On Black Pumas’s “Fire,” the horns came across bright and punchy, while the vocals were clear above the guitar and keyboards. It sounds more balanced than the Charge 4, but it isn’t as full or wide as our current Bluetooth speaker top pick: the UE Megaboom 3. The Charge 5 delivers very good sound for a speaker its size, with easy-to-hear vocals and impressive bass. The light fades as the power decreases - a slick-looking way to see the battery life left, though it’s not as easy to get an accurate read as the five lights on the Charge 4. But the Charge 5 ditches the 3.5 mm auxiliary connection that other generations included.īelow the large JBL logo is a single light that shows the amount of battery power left. At least JBL has kept the Charge’s namesake feature in each generation. On the back there’s a USB-C port for recharging the battery, and under a rubber flap, a USB-A port that you can use to charge other devices. The PartyBoost button pairs two JBL speakers together in stereo mode or multiple speakers in party mode to spread the sound more widely. The play button can also pause a track, or with a double click, advance to the next song. ![]() On the top, you’ll find buttons for power, Bluetooth and volume up/down. Having six colors to choose from is nice, though this is actually a step back from the Charge 4, which was available in 12 colors. That gives the speaker a bit more visual flair, but also causes it to lean like the Tower of Pisa if you want to stand it on one end instead of laying it flat.Īs with the last few versions, the Charge 5 is wrapped in mesh - the same as you'd get on the JBL Go 3 - and has rubber end caps. The end caps, which house the passive bass radiators, are cut at a slight angle, similar to the JBL Flip 5. At 8.7 x 3.8 x 3.7 inches, it’s slightly shorter and a little plumper in the middle than the Charge 4. 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.JBL also tweaked the shape and dimensions. We’ve heard bookshelf speakers that produce less bass than the Charge 5. 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. 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.
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