Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks #1 of 142 medium speakers by sound quality at $49.79; the JBL Flip Essential ranks #69 and costs $130, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
What the Earfun Uboom L offers: 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. Watch for: It cannot produce real low-bass rumble or fill a large, noisy space, and RTINGS finds the top end loses 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.
What the JBL Flip Essential offers: A genuinely portable 471g speaker with IPX7 water resistance, a 3.5mm aux input and 16W output from two full-range drivers. It is a simple, no-app option for wired sources, travel and casual listening where its cylindrical shape and modest size are a genuine advantage. Watch for: Bass is lighter than the Flip 5 and the 80Hz claimed low-frequency limit means it cannot deliver real low-end weight. Battery life is only a claimed 10 hours, there is no speakerphone, EQ or party mode, and its older Bluetooth 4.1 platform and discontinued status make it a basic used-market choice.
Buy the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks higher for sound quality than the JBL Flip Essential and costs less, which settles it without a real tradeoff to make.
There is a real battery-life gap here: the Earfun Uboom L is rated for 16 hours, the JBL Flip Essential only 10 hours.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Earfun Uboom L | JBL Flip Essential | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC | $130 |
| Ranked | #1 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #69 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes (firmware >= 1.2.6) | No |
| Aux Input | Yes | Yes (3.5mm) |
| Aux Latency | 216ms | - |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 10 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | No |
| EQ | Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6) | No |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX7 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode | - |
| Maximum SPL | 103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Party Mode | No | No |
| Power Bank | No | - |
| Power Input | USB-C | - |
| Stereo | Yes | - |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | - |
| Weight | 1.4 lbs (650 g) | / 1 lbs (471 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.0 | 4.1 |
| Dimensions | 3.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (78 x 210 x 72 mm) | 6.7" x 2.5" x 2.5" (169 x 64 x 64 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators | 2x 40mm fullrange |
| Amplifier Power | 28W | 16W RMS |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Frequency Response | - | 80Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
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 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM 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 Myearfun 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 RTINGS finds the top end loses 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.
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 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 Flip Essential: $130 eBay
Pros: A genuinely portable 471g speaker with IPX7 water resistance, a 3.5mm aux input and 16W output from two full-range drivers. It is a simple, no-app option for wired sources, travel and casual listening where its cylindrical shape and modest size are a genuine advantage.
Cons: Bass is lighter than the Flip 5 and the 80Hz claimed low-frequency limit means it cannot deliver real low-end weight. Battery life is only a claimed 10 hours, there is no speakerphone, EQ or party mode, and its older Bluetooth 4.1 platform and discontinued status make it a basic used-market choice.
Full JBL Flip Essential review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 16W RMS |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Aux Input | Yes (3.5mm) |
| Battery Life | 10 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 6.7" x 2.5" x 2.5" (169 x 64 x 64 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 40mm fullrange |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 80Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Weight | / 1 lbs (471 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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