The New JBL Charge 5: Pros, Cons, and Price
By Robert Jones · 2024-02-06
Robert Jones here, giving you the lowdown on the JBL Charge 5. I've had one knocking about the workshop for months, so you'll get the real story on its sound, battery, and how tough it actually is.
Right then, let's properly get stuck into the JBL Charge 5, eh? You see these speakers absolutely everywhere these days, don't you? On building sites, down at the park, even heard one blaring out some truly awful pop down at the local pub garden last week. JBL’s Charge series has always been a solid shout for a portable speaker – good sound, decent battery, built like a brick. They keep tweaking them, trying to make 'em better, louder, tougher. The Charge 5 is the latest one off the production line, promising a bit more oomph and some new tricks. But does it actually deliver on all those promises? That's the million-dollar question, isn't it? I’ve had one knocking about the workshop for a good few months now, put it through its paces properly. Taken it camping, had it next to the bench whilst I’m messing with crossovers, even dropped it in a bucket of water (purely for scientific purposes, you understand, not just because I'm clumsy). This isn't some quick-flick review; it’s an honest appraisal from someone who's spent twenty years listening to kit, often with a cuppa in hand.  *The New JBL Charge 5: Pros, Cons, and Price — tested in the SpeakersMag workshop.* **Quick Verdict: A dependably rugged portable speaker that punches above its weight and can handle proper abuse.** ### Who it's for: * Anyone needing a rugged, go-anywhere speaker that can genuinely take a splash, a drop, or a bit of grit. Proper IP67 rating here, which means dustproof and waterproof for real-world shenanigans. * Those who value proper long battery life and the absolute convenience of charging their phone when there's no plug socket in sight. That power bank feature is a godsend more often than you'd think. * People who want a punchy, enjoyable sound for background tunes, garden parties, or smaller gatherings where pristine fidelity isn't the *only* thing that matters. It delivers a fun sound, pure and simple. * Students, campers, tradespeople, festival-goers, or anyone regularly spending time outdoors and wanting their music along for the ride without worrying about damaging their gear. * If you're already in the JBL ecosystem and fancy linking up a few PartyBoost-enabled speakers for a bigger sound without much fuss. Great for spreading sound across a larger space. ### Who should skip it: * True hi-fi obsessives demanding pristine clarity, a perfectly flat frequency response, and nuanced sound staging (you’re looking at something much, much bigger, more expensive, and probably mains-powered. Let's be realistic about a £150 Bluetooth speaker, eh?). * Anyone needing something genuinely tiny to slip into a jacket pocket – it's portable, but not exactly discreet. Think a decent sized water bottle, not a mini hip flask. * If you primarily listen to classical music, really intricate jazz, or acoustic sets where separation and detail are paramount. The bass can be a bit forward and dominate the soundstage a touch, which isn't ideal for those genres. * Those on a super tight budget – there are cheaper Bluetooth speakers out there, but you'll often find yourself replacing them a lot sooner. You generally get what you pay for. ### First Impressions: Built Like a Brick, Sounds Like a Party Pulling the Charge 5 out of its box, you immediately get a sense of its solid build. It's got that familiar JBL speaker shape, cylindrical, but they've beefed up the fabric grille and added a proper rubberised base. No more wobbling about on a smooth surface. The logo's bigger, flashier, which isn't really my cup of tea, but I suppose it appeals to the younger crowd. Size-wise, it’s about what you’d expect – roughly the size of a 1.5-litre water bottle, maybe a touch shorter. Fits nicely in the hand, feels substantial. Not exactly light as a feather, but you wouldn’t want it to be. A bit of heft usually means some proper magnets and a decent enclosure, which is always a good sign. Connection? Bluetooth 5.1. Absolutely rock solid. Never had a single drop-out, even when I wandered a fair distance from the source. Pairing was a doddle, as it always is with these things these days. No faffing about with obscure buttons or waiting an age. Power it on, find it on your phone, done. Simple. That's what you want for a portable speaker, isn't it? No fuss. ### Sound Quality: Punchy, Bass-Heavy, and Fun Now, onto the bit that really matters – how does it *sound*? JBL’s made some changes under the hood here. They’ve gone for a separate tweeter and a larger race-track-shaped woofer. What does that mean