Neither JBL Flip 4 nor JBL Pulse 3 were recommended by experts this month
On 2 Apr 2024 (23 days ago) we went through 115 Bluetooth Speaker expert endorsements , however neither JBL Flip 4 nor JBL Pulse 3 were included in any of those recommendations. Since neither Bluetooth Speaker received a single endorsement, as far as expert recommendations go, it's technically a tie. We do, however, recommend taking a look at JBL Charge 5 or other critically acclaimed Portable Bluetooth Speakers of this month.
For reference, JBL Charge 5 received 6 endorsements this month, from What Hi-Fi (18 Mar 2024), SoundGuys (9 Feb 2024) TechRadar (4 Mar 2024) and 3 others.
| Rank | Change | Price | Bluetooth Speaker | What Hi-Fi  | SoundGuys  | PCMag  | Popular Mechanics  | TechRadar  | Rtings.com  | Tom's Guide  | WIRED  | TechHive  | Digital Trends  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $180 |  JBL Charge 5 A good speaker option with excellent sound quality and users can even charge other devices with it. | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 | - | 12 | 2 | - | 15 |
| N/A | N/A | $75 |  JBL Flip 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| N/A | N/A | $130 |  JBL Pulse 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Curious to see this month's entire Portable Bluetooth Speakers ranking? It's here
JBL Flip 4 
JBL Pulse 3 Customers like JBL Flip 4 somewhat more
At ReviewFinder we prefer to focus on professional product reviews, because customer reviews can be disproportionately affected by unrelated factors such as delivery, specific seller listing problems, and, of course, fake reviews. With that said, below is the summary of consumer sentiment.
JBL Pulse 3
CS of 10 is similar to a 4.8 star review, CS of 0 is similar to a 2 star review.
JBL Flip 4, the cheaper option, tends to get more favorable reviews than JBL Pulse 3.
As can be seen in the chart above, median best-selling bluetooth speaker receives a consumer score of 9.1 (great). Both JBL Flip 4 and JBL Pulse 3 receive customer reviews that average out above that median threshold.
| JBL Flip 4 |
In comparison:
10.0 Amazing
|
| JBL Pulse 3 |
In comparison:
9.7 Amazing
|
| Median best-selling Bluetooth Speaker |
In comparison:
9.1 Great
|
JBL Flip 4 is more popular than JBL Pulse 3
It's fairly safe to say that JBL Flip 4 is a more popular bluetooth speaker than JBL Pulse 3, based on its 100,000+ reviews. Popularity is determined based on product sales. Note that older and cheaper products tend to sell more.
To consider
| Table: Top compared alternatives for JBL Flip 4 and Pulse 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | UE Boom 3 | $107 |
In comparison:
8.9 Great
| 2 expert recommendations | |
 | JBL Flip 6 | $100 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
| 3 expert recommendations | |
 | Soundcore Motion X600 | $150 |
We don't yet have enough review information for Soundcore Motion X600 N/A
| 2 expert recommendations | |
 | Marshall Emberton | $113 |
In comparison:
9.6 Amazing
| No expert recommendations | |
| Rank | Change | Price | Bluetooth Speaker | What Hi-Fi | SoundGuys | PCMag | Popular Mechanics | TechRadar | Rtings.com | Tom's Guide | WIRED | TechHive | Digital Trends |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | $180 | JBL Charge 5 A good speaker option with excellent sound quality and users can even charge other devices with it. | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 | - | 12 | 2 | - | 15 |
| 3 | - | $176 |  Sonos Roam A great speaker that can be taken anywhere | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | 11 | 10 | - | 3 |
| 4 | - | $48 |  Tribit StormBox Micro 2 | 3 | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | 9 | - | 8 |
| 5 | - | Check price |  Jbl Boombox 3 | - | - | 7 | - | - | 1 | 9 | - | - | - |
| Show all rows | |||||||||||||
Expert reviews [23]
- with a score: 17
- without a score: 6
| Highest score by World of Turntables | 100 |
| Average score based on 23 reviews | 83 |
| Lowest score by Gadgets 360 | 70 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
Expert reviews [9]
- with a score: 7
- without a score: 2
| Highest score by The Streaming Blog | 84 |
| Average score based on 9 reviews | 75 |
| Lowest score by Gadgets 360 | 60 |
Score distribution:
| 80-100 | |
| 60-80 | |
| 40-60 | |
| 20-40 | |
| 0-20 |
- All-Purpose Bluetooth Speaker -Take the party everywhere with Flip 4, a portable Bluetooth speaker that delivers powerful stereo sound. With durable, waterproof fabric, this speaker features up to 12 hours of continuous, high-quality audio playtime.
- Read more
- Take your listening experience to the next level with the JBL Pulse 3, The portable, waterproof Bluetooth speaker that combines 360° sound with 360° Lightshow
- With a built-in rechargeable battery that delivers up to 12 hours of playtime and an IPX7 waterproof housing, Pulse 3 is perfect for worry–free listening by the beach or pool – or even in it
- Read more
Speakers range from not being able to handle even a drop of water to being able to be fully submerged in water for several minutes. Do you plan to take your speaker outside? To the beach? To the pool? In the shower? Then you definitely need to verify the level of water resistance before purchasing. You can tell the water resistance by the IP rating—the higher the rating, the more resistant the speaker is to the elements. For reference, the first digit refers to dust protection and the second digit refers to water protection. It reads as: IP68. Anything higher than IP66 will be dust- and splash-proof, meaning it can handle some contact with water, but cannot be fully submerged or soaked.
Battery life for Bluetooth speakers is measured in milliampere hours (mAh). Manufacturers will report the battery life of a speaker in the average number of hours it takes to empty from a full charge. Keep in mind this number is based on medium levels of usage. If you play the speaker on full volume, it will drain the battery faster. Some specialty features like using the speaker to charge your phone or casting an LED light show will also drain the battery faster. The manufacturer reported number is just an estimate, and may be slightly different based on your usage.
It’s also important to consider is the type of battery. Rechargeable lithium-ion (LI-ion) batters are ideal, but some speakers only take standard or rechargeable AA/AAA/C/D batteries. You may even find Bluetooth speakers that recharge via solar power—great for outdoor use!
JBL Flip 4 is a very popular option in the middle of the bluetooth speakers price range. It has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as JBL Clip 2 or Vanzon X5 Pro .
JBL Flip 4 was released in 2018. There are a lot of newer bluetooth speakers on the market. Show newer Bluetooth Speakers
JBL Flip 4 is $11.03 less expensive than an average bluetooth speaker ($122).
JBL Pulse 3 is a popular option in the middle of the bluetooth speakers price range. It's in the top 3 bestselling bluetooth speakers and has dozens of popular alternatives in the same price range, such as Marshall Emberton II or Audio Pro Addon C3 .
JBL Pulse 3 was released in 2017. There are dozens of newer bluetooth speakers on the market. Show newer Bluetooth Speakers
JBL Pulse 3 is $7.99 more expensive than the average bluetooth speaker ($122).
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