Pavel Jelic When it comes to wireless speakers, some of you more experienced people probably associate the word with the JBL brand. This brand has been producing world-renowned speakers of several sizes for several years. Of course, one of the most popular speakers is the smaller ones, because you can take them anywhere with you - whether it's a garden party or a hike. Among the most popular speakers from the JBL range, there is no doubt the Flip series, which is characterized above all by its "can" design, which has been inspired by more than one manufacturer. The fifth generation of the JBL Flip wireless speaker is currently on the market, and we managed to capture it in the editorial office. So let's take a look at this famous speaker in this review.
Official specification
As you can probably guess, most of the changes in the fifth generation took place primarily in the internals. This is not to say that JBL does not focus on design in any way. But why change something that is practically perfect. The speaker, or the converter inside it, has a maximum power of 20 watts. The sound that the speaker can produce ranges in frequency from 65 Hz to 20 kHz. The size of the driver itself is 44 x 80 millimeters in the fifth generation speaker. An important aspect is undoubtedly the battery, which has a capacity of 4800 mAh in the fifth generation of the JBL Flip speaker. The manufacturer itself states a maximum endurance of up to 12 hours for this speaker, but if you resort to a big party and "turn up" the volume to the maximum, the endurance will of course decrease. Charging the speaker will then take about two hours, mainly due to the aging of the old microUSB port, which has been replaced by the more modern USB-C.
Gallery
Technologies used
It would be nice if the fifth generation had Bluetooth version 5.0, but unfortunately we got the classic version 4.2, which, however, does not differ much from the newer one and the average user does not even know the difference between them. In today's oversaturated market, all speakers boast various certifications and extra features, so of course JBL can't be left behind. So you can submerge the reviewed model in water without any problems. It has IPx7 certification. The speaker is thus officially water-resistant to a depth of up to one meter for 30 minutes. Another great gadget is the so-called JBL Partyboost function, where you can connect two identical speakers to achieve perfect stereo sound throughout the room or anywhere else. JBL Flip 5 is available in six colors – black, white, blue, grey, red and camouflage. The color white has landed in our editorial office.
Packing
Due to the fact that the review piece of the speaker, which is only packed in a simple polystyrene case, has unfortunately arrived at our editorial office, we cannot introduce you to the packaging exactly. And that's why in a nutshell and simply - if you decide to buy JBL Flip 5, inside the package, in addition to the speaker itself, there is a USB-C charging cable, a brief guide, a warranty card and other manuals.
Processing
As I mentioned in the introduction, the "can" design was also preserved in the fourth generation JBL Flip. At first glance, you would be hard-pressed to find any differences compared to previous generations. The red logo of the manufacturer is located on the front. If you turn the speaker around, you can see four control buttons. These are used to start/pause the music, the other two are then used to change the volume and the last one to connect two speakers within the already mentioned JBL Partyboost. There are two additional buttons on the rubberized non-slip part of the speaker - one for turning the speaker on/off and the other for switching to pairing mode. Next to them is a long LED that informs you about the status of the speaker. And in the last row, next to the diode, there is a USB-C connector, which is used to charge the speaker itself.
At first touch, the speaker seems quite durable, but I think I definitely wouldn't want to drop it on the ground. This is not to say that the speaker would not be able to withstand it, but in addition to a possible scar on the body of the speaker, I would probably also have a scar on my heart. The entire surface of the speaker is decorated with a material that resembles woven fabric in its structure. However, the surface is too firm for a classic fabric and, in my opinion, plastic fiber is also part of this design. There are then two membranes on both sides, the movement of which can be seen with the naked eye even at lower volumes. The speaker body also includes a loop that you can use to hang the speaker, for example, on a tree branch or anywhere else.
Gallery
Personal experience
When I picked up the JBL Flip 5 for the first time, it was absolutely clear to me from the overall design and the reputation of the brand that it would be an absolutely perfect piece of technology that would simply work. I was very surprised by the very robustness of the speaker, which is only supported by the weight of 540 grams. Long and simple, I knew I was holding something in my hand that I just couldn't get from other companies. The result surprised me a lot. Now if you expect me to refute all your opinions about JBL, then you are wrong. I was surprised, but really very pleasantly. Since I've never held a JBL speaker in my hand before (at most in a physical store), I didn't quite know what to expect from it. The perfect processing alternated with the immense joy of finally having something worthwhile playing in my room. And how small the entire speaker is! I didn't understand how such a small thing could make such a fuss...
Sound
Since I like foreign rap and similar genres, I started playing some older songs by Travis Scott - trough the late night, goosebumps, etc. The bass in this case is very pronounced and especially accurate. They will appear where you expect them. However, it definitely does not happen that the sound is over-bassed. In the next part, I started playing Pick Me Up by G-Eazy, where, on the other hand, there are significant highs in certain parts of the song. Even in this case, the JBL Flip 5 didn't have the slightest problem and the overall performance was great even at the highest possible volume. I didn't experience any distortion on any track and the performance was really believable and clean.
záver
If you are looking for a companion on the road and at the same time on the table in your room, which will play your favorite songs, then definitely consider the JBL Flip 5. The fifth generation of this notorious wireless speaker will certainly not disappoint you, even in terms of processing or sound. In the same price range, you would probably be hard-pressed to find a durable travel speaker that also plays well. With a cool head, I can only recommend the JBL Flip 5 to you.
Discount for readers
We have specially prepared for our readers 20% discount code, which you can use on any color variant of the JBL Flip 5 that is in stock. Just move to product pages, then add it into the basket and enter the code in the order process FLIP20. But definitely do not hesitate to shop, as the promotional price is only available for the first three customers!
