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Products
JBL Charge 5
JBL Boombox 3
Tested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:04 PM
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Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.8
Updated Sep 08, 2025 03:04 PM
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Amazon.com
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredYes
BluetoothYes
Wi-FiNo
SpeakerphoneNo
Voice AssistantNo
Battery PoweredYes
Our Verdict
JBL Charge 5
JBL Boombox 3
The JBL Boombox 3 is a better speaker for most uses than the JBL Charge 5. While the Charge 5 is smaller, lighter, and more portable, the Boombox 3 gets louder, and there's less compression present at max volume. The Boombox 3 also has a more balanced sound, with plenty of bass to supplement the detailed mid and treble ranges. It also has double the continuous battery life.
Variants
- JBL Charge 5 (Black)
- JBL Charge 5 (Blue)
- JBL Charge 5 (Camo)
- JBL Charge 5 (Gray)
- JBL Charge 5 (Green)
- JBL Charge 5 (Pink)
- JBL Charge 5 (Red)
- JBL Charge 5 (Teal)
- JBL Charge 5 (White)
- BoomBox 3 (Black)
- BoomBox 3 (Squad)
Check Price
Black
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comBlack
BoomBox 3
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Amazon.comBlue
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comSquad
BoomBox 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comCamo
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comGray
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comGreen
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comPink
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comRed
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comTeal
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comWhite
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comMain Differences forMusic
Music
Threshold
Music
6.5
7.7
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.7
7.5
Dynamics
6.6
8.8
Soundstage
5.8
7.2
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Style Photo
RGB Lights
No
No
Portability
9.1
8.1
Dimensions Photo
Volume
121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
1,465 in³ (24,000 cm³)
Weight
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
15.1 lbs (6.9 kg)
Power Source
Battery & USB
AC & Battery
One-Hand Carry
Yes
Yes
Build Quality
8.3
8.5
Build Quality Photo
Material Quality
Great
Great
Water Resistance
Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)
Dust Resistance
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Dust-Proof (IP6x)
Impact Resistance
Unspecified
Unspecified
Floats In Water
Unspecified
Yes
Controls
6.6
6.6
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
Forward Only (Physical)
Forward Only (Physical)
Microphone On/Off
No
No
Additional Controls
Yes
Yes
In The Box
In The Box Photo
Sound
Frequency Response Accuracy
6.7
7.5
Frequency Response Graph
Slope
0.49
0.48
Std. Err.
3.75 dB
2.64 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
59.1 Hz
46.2 Hz
High-Frequency Extension
18.5 kHz
19.3 kHz
Raw Frequency Response
Raw Frequency Response Graph
Binaural Recording @ 1m
Binaural Recording @ 2m
Soundstage
5.8
7.2
Directivity Graph
Directivity Index
4.27 dB
5.32 dB
Stereo
No (mono)
Yes
Dynamics
6.6
8.8
Dynamic Range Compression
SPL @ Max Volume
90.2 dB SPL
97.7 dB SPL
DRC @ Max Volume
3.15 dB
0.66 dB
Active Features
Battery
8.7
8.9
Battery Life
14.5 hrs
29.7 hrs
Charge Time
3.8 hrs
4.6 hrs
Power Saving
Yes
Yes
Charging Port
USB-C
AC
Battery Powered
Yes
Yes
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
App
7.9
7.9
App Picture
App Name
JBL Portable
JBL Portable
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
EQ
Graphic
Graphic
Stereo Pair Mode
Yes
Yes
Party Mode
Yes
Yes
Multi-Room
No
No
Connectivity
Wired
Aux Input
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Other Ports
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
8.5
8.2
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth Version
5.1
5.3
Bluetooth iOS Latency
125 ms
143 ms
Bluetooth Android Latency
102 ms
141 ms
Bluetooth Range
328.1 ft (100.0 m)
334.6 ft (102.0 m)
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
2 Devices
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
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlack
BoomBox 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comBlue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comSquad
BoomBox 3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comCamo
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comGray
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comGreen
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comPink
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comRed
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTeal
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.comWhite
JBL Charge 5
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Amazon.com
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JBL Charge 5
JBL Boombox 3
Comments
JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Boombox 3: Main Discussion
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