Short answer: the JBL Charge 5 Wifi. It ranks #29 of 179 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 4.0/5, at $139.95; the Bose Portable Smart Speaker ranks #75, rated 3.4/5, and costs $399, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The JBL Charge 5 Wifi is the better-sounding, longer-running option. A rugged waterproof speaker with punchy, warm sound plus Wi-Fi streaming over AirPlay and Chromecast, long battery life and a phone charging port. It is rated for 20 hours of battery against 12 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. It is rated IP67 against IPX4 for the Bose Portable Smart Speaker. Watch for: Shouty upper mids.
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 links with other speakers (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2), which the JBL Charge 5 Wifi cannot. The catch: 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.
Buy the JBL Charge 5 Wifi. It is rated higher for sound quality than the Bose Portable Smart Speaker and costs less, which makes it the one to get unless you need something the other one does better.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Prices on this page were last checked November 11, 2026 at 3:26 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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Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Charge 5 Wifi | Bose Portable Smart Speaker | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $139.95 | $399.00 |
| Ranked | #29 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #75 of 179 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes (Bose Music) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 12 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) | Yes (Bass/Treble) |
| Party Mode | No | Yes (Bose Music multi-room, SimpleSync, AirPlay 2) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A) | No |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | Pointing up |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Weight | 2.2 lbs (1000 g) | 2.3 lbs (1.06 kg) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 97 x 94 mm) | 7.6” x 4.7” x 4.1” (192 x 119 x 104 mm) (H x W x D) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter | 1x high-excursion driver with 360-degree deflector + 3x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IPX4 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Alexa Multi-Room Music | AirPlay 2, Chromecast built-in, Spotify Connect, Amazon Music, Pandora, SiriusXM, TuneIn |
| Amplifier Power | 40W | - |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) | Yes (far-field mic array, mic mute button) |
| Maximum SPL | 99dB (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | No | No |
| Voice Assistants | - | Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant |
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