Short answer: the Soundcore Motion 300. It ranks #3 of 182 medium speakers by sound quality, rated 4.5/5, at $79.99; the JBL Flip Essential 2 ranks #80, rated 3.3/5, and costs $85.90, so there is not much of a tradeoff to weigh.
The Soundcore Motion 300 is the better-sounding choice. A compact stereo speaker with deep bass for its size, hi res Bluetooth and a custom EQ for each position, standing or lying down. It supports LDAC Bluetooth, which the JBL Flip Essential 2 lacks. It links with other speakers (PartyCast up to 100 speakers), which the JBL Flip Essential 2 cannot. It has an adjustable EQ, which the JBL Flip Essential 2 lacks. The tradeoff: 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.
The JBL Flip Essential 2 is the lighter pick. A compact, affordable waterproof speaker that gets fairly loud for its size and connects to two phones at once. At 1.1 lbs (520 g) it weighs noticeably less than the Soundcore Motion 300 at 1.7 lbs (772 g). The catch: There is no tweeter, and side by side comparisons found it does not sound as good as the JBL Flip 6, with less bass; its bass stops growing above about 70% volume, so turning it up mostly adds loudness, not weight.
Buy the Soundcore Motion 300. It is rated higher for sound quality than the JBL Flip Essential 2 and costs less, so only choose the other one for a particular feature it does better.
Still deciding? The full Portable Bluetooth rankings cover every ranked option.
Prices on this page were last checked November 14, 2026 at 6:17 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.
As an eBay Partner, we may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Specifications Side By Side
| Soundcore Motion 300 | JBL Flip Essential 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $79.99 | $85.90 |
| Ranked | #3 of 182 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers | #80 of 182 in Medium Size Portable Bluetooth Speakers |
| App | Yes | No |
| Aux Input | No | No |
| Bass Extension (-10dB) | 50Hz | - |
| Battery Life | 13 hours (Manufacturer specified) | 10 hours (Manufacturer specified) |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Codecs | AAC, LDAC, SBC | SBC |
| Built-in Microphone | Yes | - |
| EQ | Yes (9 band with adjustable frequency) | No |
| IP Rating | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Bluetooth Latency | 216ms ldac, 200ms aac, 116ms sbc | - |
| Maximum SPL | 101dB (measured by Alan Ross Reviews) | - |
| Power Bank | No | No |
| Stereo | Yes | No |
| Omnidirectional | Pointing up | No |
| TWS | Yes | No |
| Weight | 1.7 lbs (772 g) | 1.1 lbs (520 g) |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.1 |
| Dimensions | 7.9” x 3.6” x 2” (200 x 92 x 50 mm) | 6.9” x 2.7” x 2.8” (175 x 68 x 70 mm) |
| Drivers | 2x 50.8mm (2”) full-range drivers + 2x passive radiators | 1x 44x80mm racetrack fullrange + 2x passive radiators |
| Frequency Response | 65Hz - 40kHz (Manufacturer specified) | 65Hz - 20kHz (Manufacturer specified) |
| Power Input | USB-C | USB-C |
| Amplifier Power | 30W | 20W RMS |
| Party Mode | Yes (PartyCast up to 100 speakers) | No |
| Digital Aux Input | No | No |
Where the Ratings Come From
- Soundcore Motion 300: reviews by Joy & Oluv’Sone, Oluv and Alan Ross.
- JBL Flip Essential 2: reviews by Speaker Fan, Angelicaaudio and AudioTribe.
This comparison is generated from the ratings, specifications and measurements on each product’s own page, and it updates when that data changes. How we rank explains how each rating is decided.
Related Speaker Comparisons
More worthwhile head-to-heads for Soundcore Motion 300: