The JBL Charge 5 edges out the Charge 4, but it’s far from a one-horse race.
The Charge is widely considered JBL’s most versatile Bluetooth speaker. It’s larger, louder, and has more bass than the Flip series, but is easier to carry and more affordable than the larger Xtreme range. We’ve been testing the Charge 4 and Charge 5 to see how they compare, these are our thoughts and objective measurements on both speakers and which we recommend buying.
Key Takeaways:
- The addition of a tweeter makes the Charge 5 brighter with more detail.
- Both offer comprehensive controls, but lack the ability to skip tracks backward.
- Despite being older, the Charge 4 outperforms the Charge 5 in its Bluetooth performance.
- Both speakers provide similar battery and charging performance.
Our Winner
Charge 5
JBL Charge 4 vs JBL Charge 5
| Model | JBL Charge 4 | JBL Charge 5 |
| Release Date: | Sept 2018 | Feb 2021 |
| Water Resistance | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Output Power | 30W | 40W |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Bluetooth Profiles | A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.6 | A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.6 |
| Battery Life | Up to 20 Hours | Up to 20 Hours |
| Charging Time | 4 Hours | 4 Hours |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz–20kHz | 60Hz–20kHz |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Multispeaker Pairing | Yes (Connect+) | Yes (PartyBoost) |
| Weight | 2.12 lbs | 2.11 lbs |
| Dimensions | 8.7 x 3.7 x 3.7″ | 8.7 x 3.76 x 3.67″ |
| App Support | JBL Portable | JBL Portable |
| Price: | Check Price | Check Price |
Design, Build, & Durability
Summary: The Charge 4 and Charge 5 are nearly identical in their weights and dimensions, but have distinctly difference designs. I prefer the physical durability of the Charge 4, but the Charge 5 has the benefit of dustproofing.
Durability
Winner: Charge 4
Both the Charge 4 and 5 have similar durability, both featuring JBL’s iconic fabric mesh design that protects them from scratches and other superficial damage. However, the Charge 5 uses rubber strips along the base for stabilization and although I haven’t had any issues with these pads, there are a quite a few examples of customers having these detach from the speaker. For this reason, I consider the Charge 4 to have slightly better durability.
Waterproofing
Winner: Charge 5
The Charge 4 and 5 are both waterproof, but only the Charge 5 has a dust protection rating. The Charge 4 has an IPX7 rating, protecting it from splashes, sprays, rain and can survive being submerged in water of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. The Charge 5 retains the same waterproofing, but with an added level 6 dust protection rating meaning the Charge 5 is IP67 compliant.
Portability
Winner: Tied
Although the Charge is slightly larger than the Flip series, they’re still easily portable and as you can see in the images above, they can fit into one hand quite easily. There’s no real differences between each model when it comes to portability, they have the same general dimensions and have barely any difference in their weight. Keep in mind that neither speaker has a carry loop, meaning they are better suited to carrying in a backpack in most situations.
Controls, Connectivity & App Support
Summary: Controls are similar on both speakers, but differ greatly in the speakers they can be paired with. The Charge 5 supports a broader range of modern JBL speakers. Although they both use the JBL Portable app, only the Charge 5 gets the benefit of a custom EQ which can be used to dial in its sound. In contrast, the Charge 4’s Bluetooth pairing has lower latency and slightly better range.
Inputs & Outputs
Winner: Charge 4
There is a subtle difference in the inputs and outputs of these speakers. The Charge 4 has both a USB-A output for charging phones and a 3.5mm auxiliary input to stream music to the speaker without needing Bluetooth. The Charge 5 offers the same USB-A output, but lacks the auxiliary input.
Controls
Winner: Tied
There are almost no differences in the physical controls on these speakers. They’re easy to reach and separated well to prevent accidentally pressing the wrong button. Disappointingly, neither speaker has a shortcut to skipping tracks backward. However, you can adjust the volume, perform multi-speaker pairing, Bluetooth pairing, play/pause, and skip tracks forward using the on-speaker controls.
Bluetooth
Winner: Charge 4
Bluetooth performance is good on both speakers, but the Charge 4 has both lower latency and better range than the Charge 5. This isn’t uncommon, and while the move to Bluetooth 5.0 and up saw improvements in many areas, 4.2 is still widely considered one of the best and most stable releases. It’s not to say that the Charge 5’s wireless connectivity is bad, it’s just that the Charge 4 outperformed most of the market at the time in this regard.
Multi-Speaker Pairing
Winner: Charge 5
Both speakers support general multi-speaker pairing and true wireless stereo. The Charge 4 does this using Connect+, one of JBL’s older proprietary pairing technologies. The Charge 5 on the other hand supports PartyBoost, which is a more modern protocol with broader support across JBL products. These are the speakers that each can be paired with:
Charge 4: Flip 4, Charge 3, Xtreme 2, Pulse 3, Boombox (first generation)
Charge 5: Xtreme 3, Flip 5, Flip 6, Pulse 4, Boombox 2, Pulse 5, Boombox 3
App Support
Winner: Charge 5
Although both speakers use the JBL Portable app, the Charge 5 has a lot more versatility within the app and a significant advantage is the 3-band EQ. Personally, I’d have liked a 5-band for a speaker of this price range, but still, the ability to dial in the sound of your speaker directly through the JBL app is a game changer. The app also provides other functionality like checking the remaining battery life or establishing multi-speaker connections.
