JBL needs no introduction when it comes to making portable Bluetooth speakers. The brand is celebrated for making portable Bluetooth speakers with good battery life and robust sound. The new JBL Flip 6 continues in the tradition of previous JBL Flip series Bluetooth speakers and comes with tiny improvements and tweaks over the previous-gen JBL Flip 5. The JBL Flip 6 comes with promising features such as optimised dual passive radiators that are fine-tuned with Harman's algorithm for deep bass, rugged design, a claimed battery life of up half a day and the speaker is incredibly easy to use.
Launched in India for Rs 11,999, how good is the JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker? Find out in this detailed review.
JBL Flip 6 Design, Looks And Build
Take a look at the JBL Flip 6 portable Bluetooth speaker and you may not find it much different from the JBL Flip 5 or the JBL Flip 4 albeit for the bigger JBL logo on the front of the speaker. When compared to the JBL Flip 5, the speaker packs in improvements on the inside with the most noteworthy one being the dual pumping passive radiators and two-way driver. In terms of dimensions, the cylindrical JBL Flip 6 Bluetooth speaker measures around 7 inches in length and 2.5 inches in width and weighs almost 550 grams which makes it a super handy and portable speaker at this price point.
Apart from the handy size, the main USPs of the JBP Flip 6 are the 20W woofer and the 10W tweeter inside. Both the sides feature visible pumping bass radiators which make the design stand out among a sea of Bluetooth speakers out there. This Bluetooth speaker has been made weather-proof with an IP76 rating which makes sure the speaker can withstand water of up to 1-metre depth for up to 30 minutes.
The speaker has a layer of tough fibre around with both sides made of a rubberised material that can ensure the JBL Flip 6 can survive a few falls and bumps. To sum up, the fibre's texture is robust and doesn't look like it would easily give away regular wear and tear.
In terms of connectivity, the JBL Flip 6 makes use of Bluetooth 5.1. In terms of battery life, the JBL Flip 6 claims to offer a backup of 12 hours on a full charge and during my review, the Flip 6 fell slightly short and provided close to 10 hours of playback time on a single charge. The Bluetooth speaker can be recharged via a USB Type-C charging port which takes almost 2.5 hours to fully recharge the mAh battery.
JBL Flip 6 Partyboost feature
The JBL Flip 6 comes with a Partyboost feature through which one can connect other JBL Partyboost speakers to the main Bluetooth source, and thus, increase the sound output. One can also use the Partyboost feature to split the signal into stereo, however, they would need to have the same model speaker to do so. The Partyboost button is placed at the extreme left alongside the volume down and volume up keys and the play and pause button.
JBL Flip 6 Sound Quality
There's no double that the JBL Flip series of Bluetooth speakers have been among the best portable speakers out there and the JBL Flip 6 of course produces a bass-heavy sound that is smooth and well-controlled. However, turn the volume to 60 per cent and you would realise that the JBL Flip 6 is not the best-sounding portable speaker when the volume is pushed to louder levels. The mids and the highs have a clear definition.
Also, there's an equaliser to help customise the bass, treble and more according to taste. Another bummer is the lack of a 3.5-mm AUX port which means one can get sound output only by Bluetooth pairing. Also, this speaker can not be used for making and receiving calls as there's no in-built microphone here. Considering its price, the company should have equipped the Flip 6 with an in-built mic.
JBL Flip 6 Verdict
The JBL Flip 6 is an excellent portable Bluetooth speaker in every sense. However, there are a few cons to consider too such as lack of microphone and AUX port. The JBL Flip 6 is easy to pair and use, robust and has good weather-proofing too. It is a good speaker for those who want a handy yet well-built portable speaker.