Both speakers are charged via USB-C.Īlongside Bluetooth connectivity, both speakers come with JBL’s PartyBoost feature via the JBL Connect app. Push those volume levels up, and you can expect the battery life to drop. Meanwhile, the Charge 5 comes with an impressive 20-hour battery life – if you’re playing music at 50% volume. The JBL Flip 5 offers 12 hours of playback, with a full charge taking about two-and-a-half hours. (Image credit: Truls Steinung) Battery life and connectivity It doesn’t suffer from distortion at high volumes in the same way as the Charge 5, and delivers enough clarity to extract all the detail you’d want from your songs if you’re listening casually. It’s the same story with the JBL Flip 5, although it does deliver a surprisingly wide soundstage – and impressive audio power – in spite of its small stature. While you might have expected 360-degree sound as a result of its cylindrical shape, the Charge 5 is directional, with its tweeters and woofers positioned at the front of the speaker. Like the previous Charge speakers, the Charge 5 is directional, with its tweeters and woofers sitting behind the front of the speaker. It does distort at higher volumes, though, so we’d recommend keeping the volume at about 50-60% to avoid harshness. Of the two speakers, the JBL Charge 5 delivers the most powerful sound, with deep bass frequencies, clear mids, and nicely rolled-off trebles for a warm soundstage. You can even customize the design of the Flip 5 to suit your taste exactly. However, the JBL Charge 5 takes this one step further by introducing an IP6X dust-proof rating, which should prevent sand or grit from breaking its inner mechanisms.īoth speakers are available in a range of colors, although you have more choice with the Flip 5. You might be able to see them move back and forth, but these radiators are slightly recessed into the main body of the speakers, protecting them from bumps and scrapes.īoth speakers are waterproof, with an IPX7 rating, which means they can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. It’s designed to sit horizontally, on its longest side, while the Flip 5 can be oriented horizontally or vertically.Īt each end of both speakers is an exposed passive bass radiator, which is designed to displace lots of air to create a powerful low-end. The Charge is about twice the size of its sibling, at 0.96kg / 2.1lb. It’s the size of a small flask, which means you can easily carry it around in one hand, pop it in a bag, or hang it from a door handle thanks to its shoelace strap. The Flip 5 is the smaller of the two, weighing 0.54kg /1.2lb. The FLIP5 just has TPU over hard plastic, which is likely to develop some cosmetic problems (the TPU will become separated with the hard plastic when dropped from a significant height)ĭustproof- The CHARGE5 is dustproof, making it better for the beach should you need it thereĬan charge your phone if you need- The CHARGE5 has a USB out port, meaning it can charge most USB devices (not fast charge, but should work) should you need the system to do so.Both the JBL Flip 5 and the JBL Charge 5 feature cylindrical builds, with rugged rubberized end caps to protect them from falls, and physical buttons situated on the top of each speaker to control music playback. More durable- the sides of the CHARGE5 have integrated silicon/rubber bumpers, which help absorb shock and help the speaker bounce back from shock. Louder if you want it to be- the CHARGE5 is 40W, while the FLIP5 is only 20W Longer battery- you get an extra 8 hours of battery life with the CHARGE "Bigger" sound and separate dive units- the CHARGE5 has a separate midwoofer and tweeter, as opposed to the "full-range" (which is really just a midwoofer with decent highs) on the FLIP5 It has a number of advantages over the FLIP:īetter sound- the frequency response is technically the same, but the CHARGE5 has much more deep bass The size won't matter much if you're not taking it on the go, and even if you are, the CHARGE lineup can still be comfortably held in 1 hand. For a bedroom, (aside from bookshelf speakers), I would get the CHARGE- it provides better, more powerful sound, but it is bigger. On the other hand, if you need something to take on the go (which I assume not much, as you said you would be mainly using it in your bedroom), get the FLIP. If you are OK with taking a larger speaker on the go with you (should you need to), than go for the CHARGE. If you don't want to bother with wiring or stuff like that, a portable speaker isn't a bad choice either. For a bedroom, I would personally get some bookshelf speakers.
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