Short answer: the Soundcore Motion 300. It ranks #2 of 136 medium speakers by sound quality at $79.99; the JBL Charge 5 ranks #26 and costs $134.95, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
What the Soundcore Motion 300 offers: Pretty deep bass for the small size. Pocket size in a big pocket. Can be used in stereo facing you, or omnidirectional lying down. Ability to have a custom EQ for each orientation, standing, lying flat, hanging. Try the Uboom L EQs from Oluv for a more neutral sound. Watch for: Without the above EQ or turning the top 2 treble EQ bars to max, this speaker is very rolled off in the treble and will rank around #50 in the rankings. Bassup mode is worse than Signature. Not quite as detailed or neutral as higher ranked speakers. Slight bass distortion when turned up.
What the JBL Charge 5 offers: 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. Watch for: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive.
Buy the Soundcore Motion 300. It ranks higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge 5 and costs less, which settles it without a real tradeoff to make.
There is a real battery-life gap here: the JBL Charge 5 is rated for 20 hours, the Soundcore Motion 300 only 13 hours.
Specifications Side By Side
| Soundcore Motion 300 | JBL Charge 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 | $134.95 |
| Ranked | #2 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #26 of 136 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 13 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | LDAC, SBC | AAC, SBC |
| Built in Microphone | Yes | Yes (dual microphones) |
| EQ | Yes (9 band with adjustable frequency) | Yes (3 band) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 216ms ldac, 200ms aac, 116ms sbc | 125ms |
| Max Volume | 101dB | 99dB |
| Power Bank | No | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs / 772 g | 2.1 lbs / 960 g |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.1 |
| Dimensions | 7.9" x 3.6" x 2" (200 x 92 x 50 mm) | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50.8mm (2") full-range drivers + 2x passive radiators | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Output Power | 30W | 40W |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyCast up to 100 speakers) | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
Other pairings from the same speaker class worth checking:
- Soundcore Boom 3i vs Ultimate Ears Boom 4
- Soundcore Motion+ vs Xiaomi Sound Party
- Soundcore Motion+ vs Sony SRS-XE300
- Soundcore Motion+ vs JBL Charge 5
- Tribit Maxsound Plus V1/V2/Thunderbox Plus vs JBL Charge 5
Prices on this page were last checked August 27, 2026 at 10:09 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
Soundcore Motion 300: $79.99 Amazon eBay
Pros: Pretty deep bass for the small size. Pocket size in a big pocket. Can be used in stereo facing you, or omnidirectional lying down. Ability to have a custom EQ for each orientation, standing, lying flat, hanging. Try the Uboom L EQs from Oluv for a more neutral sound.
Cons: Without the above EQ or turning the top 2 treble EQ bars to max, this speaker is very rolled off in the treble and will rank around #50 in the rankings. Bassup mode is worse than Signature. Not quite as detailed or neutral as higher ranked speakers. Slight bass distortion when turned up.
Full Soundcore Motion 300 review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz |
| Battery Life | 13 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | LDAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 216ms ldac, 200ms aac, 116ms sbc |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 7.9" x 3.6" x 2" (200 x 92 x 50 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50.8mm (2") full-range drivers + 2x passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes (9 band with adjustable frequency) |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Max Volume | 101dB |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up |
| Output Power | 30W |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyCast up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | No |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | Yes |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs / 772 g |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Joy & Oluv’Sone: Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen & Soundcore Motion 300 sound test More from Oluv’Sone →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Travel Speakers! Soundcore Motion 300 or Bose Flex or Tribit Stormbow Flow More from alanrossreviews →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Soundcore Motion 300 or JBL Flip 6 or Soundcore Boost v2? we all have issues!
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: On A Ledge 🪟 Soundcore Motion 300 vs Tozo PA1 ⚒ Battle of the Budget Handheld Bluetooth Speakers More from JaysStraightUpReviews →
- Jay’s Straight Up Reviews & More: Tribit Stormbox Flow vs Soundcore Motion 300 (LDAC) 😵 Budget Bose Soundlink Flex “Inspired” Speakers
- Oluv Patreon: Soundcore Motion 300 = Bose Soundlink Flex = Earfun UBoom L?
- Oluv Patreon: SoundCore Motion 300 vs VIFA Helsinki
- Oluv Patreon: (Anker) Soundcore Motion 300 - first impressions
- New Stuff TV 2: Sony ULT Field 1 vs JBL Flip 6, JBL Charge 5 & Soundcore Motion 300
- Storytripper HD: Klipsch Nashville vs Harman Kardon Luna vs Soundcore Motion 300 More from storytripperhd →
- Reddit Search for Soundcore Motion 300 Review
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JBL Charge 5: $134.95 Amazon B&H Photo Video eBay
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.
Cons: Not stereo. Warm sound. Shouty upper mids. Boosted bass. Slightly rolled off treble. Overly expensive.
Full JBL Charge 5 review and specifications →
| App | Yes |
|---|---|
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 53Hz |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, SBC |
| Bluetooth Latency | 125ms |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.1 |
| Built in Microphone | Yes (dual microphones) |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8" x 3.8" x 3.7" (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 53mm x 93mm woofer, 20mm tweeter |
| EQ | Yes (3 band) |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Max Volume | 99dB |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Output Power | 40W |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyBoost up to 100 speakers) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-A, 5V/2A) |
| Power Input | USB-C |
| Stereo | No |
| TWS | Yes |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs / 960 g |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 6 or the JBL Charge 5? don’t go home till you watch this! More from alanrossreviews →
- Mateusz Cholewa: JBL Charge 6 🎶👌Unboxing 📦vs Jbl Charge 5 Short Test Audio i Hz. More from Mateusz Cholewa →
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 6 Review - Worth Upgrading Even If You Have The JBL Charge 5 More from GYMCADDY →
- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs JBL Charge 4 and Charge 3 - best JBL charge 5 review 2021?
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- Alan Ross Reviews: Bose Soundlink Flex Review! vs JBL Flip 6 and JBL Charge 5. Travel heaven?? 🤞
- Alan Ross Reviews: Tribit Xsound Mega vs the world! (JBL Charge 5, Bose Flex, Sony XB33, LG PL7) 👍
- Oluv Patreon: JBL Charge 5 - unboxing & first impressions More from Oluv’Sone →
- Alan Ross Reviews: Bogasing M4 Review - vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Plus - a new contender?
- The Tech Files: JBL CHARGE 5 Vs. CHARGE ESSENTIAL 2 #shorts
- Alan Ross Reviews: Huawei sound joy vs JBL Charge 5 and Flip 6 - top mono speaker! 🤓
- New Stuff TV 2: Sony ULT Field 1 vs JBL Flip 6, JBL Charge 5 & Soundcore Motion 300
- Techder Audios: JBL PULSE 5 VS JBL CHARGE 5 “LIGHTS VS BASS?!” More from techderaudios →
- Storytripper HD: Klipsch Nashville vs JBL Charge 5 More from storytripperhd →
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- Alan Ross Reviews: UE Megaboom 3 review vs JBL Charge 5 & Motion Boom! how bad can it be??
- New Stuff TV: Sony SRS-XE300 vs JBL Charge 5
- GYMCADDY: JBL Charge 5 Vs Sony XE300 - How Can You Mess Up This Bad?
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- Alan Ross Reviews: JBL Charge 5 vs Motion Boom vs Sony XB43 - a step to far? 🤪
- DIGI-EARS: Xdobo X8 Max vs. JBL Charge 5 vs. Anker Soundcore Motion+ vs. Tribit Stormbox Pro Sound Test Battle
- Reddit Search for JBL Charge 5 Review
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