Audio Performance
Summary: The Charge 5 offers better sound than the Charge 4. It’s got more power which results in higher volume levels, while it also sounds more balanced, brighter and detailed than the Charge 4. Its biggest advantage is the separate tweeter, which helps produce more nuance.
Frequency Response
Winner: Charge 5
When we measure frequency response, we look at how each speaker compares in the various range of frequencies they produce (bass, midrange and treble), including how balanced those frequencies are.
Our tests showed the Charge 5 producing more bass, which gives it a slightly more punchy sound than the Charge 4. The midrange frequencies, which include things like guitars and vocals are decent on both speakers, but the Charge 4’s upper midrange isn’t as balanced as the Charge 5 which makes the Charge 5 sound brighter and vocals come through cleaner and easier to hear. The same difference is noticeable in the highs (also called treble), where the Charge 5 produces more detail, allowing tracks to sound wider.
Soundstage & Dynamics
Winner: Charge 5
Soundstage is average on both of these speakers, which is usually the case when we review speakers in this size range. That’s cause soundstage is improved by comprehensive driver designs and speakers which have fewer drivers are going to be more limited in the range of separation they can produce. As a result, it can sound like all sounds are coming from a single source. That said, the Charge 5 does slightly better than the Charge 4 here, owed primarily to its separate tweeter which the Charge 4 lacks.
Dynamics refers to the subtle variation in sounds across different volumes and frequencies. It represents the amount of detail the speaker can reproduce. Dynamics has been a key focus of recent JBL releases, but the Charge 4 and 5 were both released prior to this and as such lack the kind of dynamic performance found on the JBL Xtreme 4 for instance. We anticipate that the dynamic range will be improved dramatically when the Charge 6 is released.
Volume
Winner: Charge 5
The Charge series is well-suited to personal use or small gatherings and fits right in next to a swimming pool or at the patio table. Indoor, they can both fill a small room but won’t cover a large dining room for instance. The Charge 5 is quite a bit louder than the Charge 4, making it a better choice for group listening.
When we tested the decibels using a measuring microphone, the Charge 4 put out a total of 87.2 dB while the Charge 5 produced 90.8 dB at the same distance.
However, owing to the limited dynamic range, both speakers have a drop off in sound quality when pushed past 80% volume.
Battery
Summary: Both speakers give nearly the same battery performance, lasting around 13 to 14 hours at moderate volume levels and going from 0 to 100% charging in 4 hours.
Both the Charge 4 and 5 have rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries that are rated by JBL to last up to 20 hours. In our tests, we found the Charge 4 to last around 12 hours at moderate listening levels and the Charge 5 lasted just over an hour more than that. Volume levels will directly impact the overall playtime, but since neither speaker has lights you won’t need to worry about that digging into your battery life.
Recharging times are similar on both speakers, taking around 4 hours.
Is It Worth Waiting For The Charge 6?
With it almost being 4 years since the release of the Charge 5, you may be wondering if it’s worth waiting for the Charge 6 instead. It’s a valid query, but also one that can only be answered with speculation. You see, JBL hasn’t announced anything about the Charge 6 as of yet. However, I do expect the Charge 6 to be announced in the first or second quarter of 2025, based on historic JBL release trends.
If you already own the JBL Charge 4 and you’re considering upgrading to the Charge 5 – I’d suggest holding off until the release of the Charge 6 and that’s primarily because of JBL’s 2024 releases. JBL has shifted more focus towards balanced sound and new multi-speaker pairing technologies like Auracast, and I think the Charge 6 is going to offer substantial improvement over the Charge 5 when it does come out. However, with no confirmation of the release, there’s always the risk that the Charge 6 only gets released later in 2025.
Price & Value
At the time of this review, both the Charge 4 and 5 had a retail list price of $179. However, both speakers are regularly available on sale and you can expect to pay between $100 and $130 for the Charge 4 and around $130 to $150 for the Charge 5.
Between the two speakers, I’d strongly recommend going for the Charge 5 at a discount over the Charge 4. The improvements are noticeable and the fact that the Charge 4 uses Connect+, a pairing protocol that is for the most part outdated, is just one significant reason to go for the Charge 5 instead.
So if you had $130 to work with, would I recommend the Charge 5? Only if you already own other JBL speakers that use PartyBoost or love the sound profile that the Charge 5 has. My personal choice if I was working on that budget would be to get the Soundcore Boom 2, which although a significantly larger speaker, outperforms the Charge 5 in sound quality while also being lightweight and easy to carry.
Conclusion
Overall, both speakers are worth considering, but by and large the JBL Charge 5 is the better choice, especially when purchased on a sale. There isn’t much difference between the controls or durability of each speaker. The Charge 4 still performs better in terms of its wireless connectivity, but the ability to EQ the Charge 5 and its brighter sound make it an easy pick over its predecessor.
