Short answer: the Bose Portable Smart Speaker if sound quality matters most, the JBL Flip Essential 2 if price matters most. The Bose Portable Smart Speaker ranks #75 of 182 medium speakers, rated 3.4/5, at $399. The JBL Flip Essential 2 ranks #80, rated 3.3/5, at $85.90, $313.10 cheaper.
The case for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker: A smart speaker with Alexa and Google Assistant built in that streams over Wi-Fi at home and Bluetooth on the go. It supports AAC Bluetooth, which the JBL Flip Essential 2 lacks. It links with other speakers (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2), which the JBL Flip Essential 2 cannot. It has an adjustable EQ, which the JBL Flip Essential 2 lacks. The tradeoff: RTINGS found the out of the box tuning boomy and says it doesn’t get very loud; the app’s bass and treble sliders help, and SoundGuys recommended cutting bass by 10 to 20 steps to balance it.
The JBL Flip Essential 2 is the lighter, tougher choice. A compact, affordable waterproof speaker that gets fairly loud for its size and connects to two phones at once. At 1.1 lbs (520 g) it weighs much less than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker at 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg). It is rated IPX7 against IPX4 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. The catch: There is no tweeter, and side by side comparisons found it does not sound as good as the JBL Flip 6, with less bass; its bass stops growing above about 70% volume, so turning it up mostly adds loudness, not weight.
Buy the Bose Portable Smart Speaker if sound quality is the priority over the price, or the JBL Flip Essential 2 if the price is the priority over sound quality.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Prices on this page were last checked November 14, 2026 at 6:17 PM UTC. Product prices and availability are accurate as of that date/time and are subject to change; the price and availability shown on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
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Specifications Side By Side
| Bose Portable Smart Speaker | JBL Flip Essential 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $399.00 | $85.90 |
| Ranked | #75 of 182 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #80 of 182 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| TWS | No | No |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 10 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX4 | IPX7 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up | No |
| Weight | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) | 1.1 lbs (520 g) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Dimensions | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) | 6.9” x 2.7” x 2.8” (175 x 68 x 70 mm) |
| App | Yes (Bose Music) | No |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) | - |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC | SBC |
| EQ | Yes (Bass/Treble) | No |
| Drivers | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators | 1x 44x80mm racetrack fullrange + 2x passive radiators |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | - |
| Voice Assistants | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant | - |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) | No |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Strap | No | - |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn | - |
| Amplifier Power | - | 20W RMS |
| Frequency Response | - | 65Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
Where the Ratings Come From
- Bose Portable Smart Speaker: reviews by SoundGuys, RTINGS and Tom’s Guide.
- JBL Flip Essential 2: reviews by Speaker Fan, Angelicaaudio and AudioTribe.
This comparison is generated from the ratings, specifications and measurements on each product’s own page, and it updates when that data changes. How we rank explains how each rating is decided.
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