Short answer: the JBL Charge 5 Wifi for slightly better sound quality, the Soundcore Boom 3i for the lower price. The Charge 5 Wifi ranks #27 of 151 medium speakers at $250. The Boom 3i ranks #29 at $118.99, $131.01 cheaper.
The Boom 3i was built to go head to head with the Charge 5, and it mostly gets there. Its own pros text describes it as a direct competitor to the Charge 5 with a very similar sound profile, warm tuned with boosted bass, and calls it better value for the money. The cons are honest about the gap: it doesn’t go quite as loud or sound quite as balanced as the Charge 5, though the difference is described as very close. An earlier firmware version also had some bass distortion, so updating through the Soundcore app is worth doing.
The Charge 5 Wifi’s headline feature is in the name. It adds Wi-Fi with AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, and Alexa multi-room support on top of Bluetooth, none of which the Boom 3i offers. The tradeoff is that its own cons list is longer: warm sound, shouty upper mids, boosted bass, slightly rolled off treble, and no party mode on the Wi-Fi version, plus its cons flag it as overly expensive for what it offers.
Everything else is close: both hit similar bass extension in the mid-50Hz range, both run Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC and SBC, and both lack true stereo separation and a party mode.
Buy the JBL Charge 5 Wifi if you actually use Wi-Fi streaming features like AirPlay or Spotify Connect, or if sound quality matters more than the price.
Buy the Soundcore Boom 3i if the price matters more than sound quality. It was designed to chase the Charge 5’s sound and gets close enough that the price gap is hard to ignore.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Charge 5 Wifi | Soundcore Boom 3i | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $250 | $118.99 |
| Ranked | #27 of 151 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #29 of 151 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) | Yes |
| Party Mode | No | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A) | - |
| Stereo | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 2.2 lbs (1000 g) | 1.7 lbs (783 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | - |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 97 x 94 mm) | 8.3” x 3.3” x 3.1” (210 x 85 x 78.5 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter | 94mm woofer + tweeter |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| IP Rating | IP67 | IP68 |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Alexa Multi-Room Music | - |
| Amplifier Power | 40W | 50W |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) | Yes |
| Maximum SPL | 99dB (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | No | Yes (detachable strap) |
| Lights | - | Yes |
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- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Soundcore Motion 300
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- Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021 vs JBL Charge 5 Wifi
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Prices on this page were last checked October 2, 2026 at 10:18 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
JBL Charge 5 Wifi: $250 Amazon eBay
Pros: Has Wifi. Sounds exactly the same as the non-Wifi version. Measured bass extension of 53Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive. No party mode on the wifi version
Full JBL Charge 5 Wifi review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 40W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 97 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Maximum SPL | 99dB (Manufacturer specified) |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| Streaming Services | AirPlay, Chromecast, Spotify Connect, Alexa Multi-Room Music |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.2 lbs (1000 g) |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Bogasing M4
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs JBL Charge 5
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Bogasing G4
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Harman Kardon Luna
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Harman Kardon Luna 2
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Cleer Audio Scene
- JBL Charge 5 Wifi vs Tribit Maxsound Plus/Thunderbox Plus
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Soundcore Boom 3i: $118.99 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay
Pros: Looks to be designed as a direct competitor to the Charge 5 with a very similar sound profile, warm tuned with boosted bass. Better value for the money than the Charge 5. Measured bass extension of 56Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Not quite as good as a Charge 5, doesn’t go quite as loud or sound quite as balanced, but very very close. An earlier firmware version had some bass distortion, update your firmware in the Soundcore App
Full Soundcore Boom 3i review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 50W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 56Hz |
| Battery Life | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.3” x 3.3” x 3.1” (210 x 85 x 78.5 mm) |
| Drivers | 94mm woofer + tweeter |
| EQ | Yes |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Lights | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | Yes (detachable strap) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs (783 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs JBL Charge 5
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Cleer Audio Scene
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Teufel Rockster XS
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Bogasing G4
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Harman Kardon Luna
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Harman Kardon Luna 2
- See all 139 comparisons