Short answer: the Earfun Uboom L. It ranks #1 of 142 medium speakers by sound quality at $49.79; the JBL Grip ranks #78 and costs $99.95, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the JBL Grip offers: Ambient light on the back with settable themes Watch for: Lacking deeper bass, definitely the worst of the JBL line until you get to the smaller clip. Not as much clarity as higher ranked speakers, rolled off highs and wavy midrange
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 Grip and costs less, so there is no real case for the other one.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Specifications Side By Side
| JBL Grip | Earfun Uboom L | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.95 | $49.79 after coupon UBOOMLWC |
| Ranked | #78 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #1 of 142 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes (firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| Battery Life | 14 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 16 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~68Hz | 56Hz |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC | AAC, SBC |
| EQ | Yes (7 band) | Yes (10 band, firmware >= 1.2.6) |
| IP Rating | IP68 | IP67 |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 0.8 lbs (385 g) | 1.4 lbs (650 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Drivers | 1x 43x80mm fullrange | 2x 55mm drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| Dimensions | 2.5" x 6" x 2.6" (64 x 152 x 65 mm) | 3.1" x 8.3" x 2.8" (78 x 210 x 72 mm) |
| Frequency Response | 70Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) | - |
| Amplifier Power | 16W | 28W |
| Digital Aux Input | Yes (USB-C) | No |
| Omnidirectional | No | No |
| Lights | Yes | - |
| Aux Input | - | Yes |
| Aux Latency | - | 216ms |
| Built-in Microphone | - | Yes |
| Bluetooth Latency | - | 400ms normal / 66ms low latency mode |
| Maximum SPL | - | 103dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Power Bank | - | No |
| Power Input | - | USB-C |
| Stereo | - | Yes |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Earfun Uboom L:
- 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
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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 Grip: $99.95 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay
Pros: Ambient light on the back with settable themes. Measured bass extension of ~68Hz (-10dB).
Cons: Lacking deeper bass, definitely the worst of the JBL line until you get to the smaller clip. Not as much clarity as higher ranked speakers, rolled off highs and wavy midrange
Setup: EQ from Oluv in his post can help it a bit but still isn’t very neutral
Full JBL Grip review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 16W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | ~68Hz |
| Battery Life | 14 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Digital Aux Input | Yes (USB-C) |
| Dimensions | 2.5" x 6" x 2.6" (64 x 152 x 65 mm) |
| Drivers | 1x 43x80mm fullrange |
| EQ | Yes (7 band) |
| Frequency Response | 70Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP68 |
| Lights | Yes |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 0.8 lbs (385 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head 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
- 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