JBL Charge 6 vs Boombox 4

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

JBL Charge 6
JBL Boombox 4

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 23, 2025 01:32 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 31, 2025 08:26 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
  1. Recommended in 4 articles:
  2. Bluetooth
  3. Portable
  4. Outdoor
  5. 1

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 6

JBL Boombox 4

The JBL Charge 6 is a lighter, more portable alternative to the JBL Boombox 4, though its compactness comes with drawbacks. The larger Boombox 4 has a much longer battery life, better bass extension, a louder top volume, and stereo playback. Both speakers support Auracast for easy pairing with newer JBL speakers, but only the Boombox features Bluetooth LE compatibility. If you don't find these caveats to be a dealbreaker, the Charge 6 offers a better built quality and a smaller footprint at a more affordable price point. 

0 

Variants

  • Charge 6 (Black)
  • Charge 6 (Blue)
  • Charge 6 (Funky)
  • Charge 6 (Pink)
  • Charge 6 (Purple)
  • Charge 6 (Red)
  • Charge 6 (Sand)
  • Charge 6 (Squad)
  • Charge 6 (White)
  • Boombox 4 (Black)
  • Boombox 4 (Blue)
  • Boombox 4 (Squad)

Check Price

Black
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
B&H
Blue
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Funky
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Purple
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Sand
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.7
7.2

Dynamics 
 

6.3
7.6

Soundstage 
 

5.8
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
8.2

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

113 in³ (1,848 cm³)
1,518 in³ (24,868 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
13.2 lbs (6.0 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
AC & Battery

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.2
8.6

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Great
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx8)
Submersible (IPx8)

Dust Resistance 
 

Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.9
6.9

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Good
Good

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Track Next/Previous 
 

Yes (Physical)
Yes (Physical)

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

7.1
7.2

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

0.45
0.40

Std. Err. 
 

2.72 dB
3.44 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.8 Hz
49.0 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.2 kHz
19.1 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.8
6.9

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

4.17 dB
5.91 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.3
7.6

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

89.1 dB SPL
101.8 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.50 dB
3.99 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.9
9.2

Battery Life 
 

13.7 hrs
40.3 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.5 hrs
2.9 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
AC

Battery Powered 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Voice Assistant 
 

0.0
0.0

Alexa 
 

No
No

Google Assistant 
 

No
No

Speakerphone 
 

No
No

Siri 
 

No
No

Voice Assistant 
 

No
No

Voice Activation 
 

No
No

Microphone Mute 
 

No
No Microphone

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

7.9
7.9

App Picture  

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
JBL Portable

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

Stereo Pair Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Party Mode 
 

Yes
Yes

Multi-Room 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired 
 

Aux Input 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

Yes
Yes

Other Ports 
 

No
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.8
7.6

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.4
5.4

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

204 ms
254 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

195 ms
217 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
2 Devices
Show Text 

Wi-Fi 
 

0.0
0.0

Wi-Fi Version 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi Frequency Band 
 

No Wi-Fi
No Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 
 

No
No

Apple AirPlay 
 

No
No

AirPlay Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Google Chromecast 
 

No
No

Chromecast Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Check Price

Black
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
B&H
Blue
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Squad
Boombox 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Funky
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Purple
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Sand
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

JBL Charge 6

JBL Boombox 4

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Charge 6 vs JBL Boombox 4: Main Discussion

What do you think of these products? Let us know below.


Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.

PreviewBack to editorFormat guide
No comments yet, refresh to see new ones