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JBL Charge 5 vs Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

JBL Charge 5
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:04 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated May 22, 2025 04:42 PM

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Amazon.com
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Picture
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL
  1. Recommended in 9 articles:
  2. Bluetooth
  3. Portable
  4. Outdoor
  5. 6

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 5

Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

The JBL Charge 5 and Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 are toe-toe in many respects, tilting the scales at the same weight and IP67 ratings. Which is better depends a bit on how you use them, but by default, the Ultimate Ears is bassier, while the JBL is a bit brighter and more balanced. Both have equalizers, though the Ultimate Ears app's EQ controls more frequencies. The JBL can get louder and has more conventional controls. It's also less likely to tip over on an uneven surface. However, the Ultimate Ears has impact resistance and a 360-degree design, ensuring your audio sounds the same across angles.

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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)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Active Black)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Cobalt Blue)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Enchanting Lilac)
  • MEGABOOM 4 (Raspberry Red)

Check Price

Black
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Active Black
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cobalt Blue
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Enchanting Lilac
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Raspberry Red
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Teal
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.5
7.1

Soundstage 
 

5.8
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Style Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

121 in³ (1,982 cm³)
104 in³ (1,703 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.3
9.0

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Great
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Yes
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
5.8

Controls Photo  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Good

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)
No

Microphone On/Off 
 

No
No

Additional Controls 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.7
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

0.49
-0.76

Std. Err. 
 

3.75 dB
3.96 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

59.1 Hz
58.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.5 kHz
17.7 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.8
9.1

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

4.27 dB
1.67 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
Yes
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.6
6.1

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

90.2 dB SPL
83.0 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.15 dB
2.49 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.7
9.2

Battery Life 
 

14.5 hrs
≈ 20.0 hrs

Charge Time 
 

3.8 hrs
2.3 hrs

Power Saving 
 

Yes
Yes

Charging Port 
 

USB-C
USB-C

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  

JBL Charge 5 App Picture
Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
Ultimate Ears

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

Graphic
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 
 

No
No

Other Ports 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.5
8.2

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
Unspecified

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

125 ms
19 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

102 ms
124 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
341.2 ft (104.0 m)

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

2 Devices
No
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
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Active Black
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Cobalt Blue
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Enchanting Lilac
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Raspberry Red
MEGABOOM 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Green
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Teal
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

JBL Charge 5

Ultimate Ears MEGABOOM 4

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