What's up, everyone.
I'm Max Dalton and in this video I'll review the JBL Charge 5 Bluetooth speaker.
to help you figure out if it's the right fit for you.
I'll take a deep dive into the Charge 5's build and form factor, button access and features,
power and ports, and I'll also do a sound comparison with the JBL Flip 5, JBL Charge
4 and JBL Xtreme 2.
I'll wrap up the video with my recommendation.
But before we get into the review, if you think the JBL Charge 5 is the speaker for
you, I'll include a link in the description you can purchase it through.
Alternatively, if you want to save a few bucks, or if you just can't live without an auxiliary
input for a 3.5-millimeter audio cable, I'll include a link you can use to purchase the
JBL Charge 4 below, as well as other JBL portable Bluetooth speakers.
Now let's dig into the JBL Charge 5, and start by taking a look at the build and form factor.
The JBL Charge 5 sits in between the JBL Flip 5 and the JBL Xtreme 3 in the JBL portable
Bluetooth speaker lineup.
The Charge 5 is just under nine inches long, 3.7-inches tall and 3.7-inches deep.
The speaker feels sturdy and has a good weight to it, checking in at a little over two pounds.
From a purely physical standpoint the Charge 5 is only slightly larger than the JBL Flip
5, but is significantly smaller than the JBL Xtreme 3.
For a sizing comparison, this image shows the JBL Flip 5, JBL Charge 5 and JBL Xtreme
2.
Similar to the rest of JBL's line of portable Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Charge 5 is built
to take on all conditions in the great outdoors.
The exterior of the speaker is an attractive but tough wire and mesh combination that does
an amazing job keeping the speaker components safe.
Again, similar to current and past JBL portable Bluetooth speakers, the JBL Charge 5 boasts
rubber end caps that protect the exterior passive radiators from damage in the event
it gets dropped or otherwise banged up.
Finally, the JBL Charge 5 improves on the IPX7 rating earned by the JBL Charge 4 by
rocking an IP67 rating, which means it's dustproof and can be submerged in up to three feet of
water for up to 30 minutes and still work just fine.
Next let's take a look at button access.
The buttons on the JBL Charge 5 are laid out in the same easily accessible fashion as on
the Charge 4, resting conveniently along the top of the speaker.
From left to right you've got the buttons for PartyBoost, Volume Down, Power, Bluetooth,
Volume Up, and Play.
The volume buttons just control the volume and don't perform any other core functions.
The PartyBoost button lets you connect your speaker to other portable JBL Bluetooth speakers
that support PartyBoost.
If you've got older JBL speakers that you connect to each other through the legacy JBL
Connect or JBL Connect+ technology, know that you won't be able to connect the JBL Charge
5 to those speakers and that you can only connect it to JBL Bluetooth speakers that
support JBL PartyBoost.
JBL speakers that support PartyBoost currently includes the JBL Flip 5, JBL Charge 5, JBL
Xtreme 3, and JBL Pulse 4.
PartyBoost lets you connect up to 100 speakers together over a distance of roughly 50 yards.
The Play button lets you start, stop and skip songs, and while there are older JBL portable
Bluetooth speakers that let you configure the Play button to activate either Apple's
Siri or Google's Assistant, you can't do that on the Charge 5.
Next, let's do a quick sound comparison between the JBL Flip 5, JBL Charge 4, JBL Charge 5,
and JBL Xtreme 2, and discuss audio quality.
The setup inside of the Charge 5 is the same, with a single long driver, a separate tweeter,
and dual bass radiators.
For this sound comparison I'll play the same 20-second sound clip from a song with deeper
bass on each of these speakers at fifty percent volume under the exact same conditions.
Additionally, these audio files won't be manipulated in any way.
First, let's listen to the audio clip on the JBL Flip 5.
Next let's listen to the same clip played through the JBL Charge 4.
Now let's listen to the same audio clip played through the JBL Charge 5.
And finally let's listen to that audio clip played through the JBL Xtreme 2.