for you? Well, in theory, clearer highs and a bit more mid-range definition. And for the most part, it works. I chucked everything at it. Some old-school reggae, a bit of rock, even some cheesy 80s pop. First thing you notice is the bass. Oh, that bass. It’s prominent. Really quite forward, in typical JBL fashion. If you like your tunes with a bit of a thump, you’ll be chuffed. It’s not boomy or uncontrolled, which is a common pitfall for smaller speakers trying to push out low frequencies. It’s got a decent amount of texture and impact, especially for outdoor listening where bass often gets lost. The mid-range, where vocals and most instruments live, is clear enough. Voices come through well, though they can sometimes feel a little bit recessed compared to the bass. It’s not a neutral speaker by any stretch; it’s definitely voiced for a more "fun" sound, for want of a better word. That’s fine for what it is, mind. You’re not buying this for critical listening, are you? Highs are crisp, but not overly bright or sibilant, which is good. You get decent detail, cymbals shimmer without sounding like shattered glass. That dedicated tweeter really does make a difference compared to older models where everything was pushed through one driver. It gives the sound a bit more air and separation than you’d expect from a single portable unit. Is it Hi-Fi? Absolutely not. Does it sound good for a £150 battery-powered brick? You bet it does. It gets surprisingly loud too without distorting too much, which is a feat in itself. Perfect for filling a reasonably sized room or making some noise in the garden without sounding like it’s about to fall apart. You can push it quite a bit before it starts getting shouty, which is a good sign of a well-engineered little speaker. ### Battery Life and Power Bank Feature: A Real Lifesaver JBL claims 20 hours of battery life. And you know what? They’re pretty much spot on, assuming you’re not cranking it to max volume for the entire time. I consistently got over 15 hours even with it playing at a decent lick in the workshop, maybe a tad over half volume. Take it camping for a weekend, or a couple of afternoons at the beach, and you won’t be scrambling for a charger. That’s proper peace of mind, that is. And then there’s the power bank feature. This is where the "Charge" in its name really comes into its own. The USB-A port on the back means you can plug in your phone, your tablet, whatever, and give it a boost. How many times have you been out and about, phone battery dipping into the red, and no power socket in sight? It’s a lifesaver. Doesn’t charge things at lightning speed, mind you, but it’ll get you out of a bind. It’s a genuinely useful addition that sets it apart from many other portable speakers. It charges via USB-C, which is excellent. No more messing about with micro-USB. One less cable to worry about in the drawer. Took a few hours to fully charge from flat, which is fair enough given the battery capacity. ### Durability: IP67 – Not Just a Gimmick This is where the Charge 5 truly shines. IP67. Dustproof. Waterproof. Not just splashproof, *waterproof*. I’ve dunked it, sprayed it, kicked sand on it, even had a dog briefly try to bury it (it survived with just a bit of a clean). It’s an absolute tank. That rubberised base, the tight-fitting USB-C port cover – it all feels incredibly well put together. If you’re someone who's clumsy, works outdoors, or just generally lives a life where your gear gets bashed about a bit, this speaker will take it. It’s proper peace of mind. I’ve seen cheaper speakers claiming similar ratings only to fail at the first sign of a downpour. Not this one. It's the real deal. ### Connectivity and PartyBoost: More Noise, Less Fuss The Charge 5 ditches the old JBL Connect+ in favour of PartyBoost. This means you can link it up wirelessly with other PartyBoost-enabled JBL speakers – Flip 5, Flip 6, Pulse 4, Xtreme 3, Boombox 2, Boombox 3, and so on. It’s a handy feature if you want to spread the sound around a bigger garden party or have a couple of speakers dotted about the house. Pairing them up is usually pretty straightforward via the JBL Portable app (more on that in a sec). You can set them to play in stereo or just have them all playing the same thing. Useful, but honestly, one Charge 5 is usually enough for most folk. ### JBL Portable App: Simple and Effective The app isn't crammed with features, but it does what it needs to. You can see the battery level, update firmware, and manage PartyBoost. That’s about it. No EQ settings, which some people might miss, but honestly, with a speaker voiced like this, sometimes less is more. It keeps things simple, which is often what you want from a portable speaker. No faffing about trying to dial in the perfect sound, just press play and go. ### Where does it sit in the market? So, you’re looking at portable Bluetooth speakers. It’s a crowded market, isn't it? The Charge 5 generally retails around the £150-£170 mark. For that money, you've got a few contenders. #### Comparison Table: JBL Charge 5 vs. Rivals | Feature | JBL Charge 5 | Ultimate Ears Boom 3 | Sony SRS-XB33 | Anker Soundcore Motion+ | | :------------------ | :-------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------- | | **Price (approx.)