Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks #1 of 142 medium speakers by sound quality at $49.79; the JBL Charge Essential ranks #71 and costs $73.99, which makes this an easy call rather than a real tradeoff.
What the JBL Charge Essential offers: Doubles as a power bank. IPX7 rated. Supports true wireless stereo pairing with a second Charge Essential. Watch for: Less clarity than the Flip 4, highs rolled off. An overpriced rebranded Charge 3 for people who want stereo sound.
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.
Buy the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge Essential and costs less, so the other one has nothing left to offer.
Want more options? Browse the full Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Charge Essential | Earfun Uboom L | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $73.99 | $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC |
| Ranked | #71 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #1 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | No | Yes (firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| EQ | No | Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| Party Mode | Yes (Connect+ up to 100 speakers) | No |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) | No |
| Power Input | Micro USB | USB-C |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs (770 g) | 1.4 lbs (650 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 | 5.0 |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange | 2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| Dimensions | 8.4" x 3.5" x 3.4" (213 x 89 x 87 mm) | 3.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (78 x 210 x 72 mm) |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Amplifier Power | 20W RMS | 28W |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC (inferred; additional codecs unverified) | AAC, SBC |
| Aux Input | - | Yes |
| Aux Latency | - | 216ms |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | - | 56Hz |
| Built-in Microphone | - | Yes |
| Bluetooth Latency | - | 400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode |
| Maximum SPL | - | 103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Stereo | - | Yes |
| TWS | - | Yes |
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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 Essential: $73.99 Amazon eBay
Pros: Doubles as a power bank. IPX7 rated. Supports true wireless stereo pairing with a second Charge Essential.
Cons: Less clarity than the Flip 4, highs rolled off. An overpriced rebranded Charge 3 for people who want stereo sound.
Full JBL Charge Essential review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 20W RMS |
|---|---|
| App | No |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC (inferred; additional codecs unverified) |
| Bluetooth Version | 4.1 |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.4" x 3.5" x 3.4" (213 x 89 x 87 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50mm fullrange |
| EQ | No |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Connect+ up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) |
| Power Input | Micro USB |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs (770 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
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- JBL Charge Essential vs JBL Flip 4
- See all 89 comparisons
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
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- 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 →
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