JBL Flip 4 Review

Kenn Muguna Avatar

Written by:

Updated 11:23 pm

Expert Rating

90

The JBL Flip 4 is a great pick for a portable speaker. It comes from a reputable brand and boasts of 12-hour-long battery life. Although the iHome IBN 6 portable waterproof Bluetooth speaker lasts 14 hours after a charge. The speaker also allows you to integrate it with your preferred voice assistant (Google, Siri), making it more seamless to dish out voice commands. Included with the speaker is a lanyard extension that makes it easier to carry, or even tie into your rucksack. Such features & capabilities earn it a place on our list of the best Bluetooth speakers you can get today. If you prefer a speaker set to a soundbar, take a look at our DBEST Duo Bluetooth rechargeable mini-speaker set review instead.

Why We Like It – JBL Flip 4

As the name suggests, the JBL Flip 4 is the fourth in JBL’s line of Flip portable speakers. It comes with features that make it just a bit better than the Flip 3, and these features include being fully waterproof and having a longer battery life. Speaking of battery life, take a look at the SuperTooth Disco Bluetooth speaker review for a speaker that will last you 1500 hours. What if you plan on carrying a speaker for long hikes and adventures? Read the JBL Clip 3 review.

Pros
  • IPX7 waterproof rating
  • Voice Assistant integration
  • Speakerphone
Cons
  • Only 4 Hours on Max volume
  • Relatively expensive

Performance

Unlike the Sony RDP-XA700IP Airplay speaker dock, the JBL Flip 4’s speaker comes with features such as noise and echo-canceling that help register a significant improvement in the sound quality of your music. This feature seems to be present in most JBL speakers, even what is considered in the JBL jblcharge3blkam waterproof portable Bluetooth review. Speaking of sound quality, the portable Bluetooth speaker also delivers a beefy bass courtesy of the passive radiators you’ll find on each end. It’s also loud enough to keep the music playing at a small outdoor party, but if you want things to get really turned up, there’s its JBL Connect plus feature that allows you to connect and sync music with up to 100 other JBL speakers that have the Connect + as well. While a 12-hour battery life might seem a bit less for most people, it places the speaker in the same league as the Bose Soundlink Revolve as they’re both similar in that aspect. But, the Flip 4 definitely lasts longer than the Nova Mini portable speakers.

Design

The design of this JBL Flip 4 is pretty similar to what we had for the Flip 3, though it’s a lot less heavy than its cousin, the JBL Charge 4. The Flip 4 is covered in a durable fabric material that makes it all-weather friendly by keeping dust and water out. Its power button is found on its rubberized spine, placed just above the connect button that you’re probably going to use a lot for a multiple-speaker setup. Its large play button can be found along the side of the speaker, forming a line with the volume controls and sync button.

Value

The JBL Flip 4’s IPX7 waterproof rating makes this wireless Bluetooth speaker the perfect one for a beach or pool party, as the rating means that it can be submerged up to 3 meters for up to 30 minutes. The one thing you shouldn’t do though is let it go in an ocean. Why? Because it will sink right to the bottom – It can’t float on water like the UE Boom 3. The speaker also has great connectivity through Bluetooth as it also allows you to use it as a speakerphone for your calls.

JBL Flip 4 Wrap Up

Compared to other Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Flip 4 may seem expensive in the short term, but the quality you get means you won’t need to buy another portable speaker in a very long time. If however, you still yearn for more than the JBL Flip 4 can deliver, maybe you should check out the next Flip speaker in JBL’s range; the JBL Flip 5.