears' speakers often boast a sporty design that is characterized by mesh fabric covers and plastic hardware, and the Hyperboom continues in this tradition. At the same time, Ultimate Ears has chosen to make the Hyperboom a little more discreet by opting for a black finish, rather than the many colorful options you can choose from when buying a Boom or Megaboom.

It also differs from similar party speakers from competitors such as JBL and Sony, which are often less subdued and sometimes come equipped with flashing lights in all the colors of the rainbow.

Another thing that distinguishes it from previous models is that it has a square shape. This was explained to us by UE's product manager, Doug Ebert, who said that the company wanted to “deliver the best possible listening experience with a proper stereo image”, rather than ensuring 360-degree sound with a cylindrical build. 

The overall impression we get from the construction of the UE Hyperboom is that it’s very solid, and it will probably withstand being transported and used in different environments without being damaged. It also comes in handy that it has IPX4 water-resistance certification, which ensures that it can handle splashes from a pool, while a spilled drink shouldn’t end the party.

More details preserved from previous UE speakers are the large plus and minus signs that allow you to adjust the volume – but in this case these are located on the top, rather than the front of the speaker. There you will also find the on / off button and the controls for Bluetooth connectivity and switching between sources.

On the back is a large rubber handle equipped with an Ultimate Ears logo in capital letters, and below this is a rubber hatch that hides a 3.5mm audio input, an optical input, a USB port that can be used to charge your phone, and a charging port for the speaker itself. The inclusion of an optical input means you could use the Hyperboom in place of a soundbar to boost your TV’s audio. 

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review: Controls & connectivity

The controls for the UE Hyperboom are located on the top of the speaker, and the large plus and minus symbols that we have already mentioned, work well to adjust the volume. The rest of the operation consists of an on / off button and the four source buttons, which are placed in a circle with a play / pause button in the middle. 

Connecting the speaker to your device wirelessly is made simple by holding down one of the Bluetooth buttons – and here we come to one of the unique functions of Hyperboom. It allows you to pair two Bluetooth devices at once and switch seamlessly between them, preventing awkward silences when one party DJ takes over from another.

When you switch to a new device, the previous music source is automatically faded out, while the new device starts playing from where it last left off. 

It’s worth noting that Hyperboom is only equipped with Bluetooth and not WiFi connectivity. This may seem a little limited to some, but Ultimate Ears believes that Bluetooth is easier to use spontaneously at parties – and we tend to agree.

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review: App and battery life

The associated Boom app contains a few more adjustment and control options. Here you get the opportunity to connect several UE speakers and use them together, switch the audio source, and adjust the volume, as well as presetting up to four different playlists in Amazon Music, Deezer or Spotify, which can be started by holding down the Play button for three seconds.

In addition, you also get a five-band EQ that allows you to adjust the sound, and the ability to turn on and off the Adaptive EQ function, which automatically adapts the sound to your surroundings.

When a loudspeaker is placed in a corner, the bass frequencies can sometimes become muddied due to the sound bouncing off of the walls, so the Hyperboom compensates for this by dampening the bass. Similarly, it will do the opposite if you place it in the middle of an open space, so that you don’t miss out on powerful bass frequencies. We found this to work very well, and it’s great to not have to think about where you're placing your speaker for optimum sound.

It’s worth mentioning that the 24-hour battery life is based on playing your music at 50% volume. Still, we expect the battery to last long enough to power your party, as long as you remember to charge the speaker before you leave home.

Ultimate Ears Hyperboom review: Audio performance

The most positive thing about the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom is that it boasts a strong audio performance. In fact, this speaker exceeds all expectations, especially considering that UE's speakers have previously delivered slightly harsh treble frequencies to our ears.

The Hyperboom really lives up to its name when it comes to volume level; it simply plays your music really loud, and has no problem filling a large living room or garden with party music.

It also delivers a very well-balanced soundstage. Here you never get the feeling that the bass is overwhelming the other elements of your music, and almost no matter what you listen to, you get an enjoyable, lively experience.

At the same time, there’s no shortage of bass on offer. As we blasted Billie Eilish's Bad Guy, we felt the sound was well-proportioned, with deep bass lines that didn’t muddy the other frequencies. The Weeknd's Blinding Lights also highlighted the great bass performance, with no signs of the lower frequencies bleeding into the other elements, while the 80s-inspired synths sounded clear without being overly sharp.

The Björk classic Army of Me, which also boasts a powerful bass line, leaves a similar impression; the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom capably conveyed the holistic soundscape with its industrial drums and soaring vocals, with no signs of distortion even when we turned the volume up high.

For those of you who like rock music, we can also state that Hyperboom copes well with the more tightly packed soundstage created by electric guitars, drums, and bass, without losing clarity or detail.

On the whole, we would say that most genres can be played adeptly on this speaker, so no matter what kind of musical taste you may have, the Hyperboom should ensure a party atmosphere. 

One negative aspect of the audio quality is that the Hyperboom only really ‘opens up’ when you reach a certain sound level. It can therefore sound a touch restrained at a lower volume, but since this speaker was primarily made with a view to playing loudly at parties, it’s not a dealbreaker. 

Should I buy the Ultimate Ears Hyperboom?

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