The JBL Flip speakers have been among the most popular Bluetooth speakers for years. They are solid, sound good and are competitively priced. JBL hopes to continue its success story with the Flip 6. In this JBL Flip 6 review you can read whether this speaker is worth buying.
JBL Flip 6
Price: € 139,-
Connections: Bluetooth 5.1
Format: 17.8 x 6.8 x 7.2 centimeters
Weight: 550 grams
Colors: Black, blue, red and gray
App: JBL Portable for Android and iOS
Website www.jbl.nl 8.5 Score 85 
- Pros
- Robust and waterproof and dustproof
- Sound quality
- Ten hours battery life
- Negatives
- Buttons on top poorly visible
- Missing a microphone
- Strong competition
The JBL Flip 6 has been for sale in the Netherlands since December and has a suggested retail price of 139 euros. JBL lent me a copy for three weeks and in this JBL Flip 6 review you can read my experiences with the speaker.
Recognizable design
In terms of design, the Flip 6 is a typical JBL Flip speaker. It is a tubular device with a ribbed finish, buttons on the top and connections on the back. The volume and play buttons on top are unfortunately missing backlighting. Black buttons on a black speaker does not benefit the ease of use. The on and off button and bluetooth button on the back are illuminated. There you will also find the USB-c port to charge the Flip 6, about which more later.
A notable improvement over the Flip 5 is that the Flip 6 can withstand dust. The Flip 6 is completely waterproof (for thirty minutes at one meter depth) and dustproof. The Flip 5 can withstand water just as well, but not against dust. The Flip 5 can therefore break if you use it more often on the beach. JBL has also placed its logo more subtly on the front of the Flip 6. Personally, I like this print better than the bright orange, square logo of previous speakers. The speaker has a built-in loop so you can attach it to your backpack, hook or parasol. Like older models, the Flip 6 comes across as robust.
JBL only sells the speaker in black at the time of writing. In 2022, a number of colors will be added, including gray, blue and red.
Simple app
Connecting the bluetooth speaker to your smartphone or other device is a piece of cake and is done within half a minute. You can connect the Flip 6 to two devices at the same time via bluetooth multipoint.
JBL also offers a free app, the JBL Portable app. It is available for Android and iOS and gives you control over some speaker settings. Think of a simple equalizer, updating the firmware and the possibility to use two Flip 6 speakers as a stereo pair. If you have a Flip 6 and another suitable JBL speaker, the stereo mode will not work but you can use the PartyBoost option. It lets your music sound from both speakers at the same time.
Sound quality
The sound of the JBL Flip 6 can mainly be described as powerful and exciting. This is not surprising, because JBL praises the Flip 6 as an ideal speaker for, for example, parties and a spontaneous beach day with friends. Then you don’t need flawless vocals, but you want lively music with bass. And the Flip 6 does that just fine. The bass is clearly present and also visible on the vibrating sides of the speaker. As mentioned, you can adjust the sound to your liking via the equalizer in the JBL app.
The speaker can be loud enough for the beach towel and a small party in the living room or garden. Keep in mind that you are dealing with a small speaker. If you want sound that dominates your party or if you are in a larger (outdoor) space, it is better to take a larger speaker or synchronize several speakers.
You cannot make calls with the Flip 6, because the speaker lacks a microphone. For that reason, you can’t use a voice assistant like the Google Assistant. Some more expensive Bluetooth speakers do have a microphone. The Sonos Roam (review) of 199 euros is one of them.
Battery life and charging
The JBL Flip 6 contains a non-removable battery. According to JBL, it lasts up to twelve hours before you have to charge it. Based on my usage, I can say that with an average volume, ten hours is achievable. The battery life is excellent with this. It is also nice that the speaker charges via a USB-C port, which you will also find on most modern smartphones, tablets and laptops.
You can therefore also connect the charger of your device to the Flip 6. It takes a few hours to fully charge the battery of the speaker. Please note that JBL packs a USB-C to USB-A cable in the box, but omits an adapter. So you have to arrange that yourself.
Conclusion: Want to buy JBL Flip 6?
The JBL Flip 6 is a solid, great-sounding and affordable bluetooth speaker with a long battery life. For 139 euros you can’t go wrong with it. That will undoubtedly make it another sales hit.
It pays to look at the competition, both from other brands and from JBL itself. Because the manufacturer sells better speakers that are almost as expensive as the Flip 6. For example, the Charge 5 is currently sold for 150 euros. This speaker is more powerful, lasts twenty hours on a battery charge and can charge your phone in the meantime.
As mentioned, JBL’s Flip 5 is not dust resistant and sounds slightly less good than the Flip 6, but now costs only 99 euros. So there are interesting alternatives to the Flip 6.
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