JBL Flip 5 Bluetooth Speaker in Test
The JBL Flip 5 certainly is a multi-talented Bluetooth speaker. The small speaker delivers an astonishingly good sound. Not only the sound quality of the music is convincing. Also, the power is amazing. Additionally, the battery runtime is good and the build quality is excellent and robust.
The JBL Flip is one of the best-selling Bluetooth speakers worldwide. The fifth-generation promises to have improved the device even more. In our review, we take a closer look and reveal what the latest generation is capable of.
When it comes to Bluetooth speakers, JBL is one of the most popular brands. Particularly the Charge and Flip models are the best-sellers. There are more than 71.000 reviews and a 4.8 rating for JBL Flip 4 on Amazon! Now, JBL improves its portable speaker with the fifth generation of the Flip.
The Flip speakers have always offered a great price-performance ratio and have become popular as a handy companion in everyday usage. The new generation of the Bluetooth speaker has been tested and we explain to you what the Flip 5 can do especially well and its shortcomings.
JBL Flip 5: Compact, but powerful!
The Flip 5 has a small and very slim design. The Flip 5 is a speaker with two passive bass radiators on each end, as well as the standard controls on the top and back – at first sight, this is all the Flip 5 offers. After listening to it for the first time, though, you quickly see that there is more in the speaker than you might think at first.
The high-quality and robust build gives the speaker a comfortable experience. Both the buttons for controlling playback and the power and Bluetooth buttons are integrated into the case and can be pushed with a nice light click. There’s a practical strap on the back so that you can carry the speaker safely or simply hang it up somewhere. With its IPX7 waterproof design, you can rock out to our JBL signature sound rain or shine.
Who thinks that such a premium feel would come along with a heavyweight, will be proved otherwise by JBL’s Flip 5. The JBL Flip 5box weighs just 1.20 lbs. (530 grams).
At just about 7 inches (18 cm) wide and about 2.7 inches (7 cm) in diameter, the top seller from JBL fits in almost any pocket. But the sound coming out of the small speaker sounds like a significantly larger speaker.
Sound of the JBL Flip 5
The JBL Flip 5 produces unexpectedly rich bass and sharp, bright trebles. According to the manufacturer, the frequency range reaches from 60 Hz to 20 kHz, which is 5 Hz lower than its predecessor. This is because the Flip 5 is only equipped with a single driver, which is located on the front left side behind the grille.
But this is only an apparent disadvantage. While both drivers of the Flip 4 had to share 16 watts of amplifier power, the single driver in the Flip 5 is now powered by a powerful 20 watts. You can also get over the loss of the stereo effect. The Flip 4’s drivers are so close to each other that there was barely a feeling of stereo anyway.
As before, bass support is provided by the two passive radiators located at the outer ends. The passive radiators once again give the Flip 5 a helping hand in the lower frequencies and produce a surprisingly large amount of bass out of the compact speaker.
In our test, we played the song “Tech Noir” by GUNSHIP on Flip 5 as a reference track. The rich bass of the synthesizers and kick drum sounds good. The trebles of the lead synthesizer and the snare as well as the hi-hat sound loud and clean from Flip 5. But in the mid-range, some bass is missing and GUNSHIP’s voice is sometimes a bit lost in the other frequencies.
But this small weakness in the mid-range is not noticed in bass-intensive tracks or speech content like podcasts. On the contrary: Considering its size and performance, the sound of the JBL Flip 5 sounded very balanced and pleasant in the test.
When used outdoors or when it has to get louder at a party, the Flip 5 does not have to be afraid of the volume. At maximum volume, the music is still pleasant to listen to. The dynamic sound image naturally decreases when you approach the 90% volume level, but it doesn’t make the sound unpleasant.
Battery performance of the JBL Flip 5
The power supply of the Flip 5 is provided by a 3800 mAh battery. The battery lasts up to 12 hours for playback at about half the volume – a remarkable performance for such a portable speaker.
Similar to many other JBL models, you can also connect Flip 5 with the JBL Connect app. The app shows you the battery level and allows you to update your JBL devices. Additionally, you can pair your speakers with each other – one of the reasons why JBL’s Bluetooth speakers have been so popular for a long time.
However, there are exceptions: Unfortunately, you cannot pair your old Flip 4 or the new Charge 4 with the Flip 5. The Flip 5 is PartyBoost-compatible. Therefore, only another Flip 5 or Pulse 4 can be paired with the Flip 5 currently.
You can pair another Flip 5 or Pulse 4 in stereo mode or “mirror” them in mono if you or a friend owns one. This way, more than 100 speakers can work together and create an incredible sound. However, especially with Flip 5, the number of models that can be paired is very limited.
Conclusion
The Flip series is one of the most popular Bluetooth speakers – not only from JBL but overall – and they deserve it. The new generation of the new compact speaker also impresses with an exceptional sound and a performance that is particularly remarkable considering its small size.
Crisp bass, clean highs, and neutral mids combine with Flip 5’s rich performance, making music fans on the go ready for most situations. Also, the great 12-hour battery runtime enhances Flip 5’s overall capability. Compatibility with other models is a bit of a negative, but that still doesn’t take away from the JBL Flip 5’s other excellent performance.
