JBL Clip 4 vs Clip 5: A Worthy Upgrade

Bryn De Kocks | October 28, 2024

Released in the first quarter of 2024, the JBL Clip 5 is the latest in the Clip series and sees multiple upgrades from the Clip 4. It’s a speaker designed primarily for outdoor use, featuring an iconic built-in carabiner that lets you latch it to just about anything. Whether you’re considering an upgrade or are torn between which to buy, we’ll give you all the information you need to make an educated decision.

JBL Clip 4 vs Clip 5: A Worthy Upgrade 1

Winner – Clip 5

The JBL Clip 5 is the clear winner. Its improved audio performance, volume output, and features make it an outstanding upgrade from the Clip 4.

Technical Specifications

ModelClip 4Clip 5
Water ResistanceIP67IP67
Output Power5W7W
Bluetooth Version5.15.3
Bluetooth ProfilesA2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6A2DP 1.4, AVRCP 1.6
Battery LifeUp to 10 HoursUp to 15 Hours
Charging Time3 Hours3 Hours
Frequency Response100 Hz – 20 kHz95 Hz – 20 kHz
Auracast (TWS/Pairing)NoYes
Weight8.48 oz10.08 oz
Dimensions3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8″3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8″
App SupportNoneJBL Portable
Price:Check PriceCheck Price

JBL Clip 4 (Left) & JBL Clip 5 (Right)

Design, Build, & Durability

JBL’s Clip 4 and Clip 5 share very similar designs, especially compared to the changes we saw between the Clip 3 and 4. There are some small changes to the carabiner system including an increase in clearance and some subtle differences to the button layout.

Durability

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 5 has better durability than the Clip 4, mainly because JBL has removed the metal band that stretched across the perimeter. This metal band can easily get scratched when the speaker is propped up against some rocks and other harsh materials. Instead of the carabiner wrapping around the speaker on the Clip 5, it adopts a more subtle approach with less metal and more durable rubber, including a more durable stability block on the back of the speaker.

Waterproofing

Winner: Tied

The Clip 4 and Clip 5 have the same waterproofing, with an IP67 rating. Both speakers are protected not only from splashes, sprays, and limited submergence in water up to 1 meter deep, but they also both have dust protection.

Portability

Winner: Tied

The Clip series offers outstanding portability and both speakers come out on top when it comes to ease of carrying. They have the same dimensions, measuring 3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8″. The Clip 4 has the benefit of being slightly lighter (1.6 oz difference), while the Clip 5’s carabiner can open a bit larger, allowing it to be clipped onto more objects.

Controls, Connectivity & App Support

This is an area where the Clip 5 holds a significant advantage. The adoption of Bluetooth 5.3 brings more than just a stable connection, it introduces LE Audio support (low energy audio) and Auracast pairing, a revolutionary step forward in broadening pairing support.

JBL Clip 4

  • Bluetooth version
    5.1
  • Bluetooth profiles
    A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6
  • Bluetooth frequency
    2402 MHz – 2480 MHz
  • Bluetooth transmitter modulation
    GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
  • Bluetooth transmitter power
    ≤ 8 dBm (EIRP)

JBL Clip 5

  • Bluetooth version
    5.3
  • Bluetooth profiles
    A2DP V1.4, AVRCP V1.6
  • Bluetooth frequency range
    2402 MHz – 2480 MHz
  • Bluetooth® transmitter modulation
    GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK
  • Bluetooth transmitter power
    ≤ 8 dBm (EIRP)

Controls

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 5’s play controls remain the same as on the Clip 4, with a volume up, volume down, and play/pause button on the front face of the speaker. However, there are differences in the power and pairing buttons, which on the Clip 4 are tactile buttons on the lower side of the speaker.

The Clip 5 sees these controls turned into flat buttons and positioned on the side of the speaker, which feels better to press and is easier to access. A minor caveat, however, is that on the black model, these buttons can be challenging to see in moderate to low light as they blend in with the speaker color.

A nice addition is the ability to triple-tap the play button to skip tracks backward, a feature not afforded by the Clip 4.

