JBL CHARGE 5 guide

JBL Charge 5

Whether your season is full of trips to the beach or backyard parties, you'll need just the right speaker to DJ these events. The JBL Charge 5 gets the job done if you need something that's very loud, and quite portable. It's a little pricey though, so anyone who already has an older JBL Charge speaker shouldn't feel the need to upgrade.

JBL is America’s sweetheart when it comes to waterproof Bluetooth speakers. The company puts out several new products every year, and theoretically, they keep getting better. The most recent addition to the Charge series is the JBL Charge 5. It has all the tell-tale signs of a good JBL speaker, but is the upgrade from the JBL Charge 4 worth the price hike?

Editor’s note: This JBL Charge 5 review was updated on December 16, 2022, to update formatting and address a few frequently asked questions.

Table of Contents

Intro

Our Verdict

Differences

Compared To Others

Design

Sound

Active Features

Connectivity

Retailers

Deals

Discussions

The JBL Charge 5 is the next generation of the JBL Charge 4. It's a portable Bluetooth speaker that's designed to bring your favorite tunes with you wherever you go. Bring it from room to room, or take it outside with you, and its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance helps to protect the drivers inside. Plus, it gives you access to sound customization tools in the JBL Portable app. Compared to the Charge 4, you can also connect it with other PartyBoost+ speakers to enjoy sound all throughout your room.

The JBL Charge 5 is alright for music. Thanks to its balanced mids, it reproduces voices and lead instruments with clarity and detail. As a result, it's suitable for listening to lots of different genres, and its graphic EQ allows you to switch up its sound to your liking. That said, as a smaller speaker, it doesn't bring a lot of rumble in the low-bass.

JBL Charge 5 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winner. Updated specs and subtle tweaks for JBL’s fifth-generation Charge Tested at £160 / $180

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

JBL’s Charge 5 hails from a victorious and dominant product line, and the winning trend does not stop here

When it comes to rugged, portable, no-nonsense Bluetooth speakers, some product lines have consistently impressed us under review. JBL’s Charge is as good an example as any, and so the fact it’s now entering its fifth generation is big news. Anyone looking for substantial on-the-go sound from something roughly the weight and size of a bottle of wine should take note.

The new JBL Charge 5 is, the US audio specialist claims, even more durable and better sounding than the four Charges before it. Its predecessor carried an IPX7 rating, meaning it could handle being submerged in water to a depth of 1.5m, but the IP67-rated Charge 5 builds on that durability by also being fully dustproof.

The iconic aesthetic, available in eight different finishes including our review sample's navy blue, has been tweaked to introduce a bolder JBL logo and an extra dollop of rubberised reinforcements, too. So, is the Charge just as recommendable as ever in its latest guise?