JBL Charge 5 Review

Name: JBL Charge 5
Brand: JBL

Christen da Costa

October 4, 2023

True Score Methodology v1.0

TRUE SCORE

83^%

Absolutely Fresh

#

5

/

152

Where does this product score?

Top experts were pleased with the JBL Charge 5, and they approved it for music, podcasts, and the outdoors. They linked its balanced sound profile, portable design, and great battery life. Testers are also pleased with its IP67-rated waterproof design. However, they were displeased with its lack of voice assistants and lack of stereo.

Product Awards

5

Top 5

GR Certified

Expert Pick

Consumer Favorite

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Score Card

E

Expert Score

86

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

92

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

83^%

Any product with a True Score above 80 is a Absolutely Fresh

Table of Contents

Expert Score Breakdown_

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight

?
Cat Trust Score
80
With a new look, a little more ruggedness and improved… read more
F
Cat Trust Score
68
The JBL Charge 5 is alright for music. Thanks to… read more
?
Cat Trust Score
80
JBL launched a bunch of products at CES this year,… read more
?
Cat Trust Score
80
You can find the Charge 5 for $180, which is… read more

Customer Score Breakdown_

NR
(
NR
)
Ratings

Product Snapshot

Expert Rankings

Overview_

The JBL Charge 5 is a mid-range portable Bluetooth speaker released in 2021, promising waterproof construction and a power bank for on-the-go users. It runs on Bluetooth 5.1, boasting an incredible 328.1-foot Bluetooth range. Find speakers with a similar Bluetooth range in our list of the top-rated speakers. This device also supports dual-device Bluetooth pairing. Featuring a PartyBoost button, it connects to other PartyBoost-compatible speakers. Continue browsing our JBL Charge 5 review below and see how it measures up against the top Bluetooth speakers today.

Best For

Consensus_

Reason to Buy

IP67-rated waterproof and dustproof construction
Well-balanced sound profile
Portable 2.0-lb construction
14-5 hour battery life
Dual-device Bluetooth 5.1 connection

Reason to Avoid

Lacks support for stereo
Narrow soundstage
Doesn’t support any voice assistants
Mediocre low-bass
Poor Bluetooth latency is not good for movies

Key Specs_

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Product Comparison_

	JBL Charge 5 Review
True Score	83^%	NR	NR	NR	NR
Ranking	# 5 / 152	# /	# /	# /	# /
Market Context	The JBL Charge 5 is a mid-range portable Bluetooth speaker released in 2021, promising waterproof construction and a power bank for on-the-go users. It runs… The JBL Charge 5 is a mid-range portable Bluetooth speaker released in 2021, promising waterproof construction and a power bank for on-the-go users. It runs on Bluetooth 5.1, boasting an incredible 328.1-foot Bluetooth range. Find speakers with a similar Bluetooth range in our list of the top-rated speakers. This device also supports dual-device Bluetooth pairing. Featuring a PartyBoost button, it connects to other PartyBoost-compatible speakers. Continue browsing our JBL Charge 5 review below and see how it measures up against the top Bluetooth speakers today.	The JBL Charge 5 has a more neutral 0.29 frequency response slope, offering more balanced music than the JBL Flip 5 with its -0.31 slope…. The JBL Charge 5 has a more neutral 0.29 frequency response slope, offering more balanced music than the JBL Flip 5 with its -0.31 slope. Additionally, the Charge 5 also has an IP67 dustproof and waterproof rating, unlike the Flip 5. However, the Flip 5 speaker has a lower 96 ms Android Bluetooth latency than the 125 ms latency of the JBL Charge 5 speaker. Browse our JBL Flip 5 review for details about the Flip 5 speaker.	Weighing 2.0 lbs, the JBL Charge 5 is more portable than the 4.2-lb JBL Xtreme 3 speaker. However, the Xtreme 3 speaker supports stereo, unlike… Weighing 2.0 lbs, the JBL Charge 5 is more portable than the 4.2-lb JBL Xtreme 3 speaker. However, the Xtreme 3 speaker supports stereo, unlike the JBL Charge 5, which downmixes stereo to mono.	Featuring a 14.5-hour battery life, The JBL Charge 5 runs for twice as long as the Bose SoundLink Flex, which has 7.2-hour battery life. However,… Featuring a 14.5-hour battery life, The JBL Charge 5 runs for twice as long as the Bose SoundLink Flex, which has 7.2-hour battery life. However, the Bose speakers support voice assistants through a smartphone, unlike the JBL Charge 5, which doesn’t support voice assistants.	Featuring a 14.5-hour battery life, The JBL Charge 5 runs for twice as long as the Bose SoundLink Flex, which has 7.2-hour battery life. However,… Featuring a 14.5-hour battery life, The JBL Charge 5 runs for twice as long as the Bose SoundLink Flex, which has 7.2-hour battery life. However, the Bose speakers support voice assistants through a smartphone, unlike the JBL Charge 5, which doesn’t support voice assistants.
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Dig Deeper

All Stores_

Updated Oct 4, 2023 9:43 PM

Save $50
$179.95
$129.95
Availability
In Stock
Free Shipping
Yes
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Price History_

Score Card

E

Expert Score

86

*.75

We place a 75% weighted value on Expert Test Scores

C

Customer Score

92

*.25

We place a 25% weighted value on Customer Scores

True Score

83^%

Any product with a True Score above 80 is a Absolutely Fresh

Expert Score Breakdown_

Publications with higher Trust Scores are given more weight

A
Trust Score
?
Cat Trust Score
80
With a new look, a little more ruggedness and improved sound, the JBL Charge 5… read more
F
Trust Score
F
Cat Trust Score
68
The JBL Charge 5 is alright for music. Thanks to its balanced mids, it reproduces… read more
?
Trust Score
?
Cat Trust Score
80
JBL launched a bunch of products at CES this year, but few looked to be… read more
?
Trust Score
?
Cat Trust Score
80
You can find the Charge 5 for $180, which is a pretty standard price for… read more
?
Trust Score
?
Cat Trust Score
80
JBL’s portable Charge 5 speaker delivers surprisingly powerful Bluetooth audio from a compact, waterproof frame,… read more