Bluetooth

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 4 uses Bluetooth 5.1 while the Clip 5 has Bluetooth 5.3 support. This difference is a substantial one, as Bluetooth 5.3 comes with added benefits like LE Audio and Auracast pairing. LE Audio is beneficial as it increases efficiency, resulting in better sound quality potential and reduced battery consumption. Your phone can send higher-quality audio data to the speaker, at increased speeds.

Multi-Speaker Pairing

Winner: Clip 5

The JBL Clip 4 does not support multi-speaker pairing. In contrast, the Clip 5 has Auracast support, which facilitates group pairing, not just between other Clip 5 devices, but between a range of JBL’s new speakers that incorporate Auracast pairing. Auracast may also allow one to connect the Clip 5 to other manufacturers’ speakers going forward, as Auracast is still a developing technology.

For a wireless stereo pairing connection, you can connect the Clip 5 with another Clip 5 in a stereo pair. Being able to connect multiple Clip 5 speakers together is a nice option, but its upward-firing driver makes TWS a little less valuable than in the Go series, where the speaker is frequently faced directly toward the listener.

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App Support

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 4 doesn’t offer any app support, so if you’re looking to EQ – you’ll need to use a third-party app.

The Clip 5, in contrast, supports JBL’s Portable app, a relatively robust inclusion for a speaker of this size. Within the app, you can check on your battery level, make a multi-speaker pairing connection, enable PlaytimeBoost (a battery-saving feature), or use the presets and 5-band EQ to adjust how the speaker sounds.

Audio Performance

Despite their similarities in design, the JBL Clip 4 and Clip 5 have distinctly different sound profiles. The Clip 4 is a speaker that focuses on clarity, with a strong vocal presence. This is great for podcasts and some pop music, but it lacks depth and can sound thin. Inversely, the Clip 5 has stronger mid-ranges, which helps guitars sound meatier and strike with more ‘unf’. The Clip 5 also has more bass, which is better for electronic music and hip-hop for example.

JBL Clip 4

  • Power Output
    5W
  • Frequency Response Range
    100 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Drivers
    1x 1.75” (45mm)

JBL Clip 5

  • Power Output
    7W
  • Frequency Response Range
    95 Hz – 20 kHz
  • Drivers
    1x 1.75” (45mm)

Highs

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 4 and Clip 5 have relatively similar highs, both speakers can produce clear and detailed high frequencies without much sibilance. The Clip 5 has a slight advantage, with a little more nuance in the highs and less of a hollow sound than that of the Clip 4.

Mids

Winner: Clip 5

Out of the box with no EQ adjustments, the Clip 4s midrange sounds clearer in the vocals, but less full. This isn’t an inherent issue with the Clip 5’s capabilities, but rather a result of how the two speakers have been tuned. The Clip 4’s highs sound prominent because there is a lot of breathing room due to the lack of midrange, whereas the fuller sound of the Clip 5, particularly in the lower midrange, can take away from vocals in the upper midrange.

If you’re using your speaker primarily for podcasts or other applications that revolve around voices, then the Clip 4 may be more appealing. The Clip5, on the other hand, has a very strong lower midrange that makes most genres of music sound better. It is particularly good at reproducing heavy guitar tones, something that metalheads can appreciate.

The Clip 5 has a trick up its sleeve though, using the JBL Portable app, you can dial down the lower midrange and bring up the high mids to strike that perfect balance between the vocal clarity of the Clip 4, with the depth of the Clip 5.

Bass

Winner: Clip 5

Owed to their design, neither speaker is particularly bass-heavy. The Clip 4 has a bass range of 100Hz – 20kHz, while the Clip 5 has a range of 95Hz – 20kHz. This means the Clip 5 can produce slightly deeper bass frequencies than the Clip 4.

The Clip 4 has a punchy-sounding bass, with quite a lot of emphasis towards the mid-bass that can be heard in kick drums, while the Clip 5’s bass sounds more balanced, with bass guitar, drums, and low vocals working together to create a full sound.

