Short answer: the JBL Charge 5 for the higher ranking, the Bose Soundlink Flex for the lower price. The JBL Charge 5 ranks #26 of 134 medium speakers at $179.95. The Bose Soundlink Flex ranks #34 at $89, $90.95 cheaper.
On the Bose Soundlink Flex side: IP67 rated. The tradeoff: Warm sounding with overly boosted bass which drowns out midrange detail.
The case for the JBL Charge 5: Doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone. Set against that: Warm sound.
Buy the Bose Soundlink Flex if the price matters more than the ranking. Buy the JBL Charge 5 if the ranking matters more than the price.
Specifications Side By Side
| Bose Soundlink Flex | JBL Charge 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $89.00 | $179.95 |
| Ranked | #34 of 134 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #26 of 134 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Built in Microphone | Yes | Yes (dual microphones) |
| EQ | No | Yes (3 band) |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 33ms | 125ms |
| Max Volume | 96dB | 99dB |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Stereo | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs / 589 g | 2.1 lbs / 960 g |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Dimensions | 7.9" x 3.5" x 2.1" (201 x 90 x 52 mm) | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 60mm full-range driver + 2x passive radiators | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| Power Bank | - | Yes |
| Aux Input | - | No |
| Bluetooth Codecs | - | AAC, SBC |
| Frequency Response | - | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Output Power | - | 40W |
The Two Speakers In Full
Bose Soundlink Flex: $89.00 Amazon
Pros: IP67 rated; rugged enough to survive drops from several feet and floats. Around 12 hours of battery at moderate volume.
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sounding with overly boosted bass which drowns out midrange detail
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Latency | 33ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.2 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Dimensions | 7.9" x 3.5" x 2.1" (201 x 90 x 52 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 60mm full-range driver + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 96dB |
| Party Mode | Yes (Bose Party mode) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.3 lbs / 589 g |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen vs Flex
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex Review! vs JBL Flip 6 and JBL Charge 5. Travel heaven?? 🤞
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen vs Flex
- Alan Ross Reviews: Beats Pill vs Harman Luna vs Bose Flex vs Soundcore Motion Plus
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Mega vs the world! (JBL Charge 5, Bose Flex, Sony XB33, LG PL7) 👍
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex vs Soundcore Boost vs Bogasing M4 - cheap or Bose?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Stormbox Flow has deeper bass than the Bose Flex but………..
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Tribit Stormbox Flow vs Soundcore Motion 300 (LDAC) 😵 Budget Bose Soundlink Flex “Inspired” Speakers
- Oluv Patreon: Soundcore Motion 300 = Bose Soundlink Flex = Earfun UBoom L?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex or JBL Flip 6 (eq adjusted) or Denon Envaya - best speaker for travel!
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex or Beosound A1 (1st gen) - ultimate compact speaker 😇
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex or JBL Flip 6 (eq adjusted) or Denon Envaya - best speaker for travel!
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Tribit Stormbox Flow vs Soundcore Motion 300 (LDAC) 😵 Budget Bose Soundlink Flex “Inspired” Speakers
- Patricio Benadon: Bose SoundLink Flex vs. Mini 2 SE. Music audio quality sound test. Listen 4 different genres!
- Patricio Benadon: Bose SoundLink Flex vs. Mini 2 SE. Music audio quality sound test. Listen 4 different genres!
- Danny Pops: BEST Bose Speaker?? Bose Soundlink Flex vs micro, Color II, and revolve +
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex vs Minirig MK3 and Marshall Emberton - best bluetooth speaker?
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: JBL, Bose, B&O, Sonos, Earfun, SoundCore… which portable speaker sounds best?
- Alan Ross - The Anti Shill!: Small speaker, mighty sound, The Flex gen 2 shatters physics!
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Links
JBL Charge 5: $179.95 Amazon Bhphotovideo
Pros: Doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone. IP67 rated, survives a 1m dunk for 30 minutes. ~20 hour battery life.
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive.
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 125ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) |
| Dimensions | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 99dB |
| Output Power | 40W |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs / 960 g |
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 6 or the JBL Charge 5? don’t go home till you watch this!
- Mateusz Cholewa: JBL Charge 6 🎶👌Unboxing 📦vs Jbl Charge 5 Short Test Audio i Hz.
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 6 Review - Worth Upgrading Even If You Have The JBL Charge 5
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 4 and Charge 3 - best JBL charge 5 review 2021?
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Plus and Sony XB33 - ultimate travel speaker 2021 🤗
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex Review! vs JBL Flip 6 and JBL Charge 5. Travel heaven?? 🤞
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Mega vs the world! (JBL Charge 5, Bose Flex, Sony XB33, LG PL7) 👍
- Oluv Patreon: JBL Charge 5 - unboxing & first impressions
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bogasing M4 Review - vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Plus - a new contender?
- The Tech Files: JBL CHARGE 5 Vs. CHARGE ESSENTIAL 2 #shorts
- Alan Ross Reviews: Huawei sound joy vs JBL Charge 5 and Flip 6 - top mono speaker! 🤓
- New Stuff TV 2: Sony ULT Field 1 vs JBL Flip 6, JBL Charge 5 & Soundcore Motion 300
- Techder Audios: JBL PULSE 5 VS JBL CHARGE 5 “LIGHTS VS BASS?!”
- Storytripper HD: Klipsch Nashville vs JBL Charge 5
- Flossy Carter: JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 4 vs JBL Charge Essential
- Storytripper HD: KEF MUO vs JBL Charge 5
- KULAS TECH SHOW: JBL Charge 5 vs Tronsmart Mirtune S100 - Sound Comparison💥🔥
- Alan Ross Reviews: UE Megaboom 3 review vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Boom! how bad can it be??
- New Stuff TV: Sony SRS-XE300 vs JBL Charge 5
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 5 Vs Sony XE300 - How Can You Mess Up This Bad?
- Alan Ross Reviews: Marshall Stockwell 2 Review and huge sound test! - vs JBL Charge 5! 💯
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Boom vs Sony XB43 - a step to far? 🤪
- DIGI-EARS: Xdobo X8 Max vs. JBL Charge 5 vs. Anker Soundcore Motion+ vs. Tribit Stormbox Pro Sound Test Battle
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 6
- JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Pulse 5
- JBL Charge 5 vs Marshall Stockwell 2
- JBL Charge 5 vs Sony SRS-XE300
- JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- JBL Charge 5 vs Sony XB33
- JBL Charge 5 vs Klipsch Nashville
- JBL Charge 5 vs Bogasing M4
- JBL Charge 5 vs Huawei Sound Joy
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tribit Xsound Mega
- JBL Charge 5 vs Tronsmart Mirtune S100
- JBL Charge 5 vs Sony ULT Field 1
- JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge Essential
- JBL Charge 5 vs Xdobo X8 Max
- JBL Charge 5 vs KEF Muo gen2
- JBL Charge 5 vs Sony ULT Field 3
- JBL Charge 5 vs Turtlebox Ranger
- Links
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Product prices and availability were last checked August 9, 2026 at 6:57 AM UTC 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.