The JBL Charge 5 was a well-received product that held its own against many of the market’s best portable Bluetooth speakers. Its update, the Charge 5 Wi-Fi, which serves more as a director’s cut than an official sequel, welcomes a handful of improvements to the series that we’re hoping become standard with future releases.
Overall performance is high with the speaker delivering robust sound and battery life. JBL staples such as impactful bass response and waterproof casing remain intact. New features also expand functionality, allowing for quicker and stabler connectivity via Wi-Fi, as well as seamless useability across multiple music streaming services and devices.
However, the Charge 5 Wi-Fi is priced higher than most competitors, including older Charge models, making it a premium investment for select audiences.
JBL’s latest flagship speaker builds on its base model with signature sturdy aesthetics, tweaked sound performance and Wi-Fi capability for smoother wireless playback.
What we liked about it
Powerful bass with full-bodied sound
Bass is the driving force on all JBL products. The Charge 5 Wi-Fi packs plenty of it, thanks to a new woofer that’s slightly larger than the one featured in the previous version. Sound is loud and travels far when blasting music, though you’ll want to keep volume at a reasonable level to prevent distortion on boom-heavy recordings.
Listening to up-tempo bangers like Gorillaz’s “New Gold” had me vibing by the pool area. The speaker’s rich and punchy low end did the funky bass and skipping drumbeats justice while reproducing the synthesized vocals exceptionally well, which many competitors have failed to do. Percussion-less productions such as Smoke DZA’s “Hold the Drums” showcased the refinements in JBL’s soundstage. I was shocked by how detailed and transparent the mids and highs sounded. The infectious piano loop and Marvin Gaye voice sample were serene and transparent, giving the latter an angelic presence.
Much of my listening time was spent on Tidal because of the platform’s lossless, hi-fi catalog; Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) tracks stream at 9,216 kilbits per second. The difference in sound quality compared to Apple Music and Spotify was apparent.
Wi-Fi makes a significant difference
One can argue that Wi-Fi capability on a Bluetooth speaker is unnecessary, and they wouldn’t be wrong, but that doesn’t make the feature less valuable. In fact, Wi-Fi provides more flexibility and stronger sound performance. I noticed a boost in clarity and detail retrieval on locally stored files and on streaming platforms.
Wi-Fi accessibility also grants users control of media-playing and sharing features, including AirPlay 2, Alexa Multi-Room Music, Chromecast and Spotify Connect. You can cast music to the speaker and use your smartphone for other things.
Aesthetically pleasing and long-lasting
JBL has created some of the most handsome indestructible speakers ever made. Very little has changed. The Charge 5 Wi-Fi retains the series’ signature hard-woven-wrapped covering with rubbery driver housing and logo. IP67 dustproof and waterproof protection ensures the speaker’s survival in harsh environmental conditions. The matte finish around the controls and logo creates a nice shine effect that complements the speaker’s all-black colorway.
A single charge generates up to 20 hours of playtime. This is the same as its predecessor, which also outperforms our favorite portable Bluetooth speaker, Ultimate Ears’ UE Boom 3, by five hours.
The most practical portable speaker around
Wi-Fi aside, this new JBL Charge 5 packs plenty of other perks that enhance both the listening and user experience.
The embossed playback controls are easy to locate and produce solid tactility that ensures intended commands are executed. Set between them is an LED module with a power button and Bluetooth button to enter Pairing mode or inform you when the speaker is connected.
A new app was developed for the Charge 5 Wi-Fi called the JBL One. It’s sleeker, more user friendly and essential for hooking up the speaker via Wi-Fi. You’ll discover a manual EQ to tweak bass, treble and mids, along with a Moment button (heart icon) to enable an assigned command like audio customization, auto-off or volume adjustment. Other notables include a battery indicator, music player and shortcuts to popular music services like Spotify and Tidal.
However, charging might be the speaker’s most unsung feature. Dual ports (USB-A, USB-C) not only grant you two ways to recharge the speaker but allow the Charge 5 Wi-Fi to double as a portable power bank. That’s right. The speaker can be used to power up different devices, including laptops, smartphones and tablets.
What we didn’t like about it
Limited party factor
Some omissions hold the Charge 5 Wi-Fi from being a top-tier party speaker. For one, it doesn’t support either of the JBL multi-pairing modes, Connect+ or PartyBoost. That means you can’t link multiple Charge 5 Wi-Fi speakers together for true stereo surround sound. Another popular feature that’s missing is the pulse-lightning technology from the Partybox and Pulse series, which would liven up gatherings by creating an awesome light show based on music selections.
Heavy weight and price tag
At 2.2 pounds, this isn’t the most portable-friendly speaker out there. Favorites like the UE Boom 3 (1.8 pounds), Tribit Stormbox Micro (0.6 pounds) and the company’s own JBL Clip 4 (0.53 pounds) are lighter carries. The price tag is also hefty; it costs $148 on Amazon as of this writing and is a much pricier $230 on JBL’s website.
Bottom line
The JBL Charge 5 Wi-Fi is not a massive step up from the previous version, but it’s a noteworthy model with better features, sound and wireless performance. Wi-Fi connectivity adds more clarity and nuance to recordings. The EQ lets the listeners personalize the soundstage to their hearing. Other cool features like built-in portable charging, control shortcuts and waterproofing add to its appeal.
At the same time, a speaker this pricey should come with all JBL proprietary technologies, especially PartyBoost for multi-speaker pairing. The extra weight makes it less fun to carry as well.