So this is the new JBL Clip 4… its JBL’s newest ultra portable bluetooth speaker that’s
great to take on the go with you either when you’re walking the dog, maybe out on a hike,
and ive seen people use these kind of speakers while they’re riding their bike. And personally
I really like using these types of speakers as a dedicated podcast machine. Now the Clip
4 does have some important upgrades from the Clip 3 and Clip 2… but there are some key
things to look out for here.
Now first off there’s pricing, the Clip 4 retails for $70 dollars. Now if you’re
someone thats looking for a small bluetooth speaker for their room then I say you're still
better off going with the JBL Flip 5 cause it does sound better and it does get significantly
louder cause its a 20 watt speaker where as the Clip 4 is a 5 watt speaker. Now the flip
5 does have a retail price of $120 but it can routinely be found on sale for less than
a hundred bucks. The clip 4 is really for that niche customer that needs something ultra
portable.
Now when it comes to design… the Clip 4 is very similar in size to both the Clip 3
and Clip 2. Now the Clip 4 still has a mostly fabric body so this speaker is going to have
no problem standing up to constant bumps and scrapes when you take it on the go with you.
And the clip 4 is also rocking an IP67 meaning that its both water and dust proof. Basically
you don’t have to worry about this speaker if you take it somewhere.
But one of the biggest design differences on the Clip 4 from the Clip 3 is simply just
its carabiner. The Carabiner on the clip 4 is much wider than the carabiner on the Clip
3. So you should have an easier time clipping this speaker on to things than the with the
Clip 3.
Now when it comes to tech specs, the Clip 4 has been upgraded to USB C charging which
is great cause both the clip 3 and clip 2 charge via a USB C port which is somewhat
of an inconvenience now. However the clip 4 no longer has an audio jack. Now personally
I don’t mind not having an audio jack on a speaker of this size… but it is something
to keep in mind cause the clip 3 does have an audio jack and the clip 2 actually has
built in audio cable.
And unfortunately this USB C port is strictly used for charging. You can’t use it as a
wired connection and you can’t use it to charge your own devices. So definitely keep
that in mind depending on your set up.
Now when it comes to battery life… the Clip 4 has the same 10 hour advertised battery
life as the Clip 3. Which is good cause keep in mind the Clip 4 is now a 5 watt speaker
where as the Clip 3 is a 3.3 watt speaker. So with the clip 4 is going to get a little
louder and have a little more bass but with the same decent battery life.
Now when it comes to bluetooth connectivity the Clip 4 has been upgraded to bluetooth
5.1. Now from a performance stand pint these speaker has zero latency across the board
when watching movies or videos on your phone which is great for podcasts… but unfortunately
this speaker can only be connected to one device at a time and its strictly using SBC.
But now lets talk about listening to music with these speakers. Like I mentioned earlier
the Clip 4 is now a 5 watt speaker where as the clip 3 is a 3.3 watt speaker and the clip
2 is a 3 watt speaker. And I gotta say, the clip 4 does sound noticeably better than these
other two speakers. But so you can hear for yourself we’re going to jump into sound
test.
So like you may have just heard, the clip 4 sounds much more open than both the Clip
3 and clip 2. Where as the Clip 3 does sound rather shallow by comparison and the clip
2 sounds both very shallow and its bass is very flat. Now sound signature wise the Clip
4 is putting a little more emphasis on the mids and highs which I think is a good thing
for a speaker like this… cause it going to sound louder which is what you want for
a speaker that you might mainly use while you’re outdoors.
So over all I can confidently say the Clip 4 sounds much better than its predecessors.
Its sound more open, its bass hits harder and it get a little louder as well.
But finally lets address party boost… unfortunately the Clip 4 still doesn’t have Partyboost.
So you can’t wirelessly pair it up to any of JBL’s other speaker that have party boost
like lets say a JBL Boombox 2, JBL Xtreme 3, JBL Flip 5 or JBL Pulse 4. Now personally
I do think this is unfortunate cuase I was really hoping the Clip 4 would have partyboost.
But over all, the JBL Clip 4 is a solid little ultra portable Bluetooth speaker that you
can take on the go with you either when you’re walking the dog, on a hike or even on a bike
ride. And its also a solid little podcast machine. Now the clip 4 does sound significantly
better than it predecessors all while still having a decent 10 hour battery life. Now
I really like that this speaker has been upgraded to USB C charging… but I am sad to see the
audio jack go.