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JBL Pulse 4 vs Charge 5

Which Speaker Is Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Design
      PicturesStylePortabilityBuild QualityControlsIn The Box
    Sound
      Frequency Response AccuracyRaw Frequency ResponseSoundstageDynamics
    Active Features
      BatteryVoice AssistantApp
    Connectivity
      WiredBluetoothWi-Fi
    Comments

Products

JBL Pulse 4
JBL Charge 5

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Sep 04, 2024 07:11 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.8

Updated Aug 08, 2025 05:04 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
JBL Pulse 4 Picture
JBL Charge 5 Picture
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Wi-Fi
No
Speakerphone
No
Voice Assistant
No
Battery Powered
Yes
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. JBL

Our Verdict

JBL Pulse 4

JBL Charge 5

The JBL Charge 5 is a slightly better speaker than the JBL Pulse 4. The Charge 5 is better built and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, certifying it to be dust-tight and immersible in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. It can also get louder and offers a better-balanced sound profile that can produce deeper bass than the Pulse 4. However, the Pulse 4 comes with customizable RGB lights and offers a more natural-sounding soundstage thanks to its 360-degree design.

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Variants

  • Pulse 4 (Black)
  • Pulse 4 (White)
  • 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)

Review

See JBL Pulse 4 Review
See JBL Charge 5 Review
2 
3 

Check Price

Black
Pulse 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Pulse 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Gray
JBL Charge 5
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

Main Differences for
Music

Threshold 

0.10

Music 

6.1
6.5

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.8
6.7

Soundstage 
 

7.6
5.8

EQ 
 

No
Graphic

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Style Photo  

JBL Pulse 4 Style Photo
JBL Charge 5 Style Photo

RGB Lights  

Yes
No
Show Text 

Portability 
 

9.1
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

JBL Pulse 4 Dimensions Photo
JBL Charge 5 Dimensions Photo

Volume 
 

81 in³ (1,324 cm³)
121 in³ (1,982 cm³)

Weight 
 

2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)
2.0 lbs (0.9 kg)

Power Source 
 

Battery & USB
Battery & USB

One-Hand Carry 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

7.1
8.3

Build Quality Photo  

JBL Pulse 4 Build Quality Photo
JBL Charge 5 Build Quality Photo

Material Quality 
 

Good
Great

Water Resistance 
 

Submersible (IPx7)
Submersible (IPx7)

Dust Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Dust-Proof (IP6x)

Impact Resistance 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified

Floats In Water 
 

Unspecified
Unspecified
Show Text 

Controls 
 

6.7
6.6

Controls Photo  

JBL Pulse 4 Controls Photo
JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo

Controls Photo 2  

JBL Pulse 4 Controls Photo 2
JBL Charge 5 Controls Photo 2

Ease Of Use 
 

Great
Great

Feedback 
 

Great
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
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

JBL Pulse 4 In The Box Photo
JBL Charge 5 In The Box Photo
Show Text 
Sound

Frequency Response Accuracy 
 

5.8
6.7

Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Slope 
 

-0.10
0.49

Std. Err. 
 

4.09 dB
3.75 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

91.1 Hz
59.1 Hz

High-Frequency Extension 
 

17.5 kHz
18.5 kHz
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw Frequency Response Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Binaural Recording @ 1m 
 

Binaural Recording @ 2m 
 

Soundstage 
 

7.6
5.8

Directivity Graph  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

Directivity Index 
 

0.88 dB
4.27 dB

Stereo 
 

No (mono)
No (mono)
Show Text 

Dynamics 
 

6.4
6.6

Dynamic Range Compression  

See details
See details
 Compare in Graph Tool

SPL @ Max Volume 
 

83.3 dB SPL
90.2 dB SPL

DRC @ Max Volume 
 

1.99 dB
3.15 dB
Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

8.0
8.7

Battery Life 
 

11.5 hrs
14.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

6.4 hrs
3.8 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

Far-Field Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone

Ambient Noise Performance 
 

No Microphone
No Microphone
Show Text 

App 
 

6.6
7.9

App Picture  

JBL Pulse 4 App Picture
JBL Charge 5 App Picture

App Name 
 

JBL Portable
JBL Portable

iOS 
 

Yes
Yes

Android 
 

Yes
Yes

EQ 
 

No
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
Yes
Show Text 

Bluetooth 
 

8.2
8.5

Bluetooth 
 

Yes
Yes

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.1
5.1

Bluetooth iOS Latency 
 

154 ms
125 ms

Bluetooth Android Latency 
 

93 ms
102 ms

Bluetooth Range 
 

187.0 ft (57.0 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
Pulse 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Pulse 4
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Blue
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Camo
JBL Charge 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
 
Gray
JBL Charge 5
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
Back to Top

JBL Pulse 4

JBL Charge 5

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 year ago

JBL Pulse 4 vs JBL Charge 5: Main Discussion

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