I Tried the New JBL Flip 7 and Charge 6 Bluetooth Speakers and Liked What I Heard

It’s been four years since we’ve seen upgrades to JBL’s Flip and Charge portable Bluetooth speakers, so I was curious to see and hear what the company’s done with its new Flip 7 ($150) and Charge 6 ($200) speakers. While JBL hasn’t radically redesigned the speakers on the outside — they look pretty similar to their predecessors — they do feature better sound, battery life and lossless audio over a USB-C connection. They’re available now for preorder and ship on April 4 in multiple color options. 

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Both speakers are IP68 waterproof and dust-proof and are equipped with newly developed woofers that help improve bass performance along with the requisite reference to AI that almost every new product seems to include these days. In the case of the Flip 7 and Charge 6, it’s something called “AI Sound Boost” that JBL says keeps the speakers from distorting as their drivers are pushed to their “maximum capability.” In other words, JBL has improved the speakers’ digital processing with upgraded algorithms.

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The Charge 7 now has a detachable handle.

David Carnoy/CNET

The Charge 6 is slightly bigger than the Charge 5 but weighs the same as its predecessor at 2.11 pounds. One of the more noticeable external changes is to the new model’s charge-out port (that port is why the speaker line is called “Charge”). Instead of a USB-A out port hidden under a gasket, there’s a single exposed USB-C port that’s both charge-in and charge-out. It allows you to use the speaker as a power bank and charge devices like your smartphone while streaming music to the speaker. 

Additionally, JBL has added a removable handle to the Charge 6. When attached, it gives the speaker a mini boom box look that’s slightly more akin to JBL’s step-up Extreme line. Meanwhile, the Flip 6 has a new Push-Lock accessory system that allows you to swap between a carabiner and a loop (both are included). Both speakers can be laid down horizontally or stood up vertically. 

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The speakers can be stood up vertically.

David Carnoy/CNET

Using the speakers’ Auracast feature, you can link multiple Auracast-enabled JBL speakers to boost the sound or create a stereo pair (it replaces JBL’s Party Boost mode and does not seem compatible with JBL’s PartyBoost and Connect Plus speakers).

I always appreciate the inclusion of a USB-C audio feature, whether it’s on a Bluetooth speaker or headphone, but I couldn’t get it to work on either the Flip 7 or Charge 6 even after a firmware update to the Charge 6 claimed that USB-C audio support was part of the update. (The speakers aren’t released yet, so I suspect I’ll see another firmware update before April 4.)

Testing the USB-C audio feature with other Bluetooth speakers, I’ve found that the sound only improves slightly, but it’s usually a tad more dynamic and cleaner in wired mode via USB-C. These are relatively compact mono speakers, so you’re just not going to get the sound gains from a wired connection that you might get from higher-end speakers that offer significantly richer, more detailed sound. But I’ll reserve final judgment until after I get the feature working. 

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