Short answer: the Soundcore Motion 300. It ranks #2 of 150 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 4.5/5, at $79.99; the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE ranks #40, rated 3.7/5, and costs $199.95, so there is little reason to consider the other one.
The case for the Soundcore Motion 300: Pretty deep bass for the small size. The catch: 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.
What the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE does well: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. The tradeoff: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural.
Buy the Soundcore Motion 300. It is rated higher for sound quality than the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE and costs less, so it is the default pick unless a specific strength of the other one matters more to you.
Battery life favors the JBL Charge Essential 3 SE: rated for 20 hours against 13 hours for the Soundcore Motion 300.
Looking for alternatives? See the complete Portable Bluetooth rankings.
Specifications Side By Side
| Soundcore Motion 300 | JBL Charge Essential 3 SE | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 | $199.95 |
| Ranked | #2 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #40 of 150 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 13 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, LDAC, SBC | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | No |
| EQ | Yes (9 band with adjustable frequency) | Yes |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IP67 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 216ms ldac, 200ms aac, 116ms sbc | - |
| Maximum SPL | 101dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Power Bank | No | Yes (USB-C) |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up | No |
| TWS | Yes | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs (772 g) | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| 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 | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Amplifier Power | 30W | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyCast up to 100 speakers) | Yes (Auracast) |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
| Strap | - | No |
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Soundcore Motion 300:
- Earfun Uboom L vs Soundcore Motion 300
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Soundcore Motion+
- Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021 vs Soundcore Motion 300
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Denon Envaya DSB-250BT
- Minirig 4 vs Soundcore Motion 300
Prices on this page were last checked September 30, 2026 at 2:57 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
Older model: the Soundcore Motion+ (ranked lower, rated 4.4/5).
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. Measured bass extension of 50Hz (-10dB).
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 →
| Amplifier Power | 30W |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz |
| Battery Life | 13 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, 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 |
| Maximum SPL | 101dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up |
| 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 More from NewStuffTV1 →
- Storytripper HD: Klipsch Nashville vs Harman Kardon Luna vs Soundcore Motion 300 More from storytripperhd →
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Earfun Uboom L
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Soundcore Motion+
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Soundcore Boost “upgraded” 2021
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Denon Envaya DSB-250BT
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs Minirig 4
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs B&O Beosound A1
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs B&O Beosound A1 2nd gen
- Soundcore Motion 300 vs JBL Charge 6
- See all 131 comparisons
JBL Charge Essential 3 SE: $199.95 JBL eBay
Older models: the JBL Charge Essential 2 (ranked higher, rated 3.8/5) and the JBL Charge Essential (ranked lower, rated 3.2/5).
Pros: Gets louder than the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen and digs deeper in the bass, with a separate 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators and 40W of amplification in the familiar Charge body. IP67 water and dust protection, a claimed 20 hours of battery life, a USB-C power bank output, Auracast stereo pairing and multi-speaker linking, Bluetooth 5.4 with AAC, and app EQ.
Cons: In side-by-side listening against the Charge 6, its bass is weaker and less stable and distorts on bass-heavy tracks even with the bass turned down in the app, while a narrow boost in the upper mids makes it sound less natural. Against the Bose SoundLink Flex 2nd Gen it sounds muddier and more strident, with less detail and a smaller soundstage. At full price it costs as much as the Charge 6, which is the better speaker.
Full JBL Charge Essential 3 SE review and specifications →
| Amplifier Power | 40W total (30W woofer + 10W tweeter) |
|---|---|
| App | Yes |
| Aux Input | No |
| Battery Life | 20 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3 |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.4 |
| Built-in Microphone | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No |
| Dimensions | 8.8” x 3.8” x 3.7” (223 x 96.5 x 94 mm) |
| Drivers | 52mm x 90mm racetrack woofer, 20mm tweeter, two passive radiators |
| EQ | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 60Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Omnidirectional | No |
| Party Mode | Yes (Auracast) |
| Power Bank | Yes (USB-C) |
| Power Input | USB-C (5V/3A) |
| Stereo | No |
| Strap | No |
| TWS | Yes (Auracast) |
| Weight | 2.1 lbs (960 g) |
- Links
- Reviews, Comparisons and Sound Samples
- Head-to-Head Comparisons
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Earfun Uboom Slim
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs JBL Charge Essential 2
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Bose Soundlink Flex
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Xiaomi Sound Outdoor
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Bose Soundlink Flex 2nd gen
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs JBL Pulse 5
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs Tribit Xsound Plus 2
- JBL Charge Essential 3 SE vs W-King D320
- See all 85 comparisons