Soundcore Select 4 Go vs JBL Clip 5: Which Should You Buy?

Bryn De Kocks | January 20, 2025

The Select 4 Go Manages To Keep Up With The Clip 5, Despite Costing A Third Of The Price

Since its release in 2024, JBL’s Clip 5 has become one of the most popular pocket-sized speakers on the market, alongside the smaller JBL Go 4. But recently Soundcore released their Select 4 Go, a similar-sized speaker that shocked me when I initially reviewed it. So, is it better to spend more on the Clip 5, or save $30 to $50 and go with the Select 4 Go? Let’s find out!

Key Takeaways:

  • The Select 4 Go’s alluring price tag comes with very few drawbacks.
  • The Clip 5 is better for bass-heavy music, but the Select 4 Go is balanced and versatile.
  • The Select 4 Go battery lasts longer, but takes longer to charge than the Clip 5.
  • Despite being the budget choice, the Select 4 Go gets louder.
Our Winner
Soundcore Select 4 Go
The Soundcore Select 4 Go is an outstanding speaker for its price point. Although it’s build quality isn’t quite on the level of the JBL Clip 5, it offers higher quality sound and more volume at nearly half the price.

Soundcore Select 4 Go vs JBL Clip 5 Specs

ModelSelect 4 GoClip 5
Release Date:Sept 2024May 2024
Water ResistanceIP67IP67
Output Power5W7W
Bluetooth Version5.45.3
Battery LifeUp to 20 hoursUp to 12 hours
Frequency ResponseN/A95 Hz – 20 kHz
TWSYesYes
Weight9.3 oz10.8 oz
Dimensions3.23 x 4.72 x 1.89″3.4 x 5.3 x 1.8″
App SupportYesYes
Price:Check PriceCheck Price

Design, Build, & Durability

Summary: Although similar in size, these two speakers have a different approach to their design. The Clip 5 has an integrated carabiner with a focus on portability, while the Select 4 Go has a more traditional design. Although both are durable and waterproof, the Clip 5 has a higher-quality build.

Durability

Winner: JBL Clip 5

Since the allure of a small speaker for many, is its ability to be taken anywhere, durability becomes a vital consideration. Both the Clip 5 and Select 4 Go have durable designs, with fabric-wrapped exteriors. However, the materials used on the Clip 5 feel more robust and less likely to be damaged if they accidentally snag onto a branch for instance.

Waterproofing

Winner: Soundcore Select 4 Go

Part of what makes a speaker versatile is its ability to be used in challenging weather conditions. Both of these speakers come with full water and dust resistance, with an IP67 rating. However, the Select 4 Go is the only one that floats in water, giving it a slight advantage when used in and around the pool or on open bodies of water.

For the more adventurous listener, this can reduce the stress of taking the speaker out on a boat or kayak. The JBL Clip 5 will leave you diving in after it while the Select 4 Go can be scooped up off the surface.

Portability

Winner: Tied

There isn’t much separating these speakers when it comes to portability. I find that the Clip 5’s built-in carabiner is great for attaching to backpacks and belt loops, but since it’s slightly larger than the Select 4 Go, I find it a bit more challenging to fit in my pocket.

If you’re solely leaning towards the Clip 5 for its built-in carabiner, I’ve found that the feature can be replicated somewhat easily, by adding a regular carabiner to carry loop of the Select 4 Go, giving the same ability to be clipped onto objects, while also saving money.

Controls, Connectivity & App Support

Summary: There’s little to separate these speakers when it comes to controls and connectivity. They both have companion apps with graphic and preset EQ, and both operate with modern Bluetooth, ensuring low latency and stable connectivity. Controls are easy to access and intuitive on both speakers.

Inputs & Outputs

Winner: Tied

While physical inputs and outputs like USB outputs for charging your phone or aux inputs for a wireless audio source can be beneficial, they aren’t common in speakers of this size. It’s not surprising that neither speaker offers any additional inputs or outputs, instead opting for a more minimalist approach to their design.

Controls

Winner: Tied

Both speakers have comprehensive physical controls that allow for volume adjustments, play control, and the ability to skip tracks forward and backward. They both use the play/pause button to perform track skipping (via double or triple tapping).

The Clip 5’s buttons are positioned primarily on the front of the speaker, allowing quick access, regardless of whether it’s positioned flat or hanging.

Bluetooth

Winner: Tied

Even though the Soundcore Select 4 Go has slightly newer Bluetooth support (5.4 vs 5.3), this doesn’t translate to any noticeable differences in Bluetooth performance. Both 5.3 and 5.4 are reliable and provide good range and latency performance.

This makes it so that you can watch videos on your phone using these speakers and not suffer from audio sync issues due to latency problems.

Multi-Speaker Pairing

Winner: JBL Clip 5

Multi-speaker pairing is a way to connect more than one speaker together in a wireless connection, having them both play the same sound from a single audio source. This is sometimes done to increase coverage, or simply to provide a more refined sound.

Both these speakers support multi-speaker pairing, but the Clip 5 is more comprehensive in its support, allowing one to connect dozens of speakers using Auracast, and can also be paired with other supporting JBL models. Although limited to use with another Clip 5, it can also create a stereo pairing where one of the Clip 5s will play the left channel audio and the other will play the right side.

