The Bluetooth speaker market has changed quite a lot since JBL’s first Flip speaker entered the market a decade ago. From built-in smart assistants to room calibration, Wi-Fi, waterproofing and everything in between, the list of portable speaker features has grown exponentially from when a speaker with a 3.5mm jack and a USB charging point was “nuanced.”
While plenty have jumped on board this bandwagon to varying degrees of success, JBL’s Flip series has somewhat kept things simple. Now in its sixth generation, the JBL Flip 6 brings with it some carefully considered tweaks and additions, but that doesn’t take away from its dedication to powerful sound on the go.
JBL Flip 6
Recommended
The JBL Flip 6 offers a great rugged design and a punchy, powerful performance. While not the most feature-packed speaker on the market, it delivers impressively bassy, clear, and room-filling sound in a compact, portable body.
- Connectivity
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Battery
- 12 hours
- Water Resistance
- IP67
- Powerful sound for size
- Clean, clear midrange
- Rugged design
- Adjustable EQ
- Slightly harsh treble at volume
- Battery life could be better
A familiar design that just works
Lookswise, the JBL Flip 6 hasn’t changed a lot compared with its predecessor, or indeed the four that came before it — it’s still a cylindrical speaker, covered in fabric (in a fairly extensive range of colors) with its signature visible passive bass radiators at either end.
It still wears its outdoor speaker credentials on its sleeve, with its rubberized end caps, but actually gets more to shout about here, with an upgrade to include dust resistance as well as water resistance, and an official IP67 rating.
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It’s also a great, grabbable size for on the go, sitting securely and comfortably in one hand, with a carry cord for support without hindering audio performance.
At 550g, it’s relatively lightweight without feeling cheap, and goes largely unnoticed when chucked in a bag or backpack. It’s also a great, grabbable size for on the go, sitting securely and comfortably in one hand, with a carry cord for support without hindering audio performance. I take advantage of the speaker’s portability and use it as my entertainment constant. It serves as my focus accompaniment, pre-game party-starter, and make-shift getting ready Karaoke machine.
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JBL has gone loud and proud with its branding this time round, replacing the small red JBL badge with a much bolder logo in the center, and there’s a new rubber kickstand that keeps it stable when vertically placed on a flat surface.
I take advantage of the speaker’s portability and use it as my entertainment constant. It serves as my focus accompaniment, pre-game party-starter, and make-shift getting ready Karaoke machine.
Just above this is a very simple rubberized control panel, with buttons for power, pairing and a USB-C input for charging, plus that now sturdier anchor cord. Raised playback controls sit on the top in the same color as the fabric, blending in nicely while still being tactile under hand, making them easy to find with touch alone.
They cover play/pause and volume, as well as one click access to PartyBoost, which allows you to pair the Flip 6 with other JBL speakers — either in mono/Party mode with older generation speakers like the Charge 5 or Flip 5, or in stereo with another Flip 6.
These different modes can be set up in the JBL Portable companion app, which also houses graphic EQ controls for tweaking the treble, bass or midrange.
Portable, but powerful sound and battery
As for what’s going on underneath the design, the Flip 6 has much improved sound. The racetrack-shaped driver that has featured before is back again, with the same 20 watts of amplification, but it is also joined by a separate tweeter, powered by its own 10 watt amplifier for a total RMS output of 30 watts.
Battery life stretches to around 12 hours, which isn’t bad for this size of speaker, although it is some way off the 26 hours promised by the Huawei Sound Joy. So, if you are planning on taking it to provide entertainment for your pool day, we recommend bringing the charger along with you.
The Flip 6 focuses on sound, and it pays off
As a Bluetooth speaker with very few bells and whistles, it does one thing very well — play your music.
The JBL wastes no time jumping into action when we pressed play on Beyoncé’s upbeat Cuff It, and it feels like this is exactly the kind of music that the Flip 6 was made for, accentuating the low drum beats and making Queen Bey’s honey smooth voice sound even more velvety.
Even at a low volume when listening to coffee shop jazz at my desk, the snare drums still deliver a crisp sound that fills my small space, making it feel like I truly am working at a jazz café.
Highs, lows, and mids, are all top-tier
Of course, push the volume here and the Flip 6 rises to the challenge without missing a beat. There’s a lot of power on hand, with a tight, punchy and full-bodied low end that sets the foundation for a confident performance throughout. It has no trouble filling a room with its sound, and truly belies its smaller size.
As a Bluetooth speaker with very few bells and whistles, it does one thing very well — play your music.
The midrange also packs plenty of space and a slightly forward presentation that ensures vocals cut through even the richest of basslines with crispness and clarity.
There’s nothing laid back about the JBL Flip 6. It does everything it can to grab your attention and get your feet tapping, driving the music forward with a solid handle on timing across the frequencies.
It’s only in the higher registers, and at the much higher volumes, that you might encounter a little harshness with some recordings. The new tweeter gives the Flip 6 the confidence to push higher into the treble, but while that pays off for the better the majority of the time, it can just tip it over to sound a bit harsh, which I witnessed when listening to Haul and Oats’ Rich Girl at 100% volume.
There’s nothing laid back about the JBL Flip 6. It does everything it can to grab your attention and get your feet tapping, driving the music forward with a solid handle on timing across the frequencies.
Thankfully, its tonal and dynamic consistency across volume range means you don’’ have to push the sound up to inject it with life, and the EQ settings also make a difference,
Verdict: The perfect everyday speaker
There’s something quite admirable about the way the JBL Flip 6 goes about its business as a small portable speaker. It doesn’t aspire to more than it is, by including stacks of features that rarely get used in a product like this. Instead, it focuses all of its efforts into getting good quality, powerful sound into a rugged speaker for on the go, and it absolutely succeeds.
Now in its sixth generation, it is continuing to evolve — both inside and out. For example, it now has IP67 certification for improved protection from the great outdoors, and packs a new tweeter that helps bring improved clarity and detail to its punchy, energetic performance. That comes with some downsides, and its newly ambitious high end can occasionally sound harsh at top volume. However, considering this speaker can fill most rooms with a toe-tapping sound with volume notches to spare, it’s easily avoided.
Overall, it’s a fantastic little speaker that belies its size and only builds further on the legacy of good speakers that came before it.
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