The JBL Charge 5 is the next generation of the JBL Charge 4. It's a portable Bluetooth speaker designed to bring your favorite tunes with you, whether it's from room to room or outside at the park. Its IP67 rating for dust and water resistance protects the drivers inside; plus, the speaker gives you access to sound customization tools in the JBL Portable app. Unlike the Charge 4, you can connect it with other PartyBoost-compatible speakers to enjoy sound throughout your room.
Our Verdict
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 many 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.
- Fantastic battery life.
- Balanced mid-range.
- Requires two units for stereo sound.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
The JBL Charge 5 isn't really designed for listening to movies, but if you want to watch a video from your paired smartphone, it can get the job done. Dialogue is clearly reproduced and has relatively low latency, meaning you don't notice lip-synching issues. However, this speaker doesn't get loud enough to fill larger rooms with sound and lacks the rumble in the low-bass for action-packed films.
- Low Bluetooth latency.
- Requires two units for stereo sound.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
The JBL Charge 5 is satisfactory for podcasts. Dialogue is reproduced clearly, so you can easily follow along with your favorite shows. Thanks to its portable design, you can carry it from room to room, which is great for longer episodes. Plus, multi-device pairing allows you to connect it to up to two audio sources at once, making it easy to switch between listening on your phone and your laptop.
- Incredibly portable.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
The JBL Charge 5 doesn't support voice assistants.
The JBL Charge 5 is good for outdoor use. It's a portable Bluetooth speaker with a solid build, so it can withstand some exposure to the elements. It's rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, and its long battery life is suitable for afternoons outdoors. It doesn't get very loud, so you'll want to stay closer to the device while listening to your favorite tunes.
- Fantastic battery life.
- IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.
- Compression artifacts at max volume.
Changelog
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Updated May 22, 2025:
We retested this speaker after updating it to Firmware 0.8.9.0. As a result, we have updated the Dynamics section of the review to show that the speaker now has a max volume about 1 dB higher than before, and we also updated the App photo.
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Updated Apr 14, 2025:
We've updated the Battery section to mention that you can use this speaker as a power bank for your other devices.
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Updated Oct 31, 2024:
We mentioned the Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) in the Frequency Response Accuracy section of this review.
- Updated Oct 09, 2024: The
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The JBL Charge 5 comes in ten color variants: 'Black,' 'Grey,' 'Blue,' 'Teal,' 'Grey,' 'White,' 'Pink,' 'Forest Green,' 'Red,' and 'Squad.' JBL also allows you to customize the color and design of your Charge 5 on their website. We tested the 'Black' variant; you can find its label here. The serial number on our speaker begins with 'TT,' and some users have reported differences in the performance and build of variants of this speaker depending on the first two letters of its serial number.
The JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi is another version of this speaker with Wi-Fi support.
If you encounter any other variants of this speaker, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Speaker Comparisons
The JBL Charge 5 is a portable Bluetooth speaker similar to the JBL Charge 4. The Charge 5 has a more neutral sound profile than its predecessor and is rated IP67 for dust and water resistance, meaning it's certified to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. Unlike the Charge 4, which uses the older Connect+ protocol, the Charge 5 has a PartyBoost button that you can use to pair it to other PartyBoost-compatible JBL speakers like the JBL Xtreme 3.
See also our recommendations for the best JBL speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers, and the best outdoor speakers.
The JBL Charge 6 is a worthwhile improvement on the popular JBL Charge 5. The Charge 6 offers improved waterproofing, a handy carrying strap, and extra silicone feet around the passive radiators at each end of the speaker. It also supports Auracast, so you can link it with other Auracast-enabled JBL speakers for parties or larger gatherings. The Charge 6 also has a more even and punchy bass performance. That said, the differences in sound and battery life are minor, so if you have a Charge 5 already, the upgrade might not be worth it, and if you can find a Charge 5 on a great deal, it's well worth considering. Still, the Charge 6 is the better speaker, all things considered.
Whether you choose the JBL Charge 5 or JBL Flip 7 depends on a couple of key features: portability and battery life. The JBL Flip 7 is lighter weight and a bit smaller. Its IP68 rating with one meter drop resistance is a little tougher. It has more in-depth app features, like PlayTime Boost, to extend the battery life. However, the Charge 5 has a slightly fuller low-end and a longer battery life with lower latency when streaming videos. Still, it lacks the USB audio found on the Flip 7, so your choice will depend mainly on battery life and weight, depending on your needs.
The JBL Charge 5 and the JBL Flip 6 have different strengths. The Charge 5 can get slightly louder and produce a more extended low bass out of the box. It also has a much longer battery life, though this can vary depending on your usage. However, the Flip 6 is smaller and has a removable carrying strap, making it a bit more portable than the Charge 5. It also has better directivity, resulting in a wider-sounding soundstage.
The JBL Xtreme 3 and the JBL Charge 5 are very similar speakers. While they both have very similar designs, the Charge 5 is smaller, lighter, and more portable. It also has a slightly better-balanced sound profile. However, the Xtreme 3 can play stereo content without downmixing it to mono, which sounds more immersive. It uses the JBL Connect app, unlike the Charge 5, which uses the JBL Portable app.
Test Results
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