The $199.95 JBL Charge 6 outdoor speaker is an update to the Editors' Choice-winning $179.95 Charge 5. It offers a slew of improvements for only a modest price bump, which include a bigger woofer, upgraded waterproofing, a new carry handle, slightly longer battery life, support for Auracast, and a customizable EQ. The result is a handsome and highly portable speaker that can pump out plenty of volume with rich, detailed, and punchy sound. Our favorite budget boombox, the $129.99 Anker Soundcore Boom 2, provides a better value thanks to its impressive sound, built-in lighting effects, and lower cost, but if you prefer the Charge 6's design and don't mind the price, it's a superb choice.

Design: Improved Durability

The Charge 6 is slightly larger than its predecessor, measuring 3.9 by 9.0 by 3.7 inches (HWD) and weighing 3.0 pounds. The Charge 5 measures 3.8 by 8.7 by 3.7 inches and weighs 2.1 pounds. Meanwhile, the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 is larger than either of the Charge speakers, measuring 7.3 by 11.7 by 4.0 inches and is heavier at 3.7 pounds.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The Charge 6 is wrapped in a fabric grille and capped on each end with a passive radiator. The speaker is available in Black, Blue, Purple, Red, or White, or you can customize it with color gradients, images, text, or stickers (customized versions push the price up to $235.95).

JBL designed the Charge 6 to sit on two rubber strips along the bottom of the speaker and face listeners with the JBL logo pointing forward. It can also stand on its ends, and the crenellated end caps provide clearance for airflow. However, the angle of the end caps leaves the speaker standing at a tilt. The speaker adds a handle that loops through two slots on either side of the control cluster. This is a convenient and sturdy addition that adds to its portability.

The speaker feels rugged and durable, with only the passive radiators exposed (but somewhat protected by their raised rubber rims). JBL says the speaker can survive drops from up to 3 feet. It's sealed against dust and water up to an IP68 level—an upgrade from the Charge 5’s IP67 rating—so it can be submerged in water at a depth of about 5 feet for up to 30 minutes. This makes it an excellent companion for the pool or beach.

In addition to the passive radiators, there are two active drivers: a 2.1-by-3.7-inch racetrack woofer and a 0.8-inch tweeter. The woofer is slightly larger than the one in the Charge 5 (2.0 by 3.5 inches), but its output remains 30 watts, while the tweeter's output remains 15 watts. JBL claims the speakers have a frequency range of 56Hz to 20kHz. The Charge 6 has a single USB-C connection on the back, which can handle charging, power output (to charge other devices), and lossless wired audio connections. This wired connection is the only way to enjoy high-quality audio, as the speaker only supports the basic AAC and SBC codecs over Bluetooth. The speaker supports Bluetooth 5.4, which is the latest version available to most consumer devices.

The Charge 6 has a series of controls on top with play/pause and volume buttons in one row. Oddly, double-tapping the play button skips forward, but there’s no control for skipping backward. A second row includes the power button, a Bluetooth pairing button, and a dedicated button for enabling Auracast.

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The built-in 34-watt-hour battery can run the speaker for up to 24 hours and works as a power bank for external devices if you need to charge a phone or tablet. Your playback time will depend on the volume.

Depending on your charger, the speaker can replenish the battery in as few as 3 hours, but JBL doesn’t include a charging brick or USB cable in the package, which only includes the speaker and strap.

App Experience: Limited Customization

(Credit: JBL/PCMag)

The JBL Charge 6 works with the JBL Portable app (available for Android and iOS), which doesn’t require an account to use. The app includes just a handful of simple controls for the speaker, which thankfully include a few EQ presets and a seven-band custom EQ.

The app has a toggle for Playtime Boost and access to Auracast. The former sacrifices bass in favor of battery life, while the latter lets the speaker tune into Auracasdt broadcasts. You also need the app for pairing multiple JBL speakers for stereo output. Beyond these features, the app supports firmware updates.

Sound: Surprisingly Punchy

The Charge 6's tweeter and woofer work together to provide a fuller audio response than you might get from other compact speakers. The depth is plainly audible and the Charge 6 offers substantial bass even at low volumes.

For example, the drums have a solid thump on Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty,” and the bright Bruno Mars sample that opens the track comes through clearly thanks to the tweeter. The speaker can’t quite hit the sub-bass notes on the track, but it has just enough range to get one of the higher sub-bass notes, which actually makes matters worse because that note suddenly pops into the mix unnaturally. This is a common shortfall with compact speakers, but otherwise, the Charge 6 has excellent balance, and keeps vocals loud and clear even against the thumping bass.

That energy and balance work well with The Knife’s “Silent Shout.” Right from the jump, the bass triplets and sub-bass kick pulse loud and clear. When the synth line swings in, it’s clear and bright. The nuance of the vocal harmonies is a little buried—particularly those of the lower voice—which can have a hard time standing out, especially without any stereo separation to handle all the phasing going on in the song. 

(Credit: Mark Knapp)

The Charge 6 renders Bill Callahan’s “Drover” well. The speaker's mono presentation means you lose the pleasing stereo effects in a track like this, though a second Charge 6 can bring back those dynamics through stereo pairing. All the same, the performance is solid. It injects enough nuance into the instrumentation to make for a lively rendition. The electric guitar wails, the drums thump, and the cymbal hits bite with clear transients that ring out thanks to the dual-driver design. At the same time, the subtleties and ambiance of the track, like the mellow acoustic guitar and the faint rattle of the snare wires, still come through.

The nuance and clear dynamics help the Charge 6 do a surprisingly good job with John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary. Some of the deepest passages are somewhat lost because of the speaker’s lack of sub-bass, but most of the instruments have a clean and bright presentation while keeping the vocals clear. This is another track that sounds better with stereo separate, but the Charge 6 still manages to do a decent job.

The Charge 6 can blast out serious volume while maintaining clarity and balance. In a 150-square-foot room, the speaker was ample for loud, rousing audio, and it held up well outdoors. The speaker features a “PlaytimeBoost” setting that claims to “boost up the volume of your music but consume less battery.” It may push the mids a little higher, but it sucks the depth out of the bass. It may be worthwhile if you’re trying to stretch battery life while listening to podcasts or audiobooks, but it degrades the quality of music too much for my liking.