Jbl Flip 4 – One of the Best Brand of Speaker in the Market

The sporty and durable design of JBL Flip 4 makes it ideal for someone who likes outdoors–e.g., hiking, camping, and island hopping. This is also a great Bluetooth speaker if you want an upbeat pool party, or need something that produces a robust sound to compete with the outdoor ambient noise.

With companies churning out hundreds of Bluetooth speakers every year, it might be a challenge to choose the best brand or at least a product that gives you good value for money. An excellent way to start is to determine your needs and decide which features are important to you. Do you need a portable travel companion? Or do you accept a slightly cumbersome design provided that it gives you good audio fidelity? Would you mostly use it indoors or outdoors?

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Overview Of The JBL Flip 4

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When used indoors, the Flip 4 fares well thanks a Bluetooth chip that is less sensitive to other interferences (microwave, baby monitor, etc.) and provides a decent signal strength that allows wireless streaming for around 30 feet, sometimes even 50 feet, depending on walls and partitions.

While still portable, the Flip 4 may not be your quintessential travel companion (especially if you want to travel light). However, its slightly cumbersome size is justified by its good bass and natural, crisp sound, which more often than not can be an issue with mini speakers.

Mini Bluetooth speakers often experience sound distortion when the volume is maxed out. This becomes more of an issue with bass-heavy music.

Specs

The JBL Flip 4 boasts some notable extras–such as voice assistant integration to access Siri and Google Now–it makes sense to start our review with its sound quality. After all, it is safe to say that the vast majority of people who buy Bluetooth speakers are music lovers, while a good percentage are audiophiles.

While its predecessor, the Flip 3, already has a decent audio quality, the Flip 4 is actually an upgrade in terms of volume and fidelity with its improved clarity and bass response.

Also, the Flip 4 does not suffer from any distortion when the speaker is maxed out, which might be an issue with the Flip 3.

Overall, you can expect a decent sound quality from the Flip 4 without having to pay a premium price.

Meanwhile, the Flip 4’s connection is a huge improvement over its predecessor. Instead of connecting just two JBL speakers, this newest version can connect up to 100 to achieve a true surround sound experience. However, it comes with one major caveat: You can’t connect with any previous models.

The previous models have a Connect button while Flip 4 has Connect . Yup, the plus sign is a deal breaker unless you don’t mind spending more to buy additional Flip 4’s. (Note: There is a speculation that this might be fixed in an update, although this hasn’t yet been verified.)

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Despite the aforementioned glitch, the Flip 4 nevertheless has a decent range: The signal remains strong up to a distance of about 30 feet (between the unit and the phone or tablet) and with a few walls and partitions. This is twice the capacity of some Bluetooth speakers that only fare well in a 15-foot range.

The JBL Flip 4 also supports the transmission of stereo music, which is not supported by other Bluetooth speakers (because they lack A2DP technology).

In terms of build and design, the Flip 4 is a real upgrade from its predecessors. It is a fully waterproof Bluetooth speaker thanks to its rugged rubber housing that is more durable than the previous models and its similarly priced competitors.

When looking for a waterproof speaker (or any device), take note that some companies actually use the term to mean “splash-proof,” which means that it can tolerate a little drizzle but not a complete water submersion.

The JBL Flip 4 is a bona fide waterproof Bluetooth speaker, which can be submerged in water up to 3 meters deep. On the flip side, it doesn’t float like some of its rivals.

Meanwhile, the Flip 4, just like its predecessor, it is a cylindrical speaker that can be stood up vertically or laid down horizontally. It also comes with a removable cord so you can hang it on your backpack, a tree branch, etc.

It’s available in seven colors: red, teal, black, gray, blue, white, and camouflage.

Pricing

Currently, the JBL Flip series is one of the most popular lines of Bluetooth speakers for two main reasons: They give a decent sound quality.

Also, they are sold by most leading online stores such as Amazon, walmart.com, and bestbuy.com. You can also purchase them directly on the company’s website.

How It Compares to Its 3 Common Rivals

The Wonderboom, a similarly priced Bluetooth speaker, can also rival the JBL Flip 4 with its durable, waterproof casing and a good bass sound, although it has a slightly shorter battery life (10 hours vs. 12 hours). But for someone looking for a speaker that delivers more bass and comes with a more compact design, it might be a better option.

The Sony XB30 is another similarly priced Bluetooth speaker although its most notable feature is the long battery life: It offers up to 24 hours of playback. Other key features include waterproof design, Siri and Google Assistant compatibility, decent sound quality, and nice Bluetooth features–i.e., it uses Bluetooth 4.2, which means you can pair three devices simultaneously, and LDAC technology, which allows it to transmit three times more data than your regular streaming methods.

But in the sound department, nothing can beat the Bose SoundLink Mini II, although its lack of NFC and multi-point Bluetooth pairing is a letdown.