Soundstage & Dynamics

Winner: Tied

Soundstage refers to the way a speaker presents spatial arrangement in a song. When you close your eyes, do you get a sense of different instruments being played in different areas of the room?

Soundstage is limited on most small Bluetooth speakers because it relies on the use of different drivers and advanced digital sound processing to create a sense of space. Speakers like the Clip series use a single driver and in turn, have limited soundstage performance.

The Clip 5 sounds marginally better in its reproduction of spatial arrangement, but there aren’t remarkable differences between the two speakers. This is also impacted by the Clip’s mandatory upward-facing driver when not hung facing toward the listener.

Dynamics refers to a speaker’s ability to reproduce subtle variance in volume and frequency, and are better on the Clip 5, than the Clip 4. JBL have made a big deal about their improved dynamics and it’s easy to hear the added nuance in songs. The Clip 5 provides more subtle details in tracks, for example with symbols having a more detailed decay.

Volume

Winner: Clip 5

The Clip 5 is substantially louder than the Clip 4, owed in part to its more powerful output (7W vs 5W). During our tests the Clip 4 hovered around 80 dB (measured at 1 meter) while the Clip 5 produced closer to 85 dB, a marked increase.

The Clip 4 can just barely fill a small room with vibrant sound, while the Clip 5 achieves it easily, while also retaining a better sound quality at higher volumes compared to the Clip 4.

Battery Performance

Winner: Clip 5

JBL Clip 4

  • Battery Type
    3.7V Lithium-ion
  • Charging time
    3 hours
  • Estimated Playtime
    Up to 10 Hours
  • Cable Type
    USB-C

JBL Clip 5

  • Battery Type
    3.7V Lithium-ion
  • Charging Time
    3 hours
  • Estimated Playtime
    Up to 15 Hours
  • Cable Type
    USB-C

Both the Clip 4 and Clip 5 have reasonably good battery life, but the Clip 5 can produce as much as 50% more playtime with PlaytimeBoost enabled. Without PlaytimeBoost enabled, you can still get a decent 12 hours of playtime from the Clip 5. While valuable, PlaytimeBoost does degrade audio quality in favor of additional battery performance. It reduces a lot of the lower frequencies, creating a thin sound when enabled.

Both speakers have a similar recharge time, of around 3 hours and use a USB-C charging cable.

Price & Value

The Clip 5 is $10 more expensive on launch than the Clip 4, retailing at $79.95. However, the Clip 4 has already seen markdowns in price due to the Clip 5’s release and is now available for $49.95 from many retailers.

So which one offers the best value?

If you have a budget of under $50, I’d recommend opting for the Go 4 instead of the Clip 4 – as it includes many of the awesome features of the Clip 5, but at a reduced price point. While you won’t get a carabiner, you do get a sturdy carry loop to which you can just attach your own carabiner at a fraction of the price.

If you’re not limited by budget, the Clip 5 is a great speaker, even at its relatively high price.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Clip 5 is a better speaker than the Clip 4. JBL has improved its overall sound quality and the 5-band EQ through the JBL Portable app lets you further dial in the sound to your liking. The inclusion of Auracast is a cool feature, but one which the Clip series sees slightly less benefit from compared to the Go.

If you already own the Clip 4 and you’re contemplating upgrading, it is a noticeable one. The new carabiner design will keep your speaker looking newer for longer and the added features bring a lot of value.

If you’re looking to enjoy your first Clip with the Clip 5, it’s a worthwhile buy – but I also recommend checking out the JBL Go 4 as a more affordable alternative.

JBL Clip 5

Winner

JBL Clip 5

Check Price on Amazon

The JBL Clip 5 is the clear winner. Its improved audio performance, volume output, and features make it an outstanding upgrade from the Clip 4.

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Author: Bryn De Kocks

Bryn has worked in the field for several years, writing in-depth speaker reviews for various audio publications. His work has historically focused on headphones and Bluetooth speakers, while incorporating his understanding of the Bluetooth speaker market to help educate potential buyers.

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Originally Published: June 20, 2024

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