JBL Clip 5 Review: Why This is My Go-To Portable Speaker

There aren’t many things that my husband and I fight over, but the JBL Clip 5 is on that list. I normally win the custody battle, which is why you can almost always find it in my bag (along with my five different lip products and my Kindle Scribe). It comes with me to soccer games, park picnics and even in the shower. Needless to say, it follows me to more places than my shadow.

SKIP AHEAD What is the JBL Clip 5?  | How I tried the JBL Clip 5  | My experience with the JBL Clip 5 | The JBL Clip 5 vs. CLip 4 | The bottom line | Why trust NBC Select?

JBL Clip 5

The JBL Clip 5 is the brand’s latest model in its Clip series which was released in June 2024. It is a portable speaker with a carabiner clip — you can attach it to a towel rod, bicycle, gym bag or even your belt loop. The oval-shaped speaker has up to 12 hours of playtime. To extend the charge, simply click the Playtime Boost button (you won’t get the best sound quality, in my experience, in this mode but it’s great for long days). During my testing, I typically used it for approximately 4 hours without problems.

The JBL Clip 5 is also compatible with the brand’s app, which allows you to customize the speaker’s sound presets and pair it with other compatible JBL speakers to create a surround-sound feeling in your space. 

At this point, you’re probably asking, “Rebecca, why is this speaker so special?” With an IP67 rating, the Clip 5 has the highest protection against dust particles and can withstand temporary water immersion. I regularly use the speaker in the shower and have never had an issue with water.  To further put this to the test, our NBC Select staffers tossed the Clip 5 in the pool. Unsurprisingly, it worked perfectly fine afterward. 

Battery life: Up to 15 hours | IP rating: IP67 | Weight: 0.62 lbs. | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3

I’ve been testing the Clip 5 for five months (JBL sent us the speaker in May for review). As previously mentioned, I bring the speaker everywhere — the park, the shower, the beach. I tested the water resistance, the sound quality and the battery life. 

My husband has also tested the JBL Clip 5 on his bike rides to his office. He says he uses it at full volume and it is clear enough to hear the music over NYC traffic without distracting him from his surroundings as he rides.  

My testing also included comparing it to the JBL Clip 4. In short, there are clear differences between the two models.

Considering the speaker can fit in my palm, the sound quality is impressive. The sound fills the space of my 9 ft by 15 ft living room/kitchen. At the highest volume the sound is still clear and doesn’t sound like the speaker is about to explode (an issue I’ve encountered in other speakers I’ve tried).

You can also customize the sound quality on the JBL app (mentioned above) by adjusting the equalizer. This can improve the clarity, bass and vocals based on your preference, perfect for an audiophile. I played around with these settings but wound up reverting back to the original preset because it was the sound quality I liked best. 

This is honestly one of my favorite features, aside from the water resistance. It is so easy to take the JBL Clip 5 wherever you go. I throw it into any bag or clip it around the handle. The speaker takes up as much space as a standard soda can and weighs slightly less than my Airpods Max. I’ve clipped the speaker to my belt loop when I didn’t want to carry a bag but still wanted to bring it along. A speaker is not something I typically have on my packing list, but I’ve brought it on vacation so I can still have my getting-ready jams going even when I’m in a hotel. 

Although the brand has an app that works with the speaker, it isn’t necessary to connect it to your iOS or Android phone. It took less than a minute for me to connect the JBL Clip 5 to my phone via Bluetooth when I first turned it on. All I had to do was press the Bluetooth icon on my speaker, and it immediately appeared.. Once you’ve paired it, you never have to do it again. With other speakers I’ve encountered the issue where I get disconnected from the device, but this has not been a problem with the Clip 5. 

Most speakers aren’t aesthetically pleasing, but I find the JBL Clip 5 has a fun and dynamic design. The brand offers them in various color combinations, so you’re not just stuck with the standard black speaker. 

Although the sound quality is impressive considering the speaker’s size, I wouldn’t use this for a party or large gathering. While it fills the space of my living room and is great for picnics in the park or riding a bike, the lively chatter of a party drowns out the sound even at the speaker’s max volume. 

My husband noted this concern since it seemed to only happen while riding his bike. In his experience, whenever he was riding in a particularly bumpy area, the carabiner clip would sometimes unlatch. This concern was also noted in a couple of the reviews I read for the product on Amazon. So, if you’re considering using this speaker for activities like biking, you’ll want to be mindful of the clip.

The most notable difference between the two speakers is sound quality. The JBL Clip 5 is bassier and has a crisper sound. In my experience, it also gets louder than the previous model, and it is easier to distinguish different instruments and vocals in the music. 

The JBL Clip 4 is not compatible with the brand’s app, which means you cannot adjust the sound quality like you can with the Clip 5. The older model also does not support the Auracast feature to pair with other JBL speakers. 

At first glance, the speakers look fairly similar but put them side by side and you’ll immediately notice differences in size and design. The JBL Clip 5 is slightly larger than the Clip 4 and has a wider carabiner opening. I couldn’t attach the Clip 4 to the towel rod in my bathroom but the Clip 5 goes on smoothly. 

The newer model also has a silicone band around the speaker, and on the left side, you can find the power, Bluetooth and Auracast buttons. On the Clip 4 the buttons were still on the side of the speaker, but it did not have this silicone part to it so they were directly on the speaker’s ridges, making them blend in and slightly more uncomfortable to press. This model also did not have the Auracast button. The back of both speakers has diagonal silicone lines for better grip when the speaker is lying flat. However, on the Clip 5 these are thicker and more spread apart than on the Clip 4. 

If you’re looking for a compact speaker without compromising on sound quality, then the JBL Clip 5 is a great option. The carabiner is a unique feature and makes it more convenient to carry-around than other portable speakers I have seen or tried. Although the JBL app allows you to customize the speaker’s sound and pair it to other compatible JBL devices, you don’t have to download it to pair it with your phone or computer. This speaker is also a great option if you’re looking for a shower speaker since it is very water-resistant. Mine has survived many showers and even being thrown in a pool. 

The Clip 5 also makes a great gift for teens or music lovers. The previous model was my go-to gift last year, and you can typically find a great deal on JBL products during sales events like Amazon Prime Day and Black Friday. 

I am the editorial projects manager for NBC Select and have tested hundreds of products across categories like fitness apparel, tech, luggage, skin care and more. For this article I tried the JBL Clip 5, which was sent to me by the brand, for five months in outdoor and indoor settings.