Now let's listen to a 20-second song clip from a song that hits some higher tones.
Again, each of these speakers at fifty percent volume and under the exact same conditions.
Additionally, these audio files won't be manipulated in any way.
First, let's listen to the audio clip on the JBL Flip 5.
Next let's listen to the same clip played through the JBL Charge 4.
Now let's listen to the same audio clip played through the JBL Charge 5.
And finally let's listen to that audio clip played through the JBL Xtreme 2.
For its size, the JBL Charge 5 is good middle ground between the Flip 5 and the Xtreme 2.
You get bigger volume that you don't get out of the Flip 5, and cleaner high tones that
you won't get out of a JBL Xtreme speaker.
It's obviously a closer race between the Charge 4 and the Charge 5, but I think the Charge
5 is a close winner there, in that the audio, overall, sounded cleaner.
One other audio test I did was to take the speakers outside into a large open space to
see how the sound carried.
In that scenario the JBL Charge 5 really shined, pumping out audio that sounded great even
from modest distances.
But as a reminder speaker audio is experienced differently by everyone, so you'll want to
listen to the JBL Charge 5 in a store to make sure the audio quality is something you're
comfortable with as it relates to any other Bluetooth speakers you're considering.
Next let's discuss power and ports.
Similar to the JBL Charge 4 the JBL Charge 5 charges through a USB Type C cable, and
also similar to the Charge 4 the Charge 4 battery only takes four hours to fill up and
boasts 20 hours of battery life on full power.
And while the charging port is still located on the back of the Charge 5, the port is exposed
rather than under port cover.
Also like the JBL Charge 4, the JBL Charge 5 has a port cover on the back that when lifted
exposes a USB Type A port that can be used to charge connected devices.
It should be noted that the USB Type A can only be used for charging, and you can't play
audio from connected devices without them being connected to your Charge 5 via Bluetooth.
And the final consideration in this section is that, unlike previous versions of the JBL
Charge, the Charge 5 doesn't include a 3.5-millimer auxiliary port.
Finally, let's look at additional considerations when you're deciding whether or not to buy
the JBL Charge 5.
Older JBL portable Bluetooth speakers had a built-in microphone that allowed users to
use the speaker as a speakerphone for phone calls.
A built-in mic has been an omission from JBL speakers for a while now, and it's not included
on the Charge 5.
However, as a bonus, the JBL Charge 5 does use Bluetooth 5.1, which offers healthy data
transfer rates and a good wireless range.
In closing the JBL Charge 5 is a great speaker at a good price.
It's small enough that it's easily portable, and it's tough enough that it can travel anywhere
you need it to.
The audio sounds great both indoors and outdoors, and it's probably the perfect portable Bluetooth
speaker for either a pool party or outdoor barbeque.
The lack of an axillary port to connect devices via a 3.5-millimeter is a bit of a miss for
me, but I've adjusted to living without it.
If you like the JBL Charge 5 but the price tag is holding you back, the JBL Charge 4
is still a great speaker that's almost identical to the Charge 5, with the exception of older
Bluetooth technology and JBL Connect+ instead of PartyBoost, and you should be able to get
it for a healthy discount.
In closing, the JBL Charge 4 is a great speaker at an alright price if you're looking for
something with a degree of portability that has a fair amount of power.
The battery life is impressive, and the ability to charge and play other devices through the
USB port is nice.
If you're looking for something that's going to primarily live in a shared family room
space, the Charge 4 is a good fit.
If you're looking for the type of speaker that can sit on your desk or in an office,
something along the JBL Flip 4 is probably a better fit.
And if you feel like the JBL Charge 5, JBL Charge 4 or any of the other Bluetooth speakers
we've discussed in this video are right for you, you can find links to purchases all of
the speakers discussed in this video in the description.
Let me know if this video helped you out in the comments below.
If you liked what you saw here, click the video links on the right side of the screen
to check out another video, or click the logo on the left side of the screen to check out
my tutorial website at www.maxdalton.how.
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