When people are thinking of buying a Bluetooth speaker, one brand appears to stand out from the rest. JBL has speaker to fit different budgets. Just how well are the JBL Charge 4 speakers doing since the initial release? Let's see.
Play and Charge endlessly - Introducing the JBL Charge 4 portable Bluetooth speaker with full-spectrum, powerful sound and a built-in power bank to charge your devices. It features a proprietary developed driver and two JBL bass radiators that intensify sound with strong deep bass. Its high-capacity 7500mAh rechargeable Li-ion battery provides up to 20 hours of playtime.
The speaker carries a convenient USB charge out to quickly charge your devices, such as your smartphone, so you will never run out of power again. The Charge 4 features a rugged design, IPX7 waterproof rated exterior and comes in a suite of cool colors. Together with JBL Connect+ it can wirelessly link more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers to elevate your listening experience.
Main Features
1. Wireless Bluetooth Streaming
Wirelessly connect up to 2 smartphones or tablets to the speaker and take turns enjoying powerful sound.
2. Up to 20 hours of playtime
Built-in rechargeable Li-ion 7500mAH battery supports up to 20 hours of playtime and charges your device via USB port.
3. IPX7 waterproof
Take Charge 4 to the beach or the pool without worrying about spills or even submersion in water
The build quality of JBL
At first, the Charge 4 looks very similar to Charge 3. When you look at it closely, you will find that there are a few minor deviations from each other. The new Charge 4 is significantly smaller in several respects, but it's also heavier by 165 grams (7.05 ounces). This is not good news if you are dependent on the portability of the speaker. A pound in the morning would be more than a pound in the evening. However, this does not make a significant difference in daily activities. You should be able to bring this around without any trouble. JBL upgraded the battery from 6,000mAh to at least 7,500mAh on the Charge 4. The Charge 4 also retains some of the strongest elements of the Charge 3.
Is it waterproof?
There is a revival of waterproof fabric along with IPX7 certification. The kayak floats for a brief period of time while submerged. These reflectors are identical to newer JBL speakers that have turned up over the past couple of years.
Testing a waterproof speaker by submerging it in water. The speaker started to speak, but the sound was so noisy that it was hard to understand him. JBL customer service claimed that a one year manufacturer's warranty had expired, and an out of warranty product could not be replaced for free. It was incredible how weak JBL was against inclement weather. On top, you'll see headphone controls, a power button, and a Bluetooth button. The bottom is a small rubber flap guard that holds the ports and connections waterproof. Often, make sure to close this before you take it to the beach or rock on the side of the pool.
How do you connect your JBL Charge 4?
To link to the speaker, there are numerous methods. After turning the device on, all you have to do is push a button next to the power button and Bluetooth will automatically enter pairing mode. Next, just search for and connect to the computer in your Bluetooth settings.
If you can't tell, JBL Charge 4 sounds a lot like JBL Charge 3. Relation in iteration is where items to start to break away from. The Charge 4 has very wide range for its dimensions. The audio playback controls work well, but I think the buttons should be made from transparent plastic as it is difficult to see which button is which at night. This system does not have a built-in microphone, which may be distracting. Personally, I feel like this mode is troublesome for me personally because I don't want to have a red light on my speaker.
On paper, you can see the JBL Charge 4 has Bluetooth 4.2 instead of the older 4.1 which is cool, but the JBL Link is one of the significant improvements in JBL Charge 4. If you are familiar with JBL speakers, you might want to know JBL Link. It's not exactly an audiophile device but if you're having an event it will probably benefit you! JBL Connect+ is an Improved version of the older JBL Connect, which lets you connect 100 JBL speakers or a greater number together instead of a single one. If you own a house, this can be very fun.
With the old JBL Link device, this would not be compatible. But if you are planning a "Project X" type party where you are going to throw 100 of these and you want to make your friends jealous. To the average citizen, this is pretty much incidental.
The battery life of the Charge 4
Despite having a bigger, superior battery, it is said that both the JBL Charge 4 and the JBL Charge 3 have 20 hours of continuous playback. It pumps out music for 13 hours and 46 minutes straight. It wasn't quite the 20 hours a week they promised, but it's not bad. Charging your device through USB-A output on the back could drop your battery life though. There's a 3.5mm input and a USB Type-C on the back, but the latter can only be used to charge. In this scenario, it's impossible to charge your new smartphone in that way. You have to use the USB-A cable for anything charging-related.
The sound quality. Is it really good?
I was shocked at how similar the sound quality sounded to the Charge 3. JBL opted not to have dual-DRIVERS this time around, but you probably won't note the difference. The new JBL Charge 4 from JBL has a good soundstage at lower midrange and bass as well.
Like the old Charge 3, this will sound best in larger rooms and open areas because bass appears to lose intensity as it gets farther away from the listener. To raise your pleasure levels, leave the Charge 4 in a barn, yard, or garage if necessary.
This fact also remains constant in the song "Tearing at the Seams" by Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats. The voices could be heard a little, but they were taking a backseat to the instruments in the music.
This is particularly true in the song Lost on You by LP, where the instrumentation really sounds like it's in rivalry with each other. If you are a fan of high-end audio systems, you don't have to fear because you don't hear any loud sounds at high volumes. Overall, it seems like JBL concentrated on enhancing the sound while not altering the strength of the speaker. If you didn't like the last Charge 3, I guarantee you will like this Charge 3 too.
So should you buy one?
Our review ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 / 5)
My perspective on JBL Charge 4 has grown over the last few months. I figured the Charge 4 wasn't good enough to warrant such a big price gap. In reality, as time went on, the Charge 3 started to increase in price for some reason, which in turn made me realize that I didn't really see the value of the Charge 3 because I wasn't going to be saving too much money anyway. Currently, the Charge 3 is cheaper and the Charge 4 is more costly. The JBL Charge 4 is okay if you can't get the JBL Charge 3 at a good price (less than $100). The discrepancies between these two minivans are slight, so you should not be hesitant to buy the older one.