Best Portable Bluetooth Speaker: JBL Flip 7 vs. Bose SoundLink Flex vs. Soundcore
Sound, EQ, battery life, waterproofing and size compared: which portable Bluetooth speaker to buy, from the small Soundcore Select 4 Go to the JBL Flip 7 and Bose Flex.
A good portable Bluetooth speaker is one of the most-used gadgets in a house: on the patio, at the beach, in the shower, on a hike or in the garage. The best ones now survive a dunk in the pool, last most of a day on a charge and sound far bigger than their size. But they're tuned differently, and features like app EQ, a microphone, multi-speaker pairing and whether the speaker floats vary more than the spec sheets suggest.
This guide covers what matters, how the two most popular compact speakers, the JBL Flip 7 and the Bose SoundLink Flex, compare, and which to buy for a small spot or when you want something much louder.
Quick verdict
- Best for most people: the JBL Flip 7. Compact, tough, a little louder than its rivals, with a seven-band EQ, great buttons and a clip-on carabiner.
- Best sound out of the box: the Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen), with fuller bass and clearer treble straight away, a built-in microphone, and it floats.
- Best small speaker: the Soundcore Select 4 Go, a tiny waterproof speaker that still has a full EQ app and stereo pairing.
- Best big, loud speaker: the Soundcore Boom 2, an 80-watt boombox-style speaker that floats, charges your phone and plays all day.
The speakers side by side
| Speaker | Shop | Size | Water rating | App EQ | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBL Flip 7 |  View on Amazon
| Water-bottle size, about 1.2 lb | IP68, sinks | 7-band | Most people, hikes, tuning the sound |
| Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) |  View on Amazon
| Compact, about 1.3 lb | IP67, floats | 3-band | Great sound with no fiddling, the pool |
| Soundcore Select 4 Go |  View on Amazon
| Palm-size | IP67, floats | Full EQ | Showers, kids, hanging on a bag |
| Soundcore Boom 2 |  View on Amazon
| Boombox | Waterproof, floats | Full EQ | Backyard parties, the beach |
Best for most people
JBL Flip 7
Water-bottle size, IP68 and drop-resistant, a little louder than the SoundLink Flex, with raised backlit buttons and a seven-band app EQ.
- 35 W
- IP68
- Up to 14 hours
Good for
- Hikes and backpacks
- Tuning the sound yourself
Skip it if
- Pool use if you want it to float (it sinks)
What to look for in a portable speaker
Size decides volume
A speaker's size sets how loud it can get and how much bass it has more than anything else. Ultra-portable clip-on speakers are great for a hike or the shower but fill only a small space. Compact speakers like the Flip 7 and SoundLink Flex are the sweet spot for most people. Medium speakers like the JBL Charge 6 and Bose SoundLink Plus are noticeably louder but heavier, about 2 to 3.5 pounds. Boombox-style speakers are for parties. Every size distorts near full volume: the compact speakers sound best up to roughly 70 percent and get harsh beyond it. If you regularly need more volume than that, go up a size rather than cranking a small one.
Water and dust rating, and whether it floats
An IP67 rating means fully dustproof and safe submerged in about a meter of water; IP68 handles a bit deeper. More useful in practice is whether the speaker floats. A speaker that floats bobs on the surface if it gets knocked into the pool or lake; one that sinks has to be fished out. The Bose SoundLink Flex, both Soundcore picks and JBL's small Clip speakers float; the JBL Flip and Charge do not.
The app and the EQ
Most speakers come with a companion app for EQ, firmware updates and pairing. How much control you get varies a lot. JBL and Soundcore offer multi-band EQs that let you dial back harsh mids or add bass; Bose gives only bass, mid and treble sliders; and some popular speakers, like the current Beats Pill and the Marshall Emberton II, offer no custom EQ at all. If you don't love a speaker's default sound, a good EQ is how you fix it.
Battery life: claims vs. reality
Battery claims are measured at moderate volume. Louder listening cuts them a lot. A compact speaker rated for 12 to 14 hours typically gives about 9 to 10 hours at normal volume. In a standardized test at a party-level 80 decibels, the JBL Charge 6, rated for up to 24 hours, lasted about 13 hours, while the Bose SoundLink Plus beat its 20-hour claim at nearly 21. Several popular speakers deliver about half their advertised figure, so treat claims as a best case.
