Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks #1 of 150 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 4.6/5, at $49.79; the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE ranks #40, rated 3.7/5, and costs $199.95, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The case for the Earfun Uboom L: One of the strongest small-speaker values for music: reviews praise clear vocals, a natural overall balance and a genuinely convincing stereo image when two are paired. Watch for: It cannot produce real low-bass rumble or fill a large, noisy space, and the top end loses some detail.
The case for the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. The tradeoff: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural.
Buy the Earfun Uboom L. It is rated higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Earfun Uboom L | JBL Charge Essential 3 SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC | $199.95 |
| Ranked | #1 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #40 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes (firmware >= 1.2.6) | Yes |
| Aux Input | Yes | No |
| Aux Latency | 216ms | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | No |
| EQ | Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6) | Yes |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode | - |
| Maximum SPL | 103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | No | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 1.4 lbs (650 g) | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 5.4 |
| Dimensions | 3.1” x 8.3” x 2.8” (78 x 210 x 72 mm) | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| Amplifier Power | 28W | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Frequency Response | - | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Strap | - | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
How Earfun Uboom L compares with other leading options:
- Earfun Uboom L vs Soundcore Motion 300
- Earfun Uboom L vs Soundcore Motion+
- Earfun Uboom L vs Minirig 4
- Earfun Uboom L vs B&O Beosound A1 2nd gen
- Earfun Uboom L vs JBL Charge 6
Prices on this page were last checked September 30, 2026 at 2:57 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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The Two Speakers In Full
Earfun Uboom L: $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC Amazon EarFun eBay
Pros: One of the strongest small-speaker values for music: reviews praise clear vocals, a natural overall balance and a genuinely convincing stereo image when two are paired. IP67 protection, indoor/outdoor sound modes and Video Mode make it unusually adaptable; Video Mode substantially improves lip-sync for a single speaker. Measured bass extension of 56Hz (-10dB).
Cons: It cannot produce real low-bass rumble or fill a large, noisy space, and the top end loses some detail. Low-latency Video Mode disables stereo pairing, so a two-speaker setup is not a good movie system. Firmware and app behavior have also varied over the model’s long life, and the physical controls can be easy to trigger in a bag. Latency is about 400ms by default and 66ms in Video Mode, which you enable by pressing the Bluetooth button twice.
Setup: Try setting up the Earfun App (Android or iOS) to see if that works. If not, you’ll need to flash firmware 1.2.7 to work with the app and set with Oluv’s EQ in the Earfun app which sounds the best. The instructions say that you need a USB3 cable, but most USB2 cables work just fine, try the one included with your phone. Check the current firmware version by turning it on, then pressing the power and Bluetooth buttons at the same time. To flash, turn the speaker off then hold down the Bluetooth button while plugging in the cable. To flash on a mac, see these instructions. In TWS mode, long press the outdoor button for 2 seconds to change TWS to Party mode and back.
Full Earfun Uboom L review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 28W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes (firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| Aux Input | Yes |
| Aux Latency | 216ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 3.1” x 8.3” x 2.8” (78 x 210 x 72 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Maximum SPL | 103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.4 lbs (650 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: Best portable speakers 2025 - get the best bang for your buck $$$ More from Oluv’Sone →
- Oluv Patreon: SoundCore Boom 3i - first impressions & EQs
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: New Beats Pill 2024: sound demo
- CEONTHEMAKING: Earfun Uboom L - This Speaker Replaced My JBL Flip 6… More from CEONTHEMAKING →
- Techder Audios: EARFUN UBOOM L VS SOUNDCORE MOTION+ More from techderaudios →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Earfun UBoom L Review Speaker tuned by a Geek vs Soundcore Motion Plus $100 dollar best portable? More from alanrossreviews →
- Oluv Patreon: Soundcore Motion 300 = Bose Soundlink Flex = Earfun UBoom L?
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Earfun UBoom L 💣(EQ2) 🆚 Tribit XSound Mega 🔥(XBass EQ)- Bluetooth Speaker Bedroom Bash. Who U Got?🔝 More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: JBL, Bose, B&O, Sonos, Earfun, SoundCore… which portable speaker sounds best?
- DIY Subwoofers - Uboom L Measurements and Review
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
JBL Charge Essential 3 SE: $199.95 JBL eBay
Older models: the JBL Charge Essential 2 (ranked higher, rated 3.8/5) and the JBL Charge Essential (ranked lower, rated 3.2/5).
Pros: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. IP67 water and dust protection, a claimed 20 hours of battery life, a USB-C power bank output, Auracast stereo pairing and multi-speaker linking, Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC, and app EQ.
Cons: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural. Against the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen it sounds muddier and more strident, with less detail and a smaller soundstage. At full price it costs as much as the Charge 6, which is the better speaker.
Full JBL Charge Essential 3 SE review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| TWS | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Earfun Uboom Slim
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Xiaomi Sound Outdoor
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs JBL Pulse 5
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs W-King D320
- See all 85 comparisons