If there's one list of ours that is always in flux, it's our rundown of the best Bluetooth speakers. The explosion in popularity of these wireless wonders has had brands scrabbling to get their candidates to the top of the pile, with the likes of Ultimate Ears, Sonos, Bang & Olufsen, Tribit and more looking to cash in on the growing desire to have high-quality wireless audio no matter where you go.
The brand that's winning this scramble for supremacy, of course, is JBL. The US company's recent slew of speakers great and small already dominates our best Bluetooth speaker list so comprehensively that we often speculate that the only thing that can oust a JBL… is another JBL.
And that's just what has happened here. The Flip 6 and Charge 5 have been mainstays for more than two years, and only now that their respective sequels have arrived – the JBL Flip 7 and JBL Charge 6 – do we have two new entries to recommend.
JBL Flips the script
The Flip 6 has been one of the most popular Bluetooth speakers of the past few years. That's not hard to understand given how portable, well-made and sonically satisfying it is; while it's not completely perfect, its popularity is hardly a mystery.
We had been expecting a new Flip to land either in late 2024 or early 2025, so when the Flip 7 finally came, it had the weight of expectation resting on its cylindrical shoulders. Those expectations only heightened when we discovered that, US users excluded, the UK price of the seventh-generation model has actually stayed the same as the original RRP of the Flip 6 (£130). It has even gone down, from AU$200 to AU$170, for our lucky Australian friends.
The price may have stayed stable, but the performance has definitely gone up a notch. As we state in our review: "JBL has tweaked the Flip 7’s sound while adding a pleasing host of new features, performance benefits and improvements to its build and design, making for what now feels like the most well-rounded Flip ever. At this price, we can’t see much beating it – another great leap forward for JBL’s long-running series of burrito-shaped belters."
Obviously, we are most interested in the great sonic strides the Flip 7 has taken, but the addition of Auracast audio sharing alongside 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio when tied to a USB-C tether brings the features list up to scratch. The build is improved, too, with an IP68 rating and detachable accessories (a carabiner and a finger loop), making the latest Flip a pleasure to use.
The low-cost Tribit Stormbox Micro 2 is a decent budget alternative, as is the ever-cheapening Flip 6, but at this price and in this form, we can't see anything touching the Flip 7 for a good while.
The new boy takes Charge
It would be wrong of us to fail to mention the arrival of the JBL Charge 6. For many, this was the highlight when JBL unveiled its new Flip and Charge sequels – after all, the Charge 5 is one of the greatest Bluetooth speakers of all time.
A more costly proposition at £170 / $199 / AU$200, the new five-star Charge 6 now sits pretty as our guide's pick as the best Bluetooth speaker overall, ousting its all-timer predecessor with improvements across practically every area of performance.
Like the Flip 7, the Charge 6 adds Auracast audio sharing capabilities alongside 24-bit/96kHz lossless audio via USB-C, not to mention a better IP rating of IP68 and an even more ruggedised build. Our review calls the latest Charge "hugely fun to listen to", and awards it 5/5 scores across sound, build and features. This is the best that the Charge line has ever been – and that's no mean feat considering the pedigree of preceding models.
Two excellent candidates have arrived, then, on our ever-popular rundown of the best Bluetooth speakers around. While the Flip 7 and Charge 6 are united by their implementation of Auracast, lossless USB-C audio and IP68 ratings, their distinct sizes and prices make them worth investigating in their own respective right.
Just one question remains: will anyone be able to knock these latest entries off their respective perches any time soon?
MORE:
JBL Flip 7 vs JBL Flip 6: which five-star Bluetooth speaker is better?
9 of the stand-out tracks we've been enjoying in the What Hi-Fi? test rooms
Best Bluetooth speakers: tried and tested for every budget
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