The JBL Charge Bluetooth speakers have established themselves as a firm favorite among price-conscious shoppers. Indeed, we recommended the Charge 4 as one of the best wireless outdoor speakers of 2020.
If you're a Charge disciple, JBL has a treat in store for you. At CES 2021, the company unveiled the latest generation of its Bluetooth speaker range... the Charge 5.
The new speaker, which will be available to buy from April 2021 for $180, introduces several notable upgrades over its predecessor. There is now improved audio, improved water and dust resistance, and six color options (black, blue, gray, red, teal, army). The dust resistance is especially welcome; the Charge 4 only had a rating of IPX6, whereas the Charge 5 has boosted that to IP67. That means the Charge 5 is now just at home on the beach as it is in your backyard.
It has a separate tweeter and dual passive radiators for better sound, while the new driver is described as "racetrack shaped" (you can draw your own conclusions about what that means).
Another improvement is the Charge 5's support for Bluetooth 5.1. The previous Charge 4 only worked with Bluetooth 4.2.
The battery lasts for 20 hours on what JBL describes as "moderate volume." This is perhaps the only disappointment on the Charge 5; 20 hours of playback is identical to the Charge 4.
Of course, you also get access to the JBL PartyBoost. That will allow you to join two JBL Charge 5s together for stereo output, or even combine multiple speakers for true surround sound.
Charge 5 vs. Charge 4: Design
Design-wise, not too much has changed. There is now a silicone bumper on each end to protect the speaker from falls and knocks, and as mentioned, new colors are also available.
We love the USB charging port. It means you can add power to your phone and other devices while you're on-the-go. Given the Charge 5 is designed to be used on trips and vacations when you are likely to be away from a socket, the charging feature will be a blessing for many users who are caught short of power.
The Charge 5 Bluetooth speaker was not the only new JBL product unveiled at CES 2021. We also saw several new budget headphones, an AirPod Pro competitor, and a next-gen JBL Xtreme model. The JBL Xtreme 3 has even won one of the coveted CES 2021 Innovation Awards.
We'll be covering all of the new products over the course of the day, so keep your eyes peeled for the latest CES posts from our team.