#Jbl charge 4 vs jbl charge 5 portable#
#Jbl charge 4 vs jbl charge 5 Bluetooth#

Neither the JBL Charge 4 or the JBL Charge 5 offer Apple Siri or Google Assistant integration.

Some other final things you’ll want to take into consideration. The USC C port on the Charge 4 is located under the port cover on the back of the device, while the USB C port on the Charge 5 is located next to the port cover. And while use of a USB Type C input to charge the JBL Charge 5 didn’t change, where that port is located did. That may be a deal breaker for some people, so it’s important to be aware of. One of the biggest changes from the JBL Charge 4 to the JBL Charge 5 is the removal of the 3.5-millimeter audio cable input port.

#Jbl charge 4 vs jbl charge 5 Bluetooth#

But as a reminder speaker audio is experienced differently by everyone, so you’ll want to listen to the JBL Charge 5 or JBL Charge 4 in a store to make sure the audio quality is something you’re comfortable with as it relates to any other Bluetooth speakers you’re considering. In that scenario the JBL Charge 5 really shined, pumping out audio that sounded great even from modest distances. Also, one other audio test I did was to take the speakers outside into a large open space to see how the sound carried. It’s worth noting that the output power for both speakers is the same at 30-watts RMS, the frequency response for both speakers is the same at between 60 and 20 hertz, and the signal-to-noise ratio is the same at 80 decibels. When you have the volume cranked up to over 80 percent, both speakers will start to distort a little. The Charge 4 and the Charge 5 are very close in terms of sound quality, but I think the audio overall sounds cleaner on the Charge 5. The button clickiness on both the JBL Charge 5 and the JBL Charge 4 is comparable, even though I did feel like the Charge 5 buttons were slightly easier to press.

#Jbl charge 4 vs jbl charge 5 portable#

Older JBL portable Bluetooth speakers let you configure the Play button to activate either Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant, but you can’t do that on either the JBL Charge 4 or the JBL Charge 5.Īnd one final note here. It’s also worth saying the Play button on both speakers lets you start, stop and skip songs - and that’s it. Said differently, you can only connect a JBL Connect+ speaker with another JBL Bluetooth speaker that uses Connect+, and a JBL PartyBoost speaker with another JBL Bluetooth speaker that uses PartyBoost.

It’s also important to note that JBL’s different connection technologies don’t work with each other, so you can’t connect a JBL Charge 4 with Connect+ to a JBL Charge 5 with PartyBoost. These distances are obviously with a clean line of sight and if other obstacles are in the way the range will decrease for either, but you’re looking to get two new speakers to connect to each other, you’ll probably want to go with the JBL Charge 5. JBL speakers connected through JBL Connect+ can hold a connection over roughly 40 yards, while speakers using JBL PartyBoost can hold a connection while up to roughly 80 yards away from each other. The difference, and the only reason it appears JBL made the move away from JBL Connect+ to PartyBoost is the range that can be between connected speakers. Both JBL Connect+ and PartyBoost let you connect up to 100 other JBL speakers together, so there’s no difference there. The biggest difference here is obviously the technology that JBL uses for each speaker to connect to other JBL speakers. It shouldn’t be enough to affect your decision, but the JBL Charge 5 is the slightly smaller of the two Bluetooth speakers. The JBL Charge 4 and the JBL Charge 5 have almost the exact same size dimensions, with both measuring in around 8.7-inches wide, 3.7-inches tall and 3.7 inches deep, and weighing in at just a little over two pounds. Build and Form Factorįirst let’s look at the build and form factor of each device. Alternatively, if you want to purchase the JBL Charge 4 you can do that by clicking here. In this article we’ll look at build and form factor, button access and features, power and ports, and I’ll also do a sound comparison.Īnd a quick note before we get into the description that if you do want to purchase the JBL Charge 5 you can do so by clicking here. While there are a lot of similarities between the two portable Bluetooth speakers, there are some major differences that may affect which one best meets your needs. In this article I’ll compare the JBL Charge 4 to the JBL Charge 5 to help you determine which JBL Bluetooth speaker is right for you.