- 3RD-STRIKE.COM - A La Une - 18/Aug 03:03

JBL Charge 6 – Hardware Review

Over the last few years, we have featured quite a few JBL gaming products as well as regular headsets and wireless earbuds. So far, we have yet to encounter a disappointing product, as we truly enjoyed what the world-renowned manufacturer had to offer. Even so, today we are delving into somewhat new territory for us with the review of the Charge 6, one of JBL’s portables. You will have probably seen one of these devices around, as they are immensely popular. Of course, being popular doesn’t always mean a product is completely up to snuff, however. (Spoiler: it’s great.) Design JBL’s Charge 6 has a cylindrical design, which comes in many different colors. Depending on where you are located, you might even be able to order a customized version via the official site in your region. Even so, the device’s appearance is rather simple, with the JBL logo neatly embedded into the casing, matching the color of the actual speaker. The top buttons stand out a bit more than the volume and play buttons. The sides are marked with the exclamation point that we see in the JBL logo. The sides are rubberized, while most of the case of the speaker has a rugged exterior. Comfort In terms of comfort, things are quite simple. The speaker itself weighs roughly 1.37 kgs, making it not the lightest speaker but also not the heaviest. The device comes with a detachable strap that makes carrying it around easier. Even with the cylindrical design, the Charge 6 has one flat surface, allowing it to rest safely on a flat surface. In terms of controls, things are very simple. You’ll have six buttons: volume up, volume down, play/pause, power on/off, Bluetooth, and Auracast. The top buttons are very tactile and don’t have too much resistance. The volume and play buttons, however, require some force to be pushed down. The waterproof design may be a contributing factor, as there are no gaps between the casing and the buttons. Overview Truth be told, there isn’t much to say about the overall setup process, as things are extremely easy. Pair the Charge 6 with your preferred device, and you’re good to go. We mainly used the device for Spotify, and when watching some movies and series on the go. You simply power on the device, and it will instantly pair with the device you paired it with earlier, with no extra hassle to get things working. It’s a great way to start enjoying your favorite tunes. Keep in mind, the device comes only with the strap, so you’ll need to have a USB-C cable and/or charger at home. We do advise downloading the official JBL Portable app, as it will help you tweak settings by choosing different preprogrammed equalizer profiles or by making a custom one. The app can also clearly show you the battery percentage and make sure the Charge 6 gets its regular firmware updates. The app itself is easy to work with, and it will easily recognize the devices that are currently turned on. The JBL Charge 6 supposedly lasts 24 hours on a single charge and around 28 hours with AI Sound Boost turned on. While we averaged around twenty hours most of the time, we didn’t really reach that 28-hour limit during our testing period. Even so, the estimates of the battery life are fairly accurate, and you will not need to charge the device after every usage. A cool feature of the Charge 6, as the name may already imply, is that it’s also a powerbank. So this means that you can keep the party going, even if your smartphone’s battery is about to die. If you own multiple JBL products that support Auracast, you can actually link several speakers together, playing the same music on all of them. This is great for parties, when friends bring their speakers, or simply if you want to make an impromptu surround system for a movie night. Auracast works with the press of a button on the devices you wish to link, and then it’s smooth sailing after that. We didn’t encounter any hiccups or stutters in the playback when linking multiple devices. The device is advertised as being waterproof (IP68 certification), dustproof, and even fallproof. We would still not advise dumping the speaker in the pool, but accidentally being submerged (max depth of 3 meters) should not really be an issue. Same for the dustproof aspect here, you could easily use the speaker while doing some construction work at home, but just keep it within reason. You’ll get a warning if the charge port has dirt in it when you try to charge the device. As the Charge 6 comes with a sturdy casing and rubberized edges, there’s no real damage that can be done when you drop the speaker from a reasonable height, like when walking, or by knocking it from the table by accident. We have discussed almost every aspect of the Charge 6 so far, but we have actually failed to mention anything about the sound quality. This portable speaker is nothing shy of amazing. The voices pop when you’re listening to podcasts or music, the bass is deep when you want it to be, and the audio feedback is absolutely crystal clear. To be honest, we were truly astonished from the moment we turned on the Charge 6. It has been our trusty companion for a few weeks now, and we use it constantly for all different types of media playback. Conclusion JBL’s Charge 6 is an amazing portable speaker with a great battery life, a good-looking design, a lot of protective features, and superb sound quality. While this could be considered a premium-priced portable speaker, it transcends the qualities of many other portable speakers on the market. If music and podcasts are key components in your daily life, and you’re often on the go or moving around the house, we suggest checking out the Charge 6.