The Soundcore Select 4 Go supports a TWS (stereo pairing) like the Clip 5, allowing you to connect 2 Select 4 Gos together. However, it doesn’t support a broader general group pairing, limiting its overall coverage potential.

Still, most who buy small Bluetooth speakers don’t utilize multi-speaker pairing, so you may not wish to place too much emphasis on this feature.

App Support

Winner: JBL Clip 5

Companion apps have become more popular than ever, and both these speakers come with their own app, giving even more control to the user. This app includes graphic and preset EQs, which are an excellent addition to any small Bluetooth speaker, and I frequently use mine to adjust how my speaker sounds depending on the type of music I’m listening to.

The Clip 5’s app also has the added benefit of allowing for easy pairing and includes a PlaytimeBoost feature for longer-lasting battery life.

Audio Performance

Summary: The Clip 5 is a fairly bassy little speaker, while the Select 4 Go has more emphasis on vocal frequencies and a balanced sound. The Clip 5 sounds better out of the box when listening to bass-heavy music genres, but the Select 4 Go’s inherently detailed sound is versatile and it gets louder than the Clip.

Frequency Response

Winner: JBL Clip 5

Frequency response refers to the inherent way the speaker sounds, considering things like bass, mids, and highs.

The Clip 5 outperforms the Select 4 Go in its frequency response, owed largely in part to its stronger and deeper bass, which makes it sound more full and encompassing. The highs aren’t quite as bright and detailed as the Select 4 Go.

In contrast, the Select 4 Go is pretty neutral across all frequencies, meaning there’s no particular emphasis on its bass, mids, or highs. The result is a clear-sounding speaker that is versatile and easy to listen to but lacks the punch that EDM and Hip-Hop require to sound their best.

With that in mind, since both speakers have custom EQs, the bass can be accentuated on the Select 4 Go and brought a bit more in line with the sound style of the Clip 5.

Soundstage & Dynamics

Winner: Tied

The soundstage is better on the Clip 5, but like many small single-driver speakers, the performance is mediocre from both speakers.

Dynamics are surprisingly good on the Select 4 Go, surpassing that of the Clip 5. It sounds more detailed and can retain more clarity at higher volume levels.

Volume

Winner: Soundcore Select 4 Go

Not only does the Select 4 Go sound better at higher volume than the Clip 5, but it also gets louder. When we tested the volume of these speakers we got 85.5dB out of the Clip and 86.8dB from the Select 4 Go.

While neither speaker is going to fill a living room with sound, they can cover a small bedroom quite easily and offer a significant upgrade to the volume levels found on phone speakers.

Battery & Charging

Winner: Soundcore Select 4 Go

The Select 4 Go is stated by Soundcore to last up to 20 hours. In our tests, we found it lasted around 11 hours, and took 4 hours to recharge. In contrast, the Clip 5 was more efficient at charging, taking just over 3 hours to fully charge, but its overall playtime lasted just over 8 hours.

Both speakers have a USB-C input for charging, making it easy to use a phone charger in case you lose or forget your charging cable at home. It also means you can use a power bank to charge them when out on the go.

Overall, even though the Clip 5’s charging time is welcome, the battery life of the Select 4 Go is significantly better.

Price & Value

Here’s the situation…

The JBL Clip 5 is an awesome speaker, it has been one of our favorite releases of 2024, but with a retail price of $79, I cannot recommend it over the Select 4 Go. If there are specific features like broader group pairing or fast charging that is essential to you, the Clip 5 may still be the better pick for you.

However, by and large, I think most consumers will get the best value from the Soundcore Select 4 Go, which retails for just $29. You can always add a high-quality carabiner to the mix and achieve many of the benefits of the Clip 5’s design, while still staying below $39.

Editor’s Note: The prices for the Clip 5 have been lower than usual recently, with frequent markdowns to $59. At this price point, the Clip 5 has better value but remains nearly twice the price of the Select 4 Go.

Conclusion

Overall, the Soundcore Select 4 Go is a better value speaker. Although each speaker has some features that make it better than the other, there isn’t too much separating them in their performance. And with the Select 4 Go going for the same price as one night of takeout, I’d recommend it over the Clip 5 for most people.

Soundcore Select 4 Go
The Soundcore Select 4 Go is an outstanding speaker for its price point. Although it’s build quality isn’t quite on the level of the JBL Clip 5, it offers higher quality sound and more volume at nearly half the price.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Soundcore Select 4 Go is louder than the JBL Clip 5. In our tests it measured 86.8dB at 1 meter distance, compared to 85.5dB on the Clip 5.

The Clip 5 indeed has more bass than the Select 4 Go, which has a more balanced sound profile.

The Select 4 Go will float in water, but the Clip 5 will not.

It can be paired together with another Select 4 Go for a stereo multi-speaker connection, but doesn’t support larger general group pairings.

Both speakers can entertain a small group, but each excel in a different area. The Clip 5 has better soundstage which makes it sound a bit more realistic, but the Select 4 Go gets louder and can cover a slightly larger area.

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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: January 20, 2025

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