Pairing more speakers
Most speakers can pair with an identical model for stereo, or link to others from the same brand to play in sync. Compatibility is brand-specific and sometimes generation-specific: JBL's newer speakers use Auracast and won't link to older ones like the Charge 5 or Flip 6, which use PartyBoost. If you already own a speaker, check whether a new one will link to it.
Buy from a brand that supports its products
Search results are full of speakers from unfamiliar brands with impressive specs. Some are fine, but warranty support and app updates are a gamble. Established brands, including Soundcore, are the safer buy.
The picks in detail
JBL Flip 7: best for most people
The Flip 7 is shaped like a water bottle and weighs just over a pound, so it slides into a backpack's side pocket. It comes with a sturdy carabiner and a finger loop for hanging it from a branch or a pack. Its buttons are raised, clicky and partly backlit, so they're easy to use in the dark. It's IP68-rated and drop-resistant, rated for 14 hours of battery (16 with JBL's Playtime Boost, which trims the bass), and its 35 watts let it get a little louder than the SoundLink Flex.
Out of the box it emphasizes the midrange, so vocals, guitars and snare drums pop, which suits rock and podcasts. The real advantage is the seven-band EQ in the JBL app: dial back the mids, add bass, and it can sound much like the Bose, or however you like. It also plays lossless audio over USB-C and links with JBL's other Auracast speakers. The trade-offs: it doesn't float, it has no microphone, and over Bluetooth it uses only the basic SBC codec, which matters little on a portable mono speaker.
Best for most people
JBL Flip 7
Water-bottle size, IP68 and drop-resistant, a little louder than the SoundLink Flex, with raised backlit buttons and a seven-band app EQ.
- 35 W
- IP68
- Up to 14 hours
Good for
- Hikes and backpacks
- Tuning the sound yourself
Skip it if
- Pool use if you want it to float (it sinks)
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen): best sound out of the box
If you want a speaker that sounds great without opening an app, the SoundLink Flex is it. Its default tuning has punchier bass and crisper treble than the Flip 7, and a small bass boost in the app makes it sound remarkably full for its size. It has a minimalist look and colors that fit on a bookshelf as well as at the beach, and it adjusts its sound when laid on its back. It floats, it has a built-in microphone for calls and your voice assistant, and a shortcut button can launch Spotify or your assistant. On compatible Android phones it supports higher-quality aptX Adaptive audio.
The downsides: its buttons are recessed and mushy, its built-in strap can't be replaced if it breaks, the app's EQ is just three sliders, there's no wired input, and it's rated for 12 hours rather than 14.
Best sound out of the box
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
Punchier bass and crisper treble than the Flip 7 straight away, it floats, adjusts its sound when laid flat and has a built-in microphone.
- Floats
- Built-in mic
- aptX Adaptive (Android)
Good for
- Great sound without an app
- Calls and voice assistants
Skip it if
- Detailed EQ (three sliders)
- Crisp buttons (recessed and mushy)
Soundcore Select 4 Go: best small speaker
The Select 4 Go is small and still does a lot. It's palm-size, waterproof and floats, charges over USB-C and has a strap for hanging in the shower or on a bag. It works with the Soundcore app, so you get a full EQ, and two of them make a stereo pair. Don't expect it to fill a backyard: it's a small speaker and sounds like one at high volume. But it sounds good for what it is and comes from a brand with real customer support.
Best small speaker
Soundcore Select 4 Go
Palm-size, waterproof and floats, with USB-C charging, a strap, a full app EQ and stereo pairing, from a brand with real customer support.
- Floats
- USB-C
- Full app EQ
Good for
- The shower, a bag or a kid's room
- A stereo pair
Skip it if
- Filling a backyard
Soundcore Boom 2: best big, loud speaker
When a compact speaker isn't enough for a backyard party or a day at the beach, the Boom 2 delivers a lot of speaker. It has 80 watts, a large central woofer with two tweeters, a full EQ in the Soundcore app, stereo pairing, a microphone and a battery rated for up to 24 hours that can charge your phone. It's waterproof and it floats. It isn't audiophile-grade, and it's much bigger and heavier than the compact picks, but for casual, loud, all-day listening it's hard to beat.
