The JBL Flip 6 is the latest evolution of the JBL Flip series of portable speakers. This wearable Bluetooth speaker is available in a variety of colors to match your style. It has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, and a removable carrying strap is convenient if you want to take the speaker on the go.
The portable speaker is much more flexible in terms of sound settings than its predecessor, as you can use the graphic equalizer in the JBL Portable app to choose the sound to your taste. Syncing this Bluetooth speaker with your devices is as easy as before. In our JBL Flip 6 review, we will try to understand how much the increase in price is justified by the improvement in sound and consumer qualities of the new product.
JBL Flip 6 – Review
Design
The JBL Flip 6 wireless portable speaker is similar in design to other models in the Flip series. It is small and compact and sits horizontally on a table or nightstand. You can buy it in different colors to suit your style. It is a small and lightweight speaker that is easy to take with you.
A cylinder with a passive bass radiator at each end frames the driver and tweeter in the middle, making the tube feel sturdy and durable. It can withstand drops on the sidewalk and fits easily into a travel bag. This iteration of the Flip 6 gets a larger “JBL” logo that scratches more easily than the smaller badge on the Flip 5. Nitpicks aside, you’re basically getting the same solid build and form factor as before.
The build quality of the JBL Flip 6 portable speaker is excellent. It’s covered in a thick fabric that won’t tear. The controls are rubberized, and there’s a hard protective rubber on the ends of the speaker surrounding the passive radiators. This is good for preventing dents, but it also means that these areas quickly pick up scuffs and marks.
There’s a carrying loop next to the illuminated Bluetooth and power buttons. The loop doesn’t have a built-in clip. However, if it eventually wears out or breaks, you can untie it and replace it yourself. While the speaker doesn’t have a rubber plug to protect the USB-C charging port, it does meet the IP67 dust and water resistance standard.
That means it’s completely dustproof and can be submerged in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. The ad even says it has USB charging protection that beeps if you’re too close to water, salt, or other chemicals. At 544 grams, the Flip 6 doesn’t feel too heavy to carry around while trekking around town.
Management and connections
The physical controls on the JBL Flip 6 wireless portable speaker are for basic functions, including play/pause, volume up/down, and PartyBoost, which links it to another JBL speaker. On the back are buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, and a USB-C port for charging.
An LED strip indicates the battery level. There are no auxiliary jacks or ports for external inputs, so you can only connect via Bluetooth. Downloading the JBL Portable app to your mobile device provides access to the latest firmware update and allows you to boost or cut the bass, midrange, and treble levels to tailor the sound to your tastes and environment.
The PartyBoost tab is for linking with another JBL speaker to either mirror the sound or assign the speakers as the left/right channels of a stereo pair. JBL claims you can link up to 100 of these same speakers. While the JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker itself doesn’t have a voice assistant built in, Siri is capable of playing/pausing tracks without any issues.
Sound quality
Like the Flip 5 before it, the Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker delivers very good sound overall, with impressive bass for a speaker of this size. Bass levels are surprisingly strong, which is no doubt due to the presence of passive radiators that produce midrange and low-frequency sounds at both ends of the tube-shaped speaker.
The Flip doesn’t quite manage to extend sound beyond its physical dimensions in the same way that the Anker Soundcore 3 does. But the frequency range it produces is richer and more refined than its tiny size would suggest. All tracks are expertly rendered by the JBL Flip 6 wireless speaker.
And while it can’t quite replicate the bass depth that music, especially dance music, has when played through a larger speaker system, JBL makes an honest attempt to deliver audio with enough punch to entertain anyone listening. The result is a Flip 6 speaker that’s suitable for listening to a wide variety of audio content.
The JBL Flip 6 active speaker uses Bluetooth 5.1 and only supports the Bluetooth SBC codec. Bluetooth 5.1 also theoretically gives the speaker a range of 40 meters indoors, but that’s under ideal conditions. Like the JBL Flip 5, this speaker does not have an AUX port to avoid the shortcomings of Bluetooth codecs.
Autonomous work
The manufacturer claims that this speaker lasts up to 12 hours, and in real-world tests, it lasted more than 5 hours. After using it for more than 5 hours at low volume, it still had ¾ of a full charge left, according to the battery level indicator on the back of the speaker. However, the settings you use may affect the overall battery performance.
Recharge time is 2.5 hours from empty to fully charged. A USB-C charging cable is provided, but you’ll need a wall charger. Luckily, you can listen to music while charging, and there’s an auto-off feature to save battery.
Conclusion
JBL’s Flip Bluetooth speakers have gone through several incarnations over the years, and each version has consistently been rated as one of the best Bluetooth speakers around. The Flip 6 continues that legacy and does just enough to stay among the leaders. The Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker combines an easy-to-carry design with sound that outperforms its physical size and above-average bass. The price increase reflects the times, but it’s still a great portable Bluetooth speaker with solid performance.
JBL Flip 6 specifications
| Audio | |
| Output power | 30 W |
| Frequency range | 63 Hz…20 kHz (-6 dB) |
| Control and connection | |
| Bluetooth Profiles | A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6 |
| Bluetooth frequency | 2400 MHz … 2483.5 MHz |
| Bluetooth Transmission Modulation | GFSK, π/4 DQPSK, 8DPSK |
| Bluetooth transmitter power | < 10 dBm (EIRP) |
| Bluetooth version | v5.1 |
| Functions | |
| 3.5mm audio cable input | No |
| Karaoke function | Yes |
| JBL PartyBoost Multipoint Connection | Yes |
| Splash protection | Yes, IP67 |
| Power supply and dimensions | |
| Charging time | 2.5 h |
| Battery life | 12 h |
| Dimensions | 17.8 x 6.8 x 7.2 cm |
| Weight | 0.55 kg |
