JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth Speaker IPX7 Water Resistant : Review
After reviewing JBL E45BT Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, I was very excited to lay my hands on one of the JBL portable Bluetooth speakers. As you all might know, JBL is a very renowned name when it comes to audio equipments, and their products are often praised for their sound quality. In the past I have used some JBL products (including JBL Flip 3) and never had any complaints, so I was excited to see what JBL has to offer at the moment. I've been a fan of portable Bluetooth speakers, so when I got an opportunity to review JBL Flip 4 Wireless Bluetooth speaker, I agreed immediately. So here I am, after testing the JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker for about a month and here is my review.
Unboxing
Coming to my favorite part, the UNBOXING! JBL Flip 4 comes in a rectangular box which is quite compact and graphical, with lots of pictures of the product. The box is neatly packed and comes with the following accessories within; an orange colored MicroUSB cable with a reversible USB port and some booklets, warranty information and user guide. Of course there's also JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker inside and it comes with a strap already installed. Watch the Unboxing video below to get a better idea and please don't forget to Subscribe & hit the bell icon to see more such videos in the future.
Design
JBL Flip 4 speaker comes in a cylindrical body design & a sturdy build quality, the design is quite similar to the Flip 3 but the improvements are visible here and there. First thing I noticed in Flip 4 was its weight and size, it is a bit bigger & heavier as compared to Flip 3. I weighed it on a scale to find that it was 517 grams, about 67 grams heavier that its predecessor. The design of Flip 4 was somewhat similar to Flip 3, it came with a rubber cladding on the edges, a tightly stitched fabric mesh in the front along with the JBL logo in metal, four buttons on the back and a nice strap to protect the speaker from accidental falls. The buttons on the back are volume up, volume down, play/pause and Bluetooth pairing key.
On the back you'll find a thick flap which hides the MicroUSB charging port and a 3.5 mm aux input port. There are two more buttons on the back; a backlit power button and a multi speaker pairing button, along with a battery status indicator. The two sides of the speaker contains the Dual external passive bass radiators which gives it a cool look, the radiators demonstrate the powerful bass when the music is playing.
Summing up the design of JBL Flip 4, it's well built and the materials used are of high quality, looks premium and funky at the same time, definitely an eye-catcher.
JBL Flip 4 speaker comes in a cylindrical body design & a sturdy build quality, the design is quite similar to the Flip 3 but the improvements are visible here and there. First thing I noticed in Flip 4 was its weight and size, it is a bit bigger & heavier as compared to Flip 3. I weighed it on a scale to find that it was 517 grams, about 67 grams heavier that its predecessor. The design of Flip 4 was somewhat similar to Flip 3, it came with a rubber cladding on the edges, a tightly stitched fabric mesh in the front along with the JBL logo in metal, four buttons on the back and a nice strap to protect the speaker from accidental falls. The buttons on the back are volume up, volume down, play/pause and Bluetooth pairing key.
On the back you'll find a thick flap which hides the MicroUSB charging port and a 3.5 mm aux input port. There are two more buttons on the back; a backlit power button and a multi speaker pairing button, along with a battery status indicator. The two sides of the speaker contains the Dual external passive bass radiators which gives it a cool look, the radiators demonstrate the powerful bass when the music is playing.
Summing up the design of JBL Flip 4, it's well built and the materials used are of high quality, looks premium and funky at the same time, definitely an eye-catcher.
Technical Specifications
- Dimensions: 68 x 175 x 70 (mm)
- Weight: 517 grams
- Transducer: 2 x 40mm
- Output: 2 x 8W
- Frequency Range: 70Hz – 20kHz
- Signal to Noise ratio: ≥ 80dB
- Battery Capacity: 3000 mAh Li-Po
- Charge time: 3.5 Hours at 5V1A
- Music Playback: Upto 12 hours (depending on volume)
- Bluetooth 4.2
- IPX7 Water Resistant
Sound Quality & Performance
So coming to the most important part of the review, How do they sound? Well, they sound good and quite loud for their size, JBL definitely improved a lot over Flip 3, the newer Flip 4 is so much better in terms of sound as compared to the previous generation speaker, thanks to the new set of drivers which graced the overall sound quality of Flip 4. The bass output has improved quite a lot when compared with Flip 3, now it is quite punchy and fuller sounding. However when listening to some bass heavy or heavier rock music, the low frequencies takes the toll and sound somewhat overpower other frequencies. Being a Bass-head, I didn't had any major complaints with the over-powering bass, it could have been better, but some people might not like the heavier bass, overpowering their favorite tracks. The mid-range is sweet, clean and just the way it should be, the highs are precise and make the music more enjoyable. The vocals sound crystal clear, there is a richness & warmth in the sound which will definitely enhance the overall experience.
The JBL Flip 4 portable Bluetooth speaker performs quite well, and is my go-to portable speaker which I carry almost everywhere I go.
So coming to the most important part of the review, How do they sound? Well, they sound good and quite loud for their size, JBL definitely improved a lot over Flip 3, the newer Flip 4 is so much better in terms of sound as compared to the previous generation speaker, thanks to the new set of drivers which graced the overall sound quality of Flip 4. The bass output has improved quite a lot when compared with Flip 3, now it is quite punchy and fuller sounding. However when listening to some bass heavy or heavier rock music, the low frequencies takes the toll and sound somewhat overpower other frequencies. Being a Bass-head, I didn't had any major complaints with the over-powering bass, it could have been better, but some people might not like the heavier bass, overpowering their favorite tracks. The mid-range is sweet, clean and just the way it should be, the highs are precise and make the music more enjoyable. The vocals sound crystal clear, there is a richness & warmth in the sound which will definitely enhance the overall experience.
