Its been 1 year since I reviewed the JBL Clip 5 heres why its still my go-to Bluetooth speaker

Date:
Thu, 26 Jun 2025 14:33:38 +0000

Description:
Ive listened to the JBL Clip 5 every day for the past year, and its still my favorite Bluetooth speaker by far.

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With its impressive level of detail and punchy bass, it didnt take long for the JBL Clip 5 to get me hooked, and one year on, Im still using it to listen to music and podcasts every morning and evening.

At a list price of $79.95 / 59.99 / AU$89.95, the JBL Clip 5 is fantastic value for money considering the impressive durability, practicality, and enjoyable sound thats packed into such a conveniently compact speaker. Whats more, there are often deals on offer from JBL and Amazon, where Ive spotted
it for as little as $50 / 39 / AU$66 at times, making it an absolute steal.

Theres no greater testament to my appreciation of the JBL Clip 5 than the
fact that I have it out on display despite it not being remotely my style aesthetically. This may not sound like much of an accolade to some, but as a girly-girl with white furniture and pale gray rooms with glittery pink
feature walls, the slightly utilitarian, black and orange Clip 5 is very off-brand for me so the fact I want to keep it out and accessible speaks volumes. If the black and orange colorway isnt for you either, thats okay, as theres a huge range of colors to choose from, including white, purple, red, blue, and some multi-colored options, too.

The JBL Clip 5 is still featuring as the top budget option in our pick of the best Bluetooth speakers , and Im still as happy with its performance as I was when I first reviewed it 12 months ago. But as times gone on, Ive come to appreciate the following five qualities more and more. Its always adventure-ready

While the look of the carabiner may not be for everyone, its made things much easier whenever Ive taken the Clip 5 on the road, as Ive been able to clip it onto backpack straps and luggage handles. The carabiner has also been great for hanging the Clip 5 from door handles and my bathroom mirror, which has proven particularly useful for the times when surface space has been limited. Its the perfect bath-time buddy

We already know that the IP67 rating of the Clip 5 is legit after it spent some time swimming in the TechRadar testing tank, and yet Im still impressed by how well its handled spending so much time in a steamy bathroom.

Its never complained when Ive been pushing its buttons with soaking wet
hands, and despite always being out on a surface, it doesnt look obviously dusty. (Image credit: Future) Its a sound all-rounder

I love a speaker that can play almost anything straight out of the box, so Im really happy that Ive been able to switch straight from a comedy podcast to bass-heavy beats without needing to play with any settings.

When Im in the mood to fine-tune the audio, however, there are four equalizer presets for me to choose from on the JBL portable app, or I can go ahead and customize the EQ myself, which is a great feature to have at this price
point. Its convenient to control

Unlike some other Bluetooth speakers that have small or illogically placed buttons, I found the buttons on the Clip 5 very intuitive and easy to use.
The position of the power button works really well for me, as it lives at the carabiner end of a set of three indented buttons, so it wasnt long before I could turn the Clip 5 on with my eyes closed.

I like that the play button is multi-functional, so I can use it to either pause or skip tracks. And I especially like how this and the volume buttons are shaped like play, minus, and plus icons, again making it easy to take control over my listening experience, even when Ive managed to get water in
my eyes. (Image credit: Future) Battery life

The advertised battery life of the JBL Clip 5 is a satisfying 12 hours, and
it lasted just under eleven and a half hours when I played music non-stop at 50 percent volume, which was good going considering how loud it sounds.

In reality, though, as I usually have the volume set to around 30 percent and have been happy leaving it on the default EQ most of the time, Ive found the battery lasting far longer than this. So if you prefer a relaxed listen, and youre not going to be getting the JBL Clip 5 blasting out beats on a daily basis, youll likely find that you wont be needing to charge it all that
often, either. You might also like You might not be getting the highest quality audio when listening to music on your phone here's how to change
that Bluetooth speaker heaven: my top 4 launches of 2025 so far, and whats coming Want to explore more shower-resistant speakers? Check out our pick of the best waterproof speakers



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/wireless-bluetooth-speakers/its-been-1-year-si nce-i-reviewed-the-jbl-clip-5-heres-why-its-still-my-go-to-bluetooth-speaker


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