JBL Charge 5 vs Earfun Uboom L

Last updated: September 16, 2026

Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks #1 of 142 medium speakers by sound quality at $49.79; the JBL Charge 5 ranks #28 and costs $179.95, so there is little reason to consider the other one.

JBL Charge 5 vs Earfun Uboom L

Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L, rated 4.6 against the JBL Charge 5’s 4.0. The JBL Charge 5 offers doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone. 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.

Choose the JBL Charge 5 for doubles as a power bank (USB-A out) for charging your phone: Watch for: not stereo. It costs more too, at $179.95 against $49.79.

Choose the Earfun Uboom L for one of the strongest small-speaker values for music: Watch for: it cannot produce real low-bass rumble or fill a large, noisy space, and RTINGS finds the top end loses detail. It’s also the cheaper of the two, at $49.79 against $179.95.

Buy the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge 5 and costs less, so the other one has nothing left to offer.

Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.

Buy the Earfun Uboom L at Amazon ($49.79) →Buy the JBL Charge 5 at Amazon ($179.95) →

Specifications Side By Side

JBL Charge 5 Earfun Uboom L
Price$179.95$49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC
Ranked#28 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers#1 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers
AppYesYes (firmware >= 1.2.6)
Bass Extension (-10dB)53Hz56Hz
Battery Life20 hours (Manufacturer specified)16 hours (Manufacturer specified)
EQYes (3 band)Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6)
Bluetooth Latency125ms400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode
Maximum SPL99dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews)103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews)
Party ModeYes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers)No
Power BankYes (USB-A, 5V/2A)No
StereoNoYes
OmnidirectionalNoNo
TWSYesYes
Weight2.1 lbs (960 g)1.4 lbs (650 g)
Aux InputNoYes
Bluetooth CodecsAAC, SBCAAC, SBC
Bluetooth Version5.15.0
Dimensions8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm)3.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (78 x 210 x 72 mm)
Drivers53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators
Frequency Response60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified)-
IP RatingIP67IP67
Power InputUSB-CUSB-C
Amplifier Power40W28W
Built-in MicrophoneYes (dual microphones)Yes
Digital Aux InputNoNo
Aux Latency-216ms
Buy the Earfun Uboom L at Amazon ($49.79) →Buy the JBL Charge 5 at Amazon ($179.95) →

How Earfun Uboom L compares with other leading options:

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

JBL Charge 5: $179.95 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay

JBL Charge 5 ranking card

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. Measured bass extension of 53Hz (-10dB).

Cons: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive.

Full JBL Charge 5 review and specifications →

Amplifier Power40W
AppYes
Aux InputNo
Bass Extension (-10dB)53Hz
Battery Life20 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth CodecsAAC, SBC
Bluetooth Latency125ms
Bluetooth Version5.1
Built-in MicrophoneYes (dual microphones)
Digital Aux InputNo
Dimensions8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm)
Drivers53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter
EQYes (3 band)
Frequency Response60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified)
IP RatingIP67
Maximum SPL99dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews)
OmnidirectionalNo
Party ModeYes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers)
Power BankYes (USB-A, 5V/2A)
Power InputUSB-C
StereoNo
TWSYes
Weight2.1 lbs (960 g)
Check current price at Amazon ($179.95) →Check current price at B&H Photo Video →Search eBay for JBL Charge 5 →

Earfun Uboom L: $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC Amazon Myearfun eBay

Earfun Uboom L ranking card

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 Power28W
AppYes (firmware >= 1.2.6)
Aux InputYes
Aux Latency216ms
Bass Extension (-10dB)56Hz
Battery Life16 hours (Manufacturer specified)
Bluetooth CodecsAAC, SBC
Bluetooth Latency400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode
Bluetooth Version5.0
Built-in MicrophoneYes
Digital Aux InputNo
Dimensions3.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (78 x 210 x 72 mm)
Drivers2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators
EQYes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6)
IP RatingIP67
Maximum SPL103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews)
OmnidirectionalNo
Party ModeNo
Power BankNo
Power InputUSB-C
StereoYes
TWSYes
Weight1.4 lbs (650 g)
Check current price at Amazon ($49.79) →Check current price at Myearfun →Search eBay for Earfun Uboom L →