The JBL Charge 6 has some big shoes to fill. Its predecessor, the Charge 5, consistently got high marks for its durability, utility, endurance, and of course, its audio performance. Thankfully, the Charge 6 has things well in hand. The speaker is currently one of the most durable Bluetooth speakers on the market. And as the name suggests, you can still top off your smartphone or tablet when its battery’s low. Speaking of battery, the Charge 6 now packs a full day of charge plus four hours with the Playtime Boost feature, and it’s got fast charge. And with Auracast, the Charge 6 can share audio with an unlimited number of devices.
And what about that audio? Accused in past iterations of being a bass monster, the Charge 6 takes a more measured approach to audio. Yes, the bass is definitely there, with the ability to send tiny little aural shivers down your spine. But it’s not so much that the mids and lows get lost. In fact, the Charge 6 presents a fairly balanced performance with a generous soundstage. Are there moments when there’s a little distortion? Sure, but they’re few and far between, which is impressive, especially for a speaker this size that only costs $200.
In short, if you’re looking for a portable speaker that’s big on both sound and value, you owe it to yourself to check out the JBL Charge 6.
Pros
- Cute, super durable design
- Powerful audio despite its size
- Excellent battery life
- Can charge some mobile devices
- Unlimited audio share with Auracast
- The highs and mids can get distorted at max volume
Pricing and availability
The Charge 6 is available for pre-order now on JBL’s website for $200 with a ship date of April 6. That price point puts the JBL on a par with the UE Megaboom 4 ($200) and the Sonos Roam 2 ($180). The Bose Soundlink Max is a pricier proposition at $400.
Performance
Cuteness aside, the Charge 6 isn’t to be taken lightly. JBL’s been tweaking with the formula, retooling the kit with some of “the best engineers” in order to deliver the “most realistic sound reproduction yet.” The company also added its proprietary AI Boost tech, which delivers optimal audio performance with the least amount of distortion by analyzing your music in real time. I spent two hours streaming from my main Spotify playlist, swapping between a plethora of genres to get a real feel of the speaker’s capabilities. And the Charge 6 did not disappoint.
Battery life
I was pleased to see the Charge 6 shipped with 65% battery life. JBL estimates the Charge 6’s 4,722mAH battery can last a full day playing music. And if you throw in Playtime Boost, that time jumps to 28 hours, which is quite impressive. Without Playtime Boost enabled, I managed to run the Charge 6 down in 23 hours and 42 minutes at 50% volume. And when it’s time to charge the speaker, it should only take three hours to achieve a full charge. If you’re strapped for time, 10 minutes will get you 150 minutes of music playback, give or take.
