JBL Flip 6 vs Pulse 5

Which Speaker Is Better?

Products

JBL Flip 6
JBL Pulse 5

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jun 02, 2025 12:51 PM

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Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Jan 25, 2024 05:06 PM

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  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Our Verdict

JBL Flip 6

JBL Pulse 5

Depending on your preferences, you may want either the JBL Flip 6 or the JBL Pulse 5. The Flip shines when it comes to sound quality—it has a more balanced sound right out of the box. It has more physical buttons, so it's easier to control. However, it doesn't have as good of a soundstage as the 360-degree Pulse and lacks the Pulse's eye-catching RGB lights.

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Variants

  • Flip 6 (Black)
  • Flip 6 (Blue)
  • Flip 6 (Green)
  • Flip 6 (Grey)
  • Flip 6 (Martin Garrix)
  • Flip 6 (Pink)
  • Flip 6 (Red)
  • Flip 6 (Squad)
  • Flip 6 (Teal)
  • Flip 6 (White)
  • Pulse 5 (Black)

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Black
Flip 6
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Black
Pulse 5
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Amazon.com
Blue
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
SEE PRICE
B&H
Green
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
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BestBuy.com
Grey
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
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Walmart.com
Martin Garrix
Flip 6
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
 
 
Squad
Flip 6
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Teal
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
 
White
Flip 6
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Amazon.com
 

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.4
6.6

Soundstage 
 

6.3
7.6

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.1

Dynamics 
 

6.0
7.3

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

RGB Lights  

No
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.3
9.0

Dimensions Photo  

Volume 
 

46 in³ (760 cm³)
142 in³ (2,325 cm³)

Weight 
 

1.1 lbs (0.5 kg)
3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

8.3
7.9

Build Quality Photo  

Material Quality 
 

Great
Good

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

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

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.6
3.6

Controls Photo  

Controls Photo 2  

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Okay

Feedback 
 

Good
Great

Music Play/Pause 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

Call Answer/End 
 

No
No

Volume Up/Down 
 

Yes (Physical)
No

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  

Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

6.5
6.1

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Slope 
 

-0.01
1.19

Std. Err. 
 

2.78 dB
3.93 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

75.5 Hz
75.5 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

17.5 kHz
14.1 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

6.3
7.6

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details

Directivity Index 
 

3.15 dB
0.67 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.0
7.3

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

86.8 dB SPL
85.7 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

3.78 dB
0.71 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.0
6.6

Battery Life 
 

5.9 hrs
7.9 hrs

Charge Time 
 

2.2 hrs
5.4 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 Microphone
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
Graphic

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 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.0
8.2

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.3

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

165 ms
156 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

168 ms
140 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

210.0 ft (64.0 m)
311.7 ft (95.0 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
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
SEE PRICE
B&H
Green
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Grey
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Pulse 5
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Martin Garrix
Flip 6
Amazon.com
 
Pink
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
 
Squad
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Teal
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
White
Flip 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 

JBL Flip 6

JBL Pulse 5

Comments

  1. Comparison

JBL Flip 6 vs JBL Pulse 5: Main Discussion

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