In this video I compare the JBL Charge 4 to the JBL Flip 5 to help you figure out which JBL Bluetooth speaker is right for you. While there are a lot of similarities between the two devices, there are some key differences that may cause you to lean toward a specific version of the popular portable speaker.
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Speakers in this video:
(affiliate) JBL Flip 5: amzn.to/2LweXtN
(affiliate) JBL Charge 4: amzn.to/2SqWkbh
(affiliate) JBL Charge 5: amzn.to/3uYOaJL
Timestamps:
Build and Form Factor: 0:10
Button Access: 1:47
JBL Flip 4 vs JBL Flip 5 Sound Test: 3:19
Power and Ports: 4:28
Closing Thoughts: 5:54
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JBL Flip 4 vs Wonderboom 2: • JBL Flip 4 vs Wonderbo...
JBL Charge 4 vs JBL Xtreme 2: • JBL Charge 4 vs JBL Xt...
Video Transcript:
First let's take a look at the build and form factor for each JBL Bluetooth speaker.
The first thing you'll notice is that the JBL Charge 4 weighs twice as much as the JBL Flip 5. The Charge 4 tips the scale a little over 2 pounds, while the the Flip 5 weighs in at a little over 1 pound. With regard to how much space the speakers are going to take up, the Charge 4 is roughly 8 and a half inches wide, and a little more than 3 and a half inches tall and 3 and a half inches deep. Alternatively, the Flip 5 is a little over 7 inches long, and just over 2 and a half inches tall and 2 and a half inches deep.
The JBL Charge 4 has a stand on the bottom so you can comfortably park it in one spot, while the JBL Flip 5 is built to rest on the plastic bar that runs along the back of the device.
Both the Flip 5 and the Charge 4 are wrapped in the same wire mesh material that gives the Bluetooth speakers a higher degree of toughness and durability, in addition to just making the speakers look good.
Adding to that toughness and durability, both the JBL Flip 5 and JBL Charge 4 are IPX7 rated, which means both of the speakers are waterproof in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes, and that they are dustproof, making them ideal not just for the beach, but also for setting up in a garage or workshop.
Finally, the speakers each have the same rubber end caps covering the passive radiators on each end of the speakers to protect them in the events of drops and being slung around. The passive radiators are also made out of the same nice rubbery material that features the JBL logo on one side and an exclamation point on the other.
Now let's go over the button access.
The primary buttons on the JBL Flip 5 are located on the back part of the device, embedded in the wire mesh above the plastic bar that runs across the back of the speaker. The Power and Bluetooth buttons on the Flip 5 sit in the center of the plastic bar. Alternatively, the buttons on the JBL Charge 4 are all easily accessible, located right along the top of the device. The Power and Bluetooth buttons sit in the center of the buttons with plastic overlays, while the rest of the buttons are embedded in the wire mesh. The button array offered by both speakers is fairly similar, with buttons for volume up and volume down, a Play button that starts and stops music, and Power and Bluetooth buttons. The only difference is that the JBL Charge 4 has a button for JBL Connect+ and the JBL Flip 5 has a button for PartyBoost. Both JBL Connect+ and PartyBoost do the same thing, in that they let the user connect more than a hundred JBL speakers together, however, the Charge 4 will only connect to other speakers with JBL Connect+ and the Flip 5 will only connect to other JBL speakers with PartyBoost; to be clear, the Flip 5 won't connect to the Charge 4. Additionally, the Play button on the Charge 4 used to lets users interact with Google Assistant or Apple's Siri, or accept phone calls and use the Charge 4 as a speakerphone, but JBL removed that functionality. So if you see it somewhere else, know that those features aren't available anymore on the Charge 4.
Next, let's check out the difference in audio quality and do a sound test between the JBL Charge 4 and the JBL Flip 5.
The JBL Flip 5 produces cleaner tones than the JBL Charge 4 at all levels -- low, mid, and high, and even stands its ground on bass, if its not actually a little more punchy than the Charge 4, which I'm assuming comes as a result of significant improvements to the device's passive radiators. However, if all you care about is how loud the speaker can get, the Charge 4 wins that battle, and still puts out good audio in its own right.
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