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Ease of Use
Assembly Time
Design Quality
Warranty

Pros

• Decent playback time: It can last approximately 12 hours at normal volume range.
• It has a bona fide waterproof design (not just splash-proof) that it can even be submerged up to 3 meters underwater for up to 30 minutes.
• Connects with up to two phones and/or tablets simultaneously.
• Built-in microphone with noise and echo-canceling technology so you can use it as a speakerphone.
• Decent sound quality at a fair price.
• Compatible with Siri and Google Now.

Cons

• It doesn’t float like any other waterproof Bluetooth speakers.
• It can’t be connected to older JBL speakers.
• While it comes with an aux input, the box does not include a 3.5 mm cable.
• Bass-heavy music may sound a little beefy.

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While the JBL Flip 4 and most “decent” Bluetooth speakers have a wireless range of up to 30 feet, the Wonderboom takes it to the next level by offering around a 100-foot range under the right conditions.

Meanwhile, its sound quality also rivals that of the JBL Flip 4, although on the flip side, at higher volumes you can hear some bass frequency distortion.

In terms of build, it may be safe to say that the Wonderboom fares better in this department with its smaller, more compact design that renders a big sound. It closely resembles the UE Boom (another Bluetooth speaker from the same company), although it has a shorter and stouter casing.

Despite its compact design, it still feels solid. In addition, it has a shock resistant design (it can be dropped up to 5 feet) and a waterproof casing that floats in the water.

Ease of Use
Assembly Time
Design Quality
Warranty

Pros

• It’s a mini Bluetooth speaker that gives a full sound and a decent bass frequency.
• It has a shock and water-resistant casing.
• It can be paired with another Wonderboom to augment the sound.

Cons

• It lacks an integrated microphone, which means it can’t be used as a speakerphone.
• It lacks an aux input for a wired connection.
• While its waterproof casing floats, it is not designed to play music while in the water.

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The Sony XB30 is another contender with its nice sound quality, particularly its extra bass that even has a dedicated button. While other speakers would sound beefy at high volumes when bass-heavy music is played, this one does not experience the same glitch.

Moreover, the portable speaker uses LDAC technology, which means it can transmit three times more data than regular streaming methods and thus you can expect a better sound provided that you are connected to a good source (e.g., hi-resolution audio files). Further complementing this feature is its Bluetooth 4.2, which allows you to pair the speaker with up to three devices simultaneously.

It can also serve as a speakerphone and is compatible with Siri and Google Assistant.

In terms of build and design, the Sony XB30 is a water-resistant Bluetooth speaker thanks to its sturdy rubberized cover.

Other features include a USB port so it can serve as a power bank, and a 3.5 mm audio jack input.

However, its most notable feature is the long battery life: It can offer approximately 24 hours of playback.

Ease of Use
Assembly Time
Design Quality
Warranty

Pros

• It can be paired with up to 10 Sony speakers.
• It boasts some nice Bluetooth features that promote great sound quality.
• It’s compatible with Google Assistant and Siri.
• Its long battery life makes it a perfect travel companion.
• It has a sturdy, waterproof design.

Cons

• While the overall sound is great, particularly in terms of bass and mid-range quality, the vocals are not very clear.
• The rubberized finish attracts dust.

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The Bose SoundLink Mini II comes at a higher price tag than the JBL Flip 4, the Wonderboom, and the Sony XB30, even though it was released way back in 2015. Nevertheless, it remains one of the best wireless speakers on the market in terms of sound quality: It can maintain a nice bass frequency even at a high volume, while most compact speakers would struggle with this.

Moreover, the Bose SoundLink Mini II produces rich instrumental sounds, crisp high range, full-sounding midrange, nice vocals, and other micro details. Hence, it suits bona fide audiophiles, particularly those who are into classical music and jazz.

But as a relatively ancient speaker, it lacks Bluetooth features, durable and waterproof design, long battery life, multi-speaker pairing, and NFC pairing. Of course, true audiophiles may ignore or at least forgive these drawbacks if their main focus is to find a wireless speaker that gives an impeccable sound quality.

Ease of Use
Assembly Time
Design Quality
Warranty

Pros

• The impeccable sound quality remains unchanged at any volume range.
• It comes with a compact design.

Cons

• It’s a bit pricey.
• It lacks NFC and multi-point Bluetooth pairing.
• It doesn’t come with a waterproof casing.
• It only comes with an average battery life.

Conclusion

Overall, the JBL Flip 4 offers great features and sound quality without the expensive price tag.

Its sound quality, particularly its high and mid-range, has always received decent ratings from ordinary folks and industry experts.  Of course, you have to bear in mind that you may find that some types of music, e.g., bass-heavy, soft and calm, midrange, etc., sound slightly better when played on one speaker more than the other.

To put this into perspective, the Flip 4 sounds more natural in the midrange and highs, while Wonderboom fares better in heavy-bass music, although nothing beats the Bose SoundLink Mini II in the sound department.

Compared to its similarly priced rivals, the Flip 4 offers a higher volume range. But the extras such as built-in speakerphone, voice-enabled technology, wider Bluetooth range, decent battery life, and its rugged, waterproof design are really its redeeming qualities.