The JBL Flip 4 portable Bluetooth speaker performs quite well, and is my go-to portable speaker which I carry almost everywhere I go.
Water Resistant & JBL Connect+
JBL Flip 4 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is rated IPX7 Water resistant, which means you can even submerge the speaker in water and it will still work flawlessly. No more worrying about rain, spills, splashes and accidental drops in water. JBL Flip 4 is perfect for pool parties or for a vacation on the beach, you can even take it for swimming without worrying a bit, of course if you stay in the IPX7 limit which is 1 meter depth for 30 minutes, you'll be fine.
If you happen to have friends who also own Flip 4, using JBL Connect+ you can connect multiple Flip 4 speakers together simultaneously and enjoy the amplified sound. The speaker comes with a dedicated JBL Connect+ button on the back (next to power button) which can be used to connect up to 100 JBL Connect+ supported speakers. I wonder what JBL was thinking when they came up with this unique pairing method of 100 speakers, I mean who has like 100 friends, all owning a JBL connect+ supporting speaker... Anyway it still is a good feature even though if you don't use it up to its full potential.
If you happen to have friends who also own Flip 4, using JBL Connect+ you can connect multiple Flip 4 speakers together simultaneously and enjoy the amplified sound. The speaker comes with a dedicated JBL Connect+ button on the back (next to power button) which can be used to connect up to 100 JBL Connect+ supported speakers. I wonder what JBL was thinking when they came up with this unique pairing method of 100 speakers, I mean who has like 100 friends, all owning a JBL connect+ supporting speaker... Anyway it still is a good feature even though if you don't use it up to its full potential.
Battery Performance
JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth speaker comes with a bigger 3000 mAh Lithium-ion Polymer battery which according to JBL, is capable of delivering up to 12 hours of music playback. In my tests I found that figure to be true, I was getting about 11 hours to 12+ hours of playback on a full charge, when using the speaker at about 80% volume. It usually takes between 3 to 3.5 hours to charge from zero to full when using 5V1A charger and about 2.5 hours when using a fast charger, although it does not support fast charging.
The battery performance of JBL Flip 4 is absolutely amazing and so far one of the best I've seen on a Bluetooth speaker. For casual music listening for 1 to 2 hours a day, this speaker might last close to a week on a single charge, which is amazing. I didn't face any battery issues or abnormal drains during my test period, however I was surprised to see almost negligible idle battery discharge, which again is a good thing.
Verdict
So summing up my review, I was very happy with the performance of JBL Flip 4, I didn't face any issues at all during my test period of close to a month. I know nothing is perfect in this world, all things come with their own set of pros & cons, but I was happy to see more pros and less cons when it came to Flip 4. The design was better than I expected it to be, the materials used to build the speaker are of top-notch quality & give the Flip 4 a rich & premium look and feel. The sound was great, not perfect but nice for my liking, the bass was a bit overpowering at some areas but still enjoyable, the mid range & highs were great, the vocals were clean & pleasurable, the JBL sound signature was present and was fine (could've been better). The bass radiators on the side definitely looked cool & thumped when music was playing.The battery performance was great, I constantly got around 11 to 12 hours on a single charge.
Overall JBL Flip 4 is a good choice in this price range, I'll definitely recommend this speaker to people who are looking for a rugged yet premium, water resistant & bass heavy portable Bluetooth speaker with amazing sound & battery performance. The JBL Flip 4 is not perfrct and has its set of cons too, who doesn't have them? but on testing them for quite sometime and keeping the price in mind, JBL Flip 4 is really a great choice. I hope this review was helpful, if any doubt or questions, please leave your comments below.
So summing up my review, I was very happy with the performance of JBL Flip 4, I didn't face any issues at all during my test period of close to a month. I know nothing is perfect in this world, all things come with their own set of pros & cons, but I was happy to see more pros and less cons when it came to Flip 4. The design was better than I expected it to be, the materials used to build the speaker are of top-notch quality & give the Flip 4 a rich & premium look and feel. The sound was great, not perfect but nice for my liking, the bass was a bit overpowering at some areas but still enjoyable, the mid range & highs were great, the vocals were clean & pleasurable, the JBL sound signature was present and was fine (could've been better). The bass radiators on the side definitely looked cool & thumped when music was playing.The battery performance was great, I constantly got around 11 to 12 hours on a single charge.
My Rating: 4 out of 5
JBL Flip 4 is Priced at Rs.7,490 INR
Overall JBL Flip 4 is a good choice in this price range, I'll definitely recommend this speaker to people who are looking for a rugged yet premium, water resistant & bass heavy portable Bluetooth speaker with amazing sound & battery performance. The JBL Flip 4 is not perfrct and has its set of cons too, who doesn't have them? but on testing them for quite sometime and keeping the price in mind, JBL Flip 4 is really a great choice. I hope this review was helpful, if any doubt or questions, please leave your comments below.
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