JBL Charge 6 vs Bose SoundLink Plus

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

JBL Charge 6
Bose SoundLink Plus

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Oct 23, 2025 01:32 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jul 04, 2025 04:37 PM

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Amazon.com

Our Verdict

JBL Charge 6

Bose SoundLink Plus

The Bose SoundLink Plus and the JBL Charge 6 are similarly portable speakers, and either would be a good fit for outdoor use. The JBL edges out the Bose speaker unless your top priority is longer battery life. The JBL is better constructed, has an IP68 rating, and has premium build quality. The two speakers are mono-only and have a similar frequency response that rolls off some bass while keeping the mid and treble ranges smooth. While the Bose can get a tad louder, it compresses much more at max volume. Its nearly 20-hour battery life is impressive but comes with a long, almost 5-hour charge time. Conversely, the JBL clocks in at 13.7 hours, but you won't spend the better part of a day charging it.

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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)
  • SoundLink Plus (Black)
  • SoundLink Plus (Blue Dusk)

Check Price

Black
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Black
SoundLink Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Blue Dusk
SoundLink Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Funky
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Purple
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Sand
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Squad
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
White
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.7
6.7

Dynamics 
 

6.3
5.7

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.0

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

113 in³ (1,848 cm³)
112 in³ (1,840 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.2 lbs (1.0 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.2
8.7

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx8)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Yes (IK rating unspecified)
Yes (IK rating unspecified)

Floats In Water 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.9
6.8

Controls Photo  

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 
 

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
0.48

Std. Err. 
 

2.72 dB
2.63 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

55.8 Hz
54.2 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

18.2 kHz
18.8 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

5.8
6.0

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

4.17 dB
3.80 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.3
5.7

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

89.1 dB SPL
91.7 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.50 dB
5.36 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.9
8.7

Battery Life 
 

13.7 hrs
19.1 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.5 hrs
4.6 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

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
Bose

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
No

Other Ports 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

7.8
8.3

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.4
5.4

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

204 ms
126 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

195 ms
128 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

328.1 ft (100.0 m)
328.1 ft (100.0 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
BestBuy.com
Black
SoundLink Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Blue Dusk
SoundLink Plus
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Funky
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
 
Purple
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Red
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Sand
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Squad
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 
White
Charge 6
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
 

JBL Charge 6

Bose SoundLink Plus

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JBL Charge 6 vs Bose SoundLink Plus: Main Discussion

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