** | £150-£170 | £120-£140 | £100-£120 | £90-£110 | | **Sound Profile** | Punchy bass, clear highs, fun | Balanced, 360-degree sound, good mids | Energetic, strong bass, Live Sound mode | Detailed, good stereo, custom EQ via app | | **Durability** | IP67 Dust/Waterproof | IP67 Dust/Waterproof, Floats | IP67 Dust/Waterproof, Shockproof | IPX7 Waterproof | | **Battery Life** | 20 hours (can charge phone) | 15 hours | 24 hours (can charge phone) | 12 hours (can charge phone) | | **Connectivity** | Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, PartyBoost | Bluetooth, Micro USB (older), PartyUp (link 150+) | Bluetooth, USB-C, Stereo Pair, Extra Bass | Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, Stereo Pair | | **Key Features** | Power bank, robust build | Floats, magic button for playlists | Extra Bass, light show, speakerphone | Hi-Res Audio, custom EQ, 30W output | Now, looking at that table, you can see the Charge 5 stacks up pretty well. The Boom 3 is a solid speaker, a bit cheaper, and the 360-degree sound is good for spreading music around, but the Charge 5 definitely hits harder in the bass department and that power bank is a major plus. The Sony XB33 is a strong contender too, similar battery life and power bank, but I find its "Extra Bass" can be a bit much sometimes, a bit too boomy, and the light show isn't for everyone. The Anker Motion+ is a fantastic speaker for the money, especially if you want a bit more stereo separation and the ability to tweak the EQ, but its battery life isn't quite as stellar, and the waterproofing isn't quite as comprehensive (no dust rating). So, the Charge 5 sits right in the middle as a very well-rounded, robust option. ### The Competition: A Closer Look I’ve had a few of these in the workshop, had them out and about. The **UE Boom 3** is good, don't get me wrong. It’s got that cylindrical design that blasts sound in all directions, which is brilliant if you’re got a crowd milling about. Its app is a bit more feature-rich than JBL’s too. But, and it’s a big but for me, the sound just isn’t as potent. It’s more refined, perhaps, but lacks that visceral thump that the Charge 5 delivers. And the battery life isn’t quite as long, plus no power bank feature on the Boom 3. It’s often a bit cheaper, mind, so if you’re on a tighter budget and want that 360-degree sound, it’s worth a look. But for sheer power and utility, the JBL wins out. Then there’s the **Sony SRS-XB33**. Sony loves its bass, and the XB33 delivers it in spades. Sometimes *too* many spades. It can be a bit overbearing, a bit muddy in the lower mids, which can colour the whole sound. It’s also IP67 rated, tough as nails, and has a great battery life with a power bank function, so it’s a very direct rival. The light show is a bit of a gimmick for me – never really understood why you’d want flashing lights on a portable speaker unless you’re at a full-on rave. If you *really* want that "Extra Bass" button and a light show, go for the Sony, but I think the JBL handles its bass more tastefully, if such a word can be applied to a portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s usually a bit cheaper than the Charge 5, so if price is a factor, it's an alternative. Lastly, the **Anker Soundcore Motion+**. This one’s a bit different, a more traditional stereo speaker design. And honestly, for its price, it’s brilliant. You get proper stereo separation, a more detailed sound, and a customisable EQ via its app. It gets loud, too. If you’re mostly listening indoors and want more of an "audiophile light" experience on a budget, it’s a fantastic choice. The Motion+ doesn’t have the same outright ruggedness as the Charge 5 (no dust rating), and its battery life is shorter. No power bank either. So, while it sounds fantastic for the money, it’s a different beast, really. More for the careful listener, less for the rough-and-tumble adventurer. So, after all that, the Charge 5 truly holds its own. It’s not necessarily the *best* in every single category, but it strikes a fantastic balance between sound, features, and an almost indestructible build quality. It knows what it is, and it does it very well indeed. ### Running the Numbers: Is the Price Right? At around £150-£170, the JBL Charge 5 isn