Best big, loud speaker
Soundcore Boom 2
80 watts, a large central woofer with two tweeters, stereo pairing and up to 24 hours of battery that can also charge your phone.
- 80 W
- Up to 24 hours
- Floats
Good for
- Backyard parties and beach days
- Loud, all-day listening
Skip it if
- Packing light (much bigger and heavier)
Other speakers worth knowing
- JBL Charge 6 and Bose SoundLink Plus. The mid-size step up from the Flip 7 and Flex: louder and still backpack-friendly. They're about equal in volume. The Charge 6 is lighter, at about 2 pounds versus 3.5, and has the better EQ; the SoundLink Plus floats and lasted far longer in battery testing.
- Marshall Emberton II. Handsome, very well built, clear and neutral sounding, with a real battery meter. But it fires sound forward and backward, so it sounds odd against a wall, the app has no custom EQ, and real battery life is about half its claim.
- Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4. Small, tough and 360-degree, which is great at the beach, with an outdoor sound mode, but no app or EQ.
- Bose SoundLink Max. A large, simple Bluetooth speaker with an aux input that sounds great at home or in the backyard.
- Anker Soundcore 2. The long-running budget Soundcore: IPX7 waterproof, rated for 24 hours of playtime, and one of the most-reviewed speakers on Amazon. It has no app EQ and doesn't float, so it suits a desk, a garage or a kitchen counter more than a pool.
Anker Soundcore 2Sold on Amazon
Buy on Amazon →
Best sound out of the box
Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen)
Punchier bass and crisper treble than the Flip 7 straight away, it floats, adjusts its sound when laid flat and has a built-in microphone.
- Floats
- Built-in mic
- aptX Adaptive (Android)
Good for
- Great sound without an app
- Calls and voice assistants
Skip it if
- Detailed EQ (three sliders)
- Crisp buttons (recessed and mushy)
Tips for better sound
- Keep the volume around 70 percent on compact speakers; beyond that, distortion rises fast.
- Put it near a wall or on a table for more bass; out in the open, small speakers sound thinner.
- Update the firmware through the app when you first set it up.
- Rinse off salt water and sand with fresh water after the beach, and let it dry before charging.
How to choose
- Want one speaker that does everything well? The JBL Flip 7.
- Want great sound with no fiddling, or a speaker that floats? The Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen).
- Buying for the shower or a kid? The Soundcore Select 4 Go.
- Need to fill a backyard? The Soundcore Boom 2.
Posted by Kristopher Larson
Frequently asked questions
Is the JBL Flip 7 or Bose SoundLink Flex better?
Both are excellent. The Bose sounds better out of the box, with fuller bass and clearer treble, floats, and has a microphone. The JBL gets a little louder, has better buttons, a carabiner, a seven-band EQ and wired USB-C audio, and is slightly more rugged. Pick the Bose for set-and-forget sound, the JBL if you like to tune it.
How long do portable Bluetooth speaker batteries really last?
Less than advertised at higher volumes. Compact speakers rated for 12 to 14 hours usually give about 9 to 10 hours at normal volume. At party volume, some speakers last roughly half their claim, while a few, like the Bose SoundLink Plus, meet or beat it.
Which Bluetooth speakers float?
The Bose SoundLink Flex, SoundLink Plus, JBL Clip models, Soundcore Select 4 Go and Soundcore Boom 2 float. The JBL Flip and Charge are waterproof but sink, so you'd have to fish them out of a pool or lake.
What does IP67 or IP68 mean on a speaker?
The first digit, 6, means fully dustproof. The second is water protection: 7 means it survives submersion in about a meter of water for 30 minutes, and 8 means it handles somewhat deeper submersion as specified by the maker. Either is plenty for rain, splashes and a dunk in the pool.
Can you connect two Bluetooth speakers together?
Usually, if they're the same brand. Most speakers pair with an identical model for stereo, and many link with other speakers from the same brand to play in sync. Compatibility can depend on generation: JBL's newer Auracast speakers don't link with older PartyBoost models like the Flip 6 or Charge 5.
What is the best small Bluetooth speaker?
The Soundcore Select 4 Go. It's small, waterproof, floats, charges over USB-C and works with the Soundcore app for a full EQ and stereo pairing. Stick with established brands; speakers from unknown brands often lack support and updates.
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